Criminal Investigator (Special Agent)

About the role

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, Western Region, Alpha Branch. This application will close upon receiving 50 applicants or at 11:59 PM on 29 June 2026, whichever occurs first. 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). Persons making their first entry into a law enforcement position under these authorities must be no younger than 21 years of age and no older than 36 years of age. Persons in already 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 36 years after subtracting their years of service in covered positions. 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(s) (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 ne

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