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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a US Citizen.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
- Selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for a Top Secret (TS) clearance. You must meet initial and periodic suitability determinations based on favorable background investigations and updates.
- Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- You will be required to complete an OGE-450, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interests.
- Relocation expenses are NOT authorized.
- Designated or Random Drug Testing required. Failure to pass a Drug Test or maintain a clearance is grounds for removal.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid State issued motor vehicle operator's license.
- Significant travel is expected. Selected applicants must be able to acquire and maintain a government-issued travel charge card.
- You must pass initial and periodic medical examinations. Failure to meet medical requirements may result in reassignment from the position of Criminal Investigator or other appropriate action.
- Acknowledgement of Career Mobility is a condition of employment. You must be available for permanent reassignment to other regional or resident offices, as required by the OIG.
- Successful completion of the Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
- You must be able to operate a government-owned or leased vehicle and have and maintain a valid driver’s license.
- Required to qualify to carry and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and maintain such qualification.
Qualifications
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 be no more than 37 years of age upon entry into the GS-1811 series, unless the applicant has 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. Applicant must provide evidence of current or previous coverage that would qualify. This age restriction does not apply to those entitled to Veteran's Preference.
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, corrective lenses permitted, 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.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience, education, or combination thereof for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying.
GL-07: Application must meet one of the following: Experience, Education (either undergraduate or graduate), or a Combination thereof.
- Experience: Have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in, or related to, investigative methods and law enforcement techniques that provide the specific competencies to successfully perform the position's duties. Potential experience includes: exercising initiative; attention to detail; judgment in collecting, assembling and developing facts, evidence or other pertinent data; the ability to analyze and evaluate data or evidence to arrive at sound conclusions including applying new information; and the ability to partner with others in the accomplishment of mission activities.
- Undergraduate Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) which is based on class standing, grade-point average, or honor society membership as described below:
- Maintained a grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 3.0 or higher) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. GPAs are rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society; OR
- Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; OR
- Be a member of a national honor (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Please submit a college transcript(s) showing your grade point average for all four years of undergraduate study, including all transferred courses.
- Graduate Education: At least one full year of graduate level education (i.e., 18 semester hours).
- Combination: A combination of specialized experience, as described above, and related graduate level education. For example, 9 semester hours of graduate education and 6 months of qualifying experience.
GL-09: Application must meet one of the following: Experience, Education (graduate only), or a Combination thereof.
- Experience: Have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in applying law enforcement or investigative techniques in the performance of job duties such as: identifying problem areas and proposing and implementing solutions; taking responsibility for own actions to ensure the goals and deadlines for the team are met; attending meetings or seminars on behalf of a professional or academic group; meeting work priorities and allocating personal resources; partnering with other individuals from within and outside the organization.
- Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as LL.B. or J.D.) or two full years of progressively higher graduate education, in a related field, leading to such a degree from an accredited college or university.
- Combination: A combination of specialized experience, as described above, and related graduate level education. For example, 27 semester hours of graduate education and 6 months of qualifying experience. Note: only graduate education beyond that required for GS-07 (18 graduate semester hours) is eligible for combination.
Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Time in grade: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade.
No award SF-50 will be accepted.
We encourage you to provide more than 1 SF-50 so that we can adjudicate Time in Grade, highest grade held, and current status. SF-52s are not acceptable.
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.
Education
If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Additional information
USDA OIG Statement - At the Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, we are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and aim to build a workforce that mirrors the diversity of our nation. We invite applications from individuals of all backgrounds who are dedicated to public service and share our commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment. Explore our Office of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion page to delve deeper into our commitment to DEIA at OIG.
- 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 well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
- This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
- 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.
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