Criminal Investigator

About the role

This position is located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, IL and is organizationally aligned under the Police and Security Service Line. The Criminal Investigator is responsible for the complete investigation of all offenses against the criminal laws of the United States on all property owned or controlled by the FHCC VA Medical Center. Individual Occupational Requirements Medical Requirements 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, hp, 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. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 positions you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An effective SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess on-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include: practical knowledge of law enforcement procedures and techniques of criminal investigations, including the investigation of crimes, police conduct, courtroom etiquette, rules of evidence, and rules of testimony; execution of search and arrest warrants; recognizing, collecting, and preserving physical evidence; and maintaining a chain of custody and presenting pertinent facts both orally and in writing. -OR- Education: To qualify based on education at the GS-9 level you must have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or successfully completed two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or successfully completed a LL.B or J.D., related to Criminal Investigation (such as law enforcement or criminal justice). This education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial or official) with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. -OR- Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: An equivalent combination of graduate education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours, which is the amount required at the next lower grade level, GS-7) and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirement. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial or official) with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to recei