Criminal Investigator (Special Agent)

Summary This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. This position serves as a criminal investigator (special agent) within the Office of Investigations, Southwest Region, Alpha Branch. This application will close upon receiving 50 applicants or at 11:59 PM on 21 April 2026, whichever occurs first. Responsibilities Investigate allegations of embezzlement and fraud involving USDA-funded programs. Establish and maintain liaison with USDA agency personnel. Analyze allegations, complaints, and investigations to identify issues involved and the types of evidence needed to properly address each matter. Maintain liaison with other federal (non-USDA agencies) and state and local government organizations. Advise and/or assist U.S. attorneys and/or state/local prosecutors and/or their staff members in the preparation of investigations for presentation to federal and/or state/local grand juries. Appear as a witness before grand juries and trial courts or participate and assist in other legal proceedings, and lead and coordinate collateral administrative functions in a unit such as custodial officer for all investigative equipment. Personally handle exceptionally complex, technical investigative problems or controversial, novel, or exploratory questions and issues and advises on potential investigation areas and new investigative approaches. Report critical information to other concerned law enforcement jurisdictions and collaborate with other investigative team members as required in meeting the objectives of the USDA OIG investigative program. Perform or lead and coordinate the conduct of undercover and/or surveillance work and provide technical subject matter expertise support for training, internal inspection, and/or quality control as required. Serve, as required, as a task force member or outside agency liaison, working from an alternate duty location, relaying information and accessing outside agency resources to support USDA OIG investigations. Perform full criminal, civil, or administrative investigations and conduct investigative interviews. Develop new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations and analyze investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions. Plan and conduct fact-finding and prepare comprehensive administrative and technical reports in order to present complex and conflicting findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. Collaborate with other investigative team members as required in meeting the objectives of the USDA OIG investigative program. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications, eligibility requirements, and specialized experience minimums (and time-in-grade restrictions for merit promotion applicants) by the closing date of the announcement. This position is a primary law enforcement position under 5 U.S.C. 8336 (C) (CSRS and 5 U.S. C 8412 (d) (FERS). You must not have reached your 37th birthday prior to entry into the GS-1811 series, unless you have previous service creditable under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) law enforcement provisions sufficient to enable you to retire at age 57 with 20 years of creditable service. Persons already in covered secondary positions or persons with previous approved service who apply for a primary position cannot be considered if their age at reentry into the primary position exceeds 37 years after subtracting their years of service in covered positions. Applicants must provide evidence of current or previous coverage that would qualify. This age restriction does not apply to those entitled to Veteran's Preference. You will be required to qualify to carry and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and maintain such qualification. Applicants are ineligible for this position if, at any time, they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside, or the applicant received a pardon. Refer to the Lautenberg Amendment, titled "Gun Ban for Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence", Pub.L.104-208,[1] 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9). Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions and specialized experience as defined below. THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT: The duties of positions in this series require moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking and standing, use of firearms, and exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, with or without correction, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of these positions are exacting and responsible, and involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself or others is disqualifying. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT ABOVE, APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS BELOW. Time in grade: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (one year at the GS-11 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level, one year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level). Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Restrictions are contained in 5CFR 300, Subpart F. You must include an SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one) that supports meeting this requirement with your application package. MINIMUM SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-12: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the federal service or the private sector that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position under appropriate supervision. Specialized experience is defined as: conducting criminal and administrative investigations, from planning and conducting fact-finding, to reporting the results of investigations; performing undercover and surveillance work; conducting investigative interviews; and analyzing investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions. This experience should include the preparation of comprehensive administrative and technical reports to present findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. Applicants should possess experience conducting liaison activities and representing the interests of a parent agency to other investigative agencies, including federal, state, and local agencies, and developing new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations. MINIMUM SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-13: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the federal service or the private sector that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position with minimal supervisor or independently. Specialized experience is defined as: conducting criminal and administrative investigations, from planning and conducting fact-finding, to reporting the results of investigations; performing undercover and surveillance work; conducting investigative interviews; and analyzing investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions. This experience includes the preparation of comprehensive administrative and technical reports in order to present findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. In addition, applicants should have experience conducting liaison activities with other investigative agencies on behalf of their organization, including federal, state, and local agencies, and developing new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations. Evidence of one year or more of specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience, documented in your resume. Education THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AT THESE GRADES. Additional Information You may be required to participate in a multi-phase selection process. This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment are conditional on negative results for illegal drug use. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be qualified based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to Financial Disclosure Requirements in 5 CFR 2635 (e) regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have, or who are seeking, business with USDA. This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. This is not a bargaining unit position. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS Hiring Paths. Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for your application to be shared for other, similar vacancies in USDA OIG. Candidates will not be considered or hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.