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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

Supervisory Criminal Investigator (Resident Agent in Charge)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives See More Job Openings by This EmployerArrow
  • Full Time
  • $125,776 - $163,514/year
  • El Centro, CA
February 2, 2026 Criminal Law

Job Description

This Supervisory Criminal Investigator position is assigned to a field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) responsible for the prevention, detection, and investigation of substantive and conspiracy type violations of laws enforced by ATF. They supervise a group of criminal investigators stationed at Field Offices where group size ranges from small to moderate (i.e., five to twelve, but at least three), who are engaged in substantive criminal investigation work.

Duties

The position is located in the Office of Field Operations, Los Angeles Field Division, El Centro Field Office, El Centro, CA.
The major duties of the Supervisory Criminal Investigator, Resident Agent in Charge (RAC), position include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Serves as a Supervisory Criminal Investigator assigned to a field division of the Bureau.
  • Responsible for the prevention, detection, and investigation of substantive and conspiracy type violations of laws enforced by ATF.
  • Supervises a group of criminal investigators stationed at field offices where group size ranges from small to moderate, who are engaged in substantive criminal investigation work and the work must be greater than average in difficulty.
  • Responsible for the detection and investigation of criminal cases that may require the gathering and piecing together of complex evidence often difficult to secure; result in precedent-setting court decisions; require substantial coordination with other agencies in tracing leads and gathering intelligence; involve illegal activities conducted under cover of legal enterprise; be extremely sensitive due to the suspects involved and have the potential for jurisdictional problems.

*This recruitment will offer a $20K Relocation Bonus with 3-year commitment.

Salary
  • $125,776 - $163,514/year
Conditions of Employment

The requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Key Requirements:

  1. Must be U.S. Citizen or National
  2. Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
  3. May be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
  4. You must be a current permanent Department of Justice employee with competitive status or a CTAP/RPL eligible candidate.
  5. Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test.
  6. Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation.
  7. You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements by the closing of this announcement.
  8. Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
  9. *This recruitment will offer a $20K Relocation Bonus with 3-year commitment.

MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

To qualify for the Supervisory Criminal Investigator position at the GS-14 level, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13) by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume.

Specialized experience must include all of:
  • Providing accurate information and guidance regarding procedures (i.e. arrest and processing; arrest principles); and handling of evidence and dangerous material; AND
  • Applying relevant laws, regulations and policies to investigative resources and techniques (i.e. ATF Giglio Policy); AND
  • Providing leadership to others such as workgroups, teams or special projects; AND
  • Communicating orally and in writing (i.e. reports and briefings); AND
  • Negotiating and collaborating with others (i.e. interacting with other law enforcement agency (state, local or federal).
Please do not cut and paste the position description or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirements using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted. Other Information Additional selections may be made from this announcement. A one-year probationary period is required for new supervisors and managers. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations from ATF's Human Resources Operations Division. Please click on the following link to read important information. DOJ Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. Reasonable Accommodation: ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 648-8760 or send an email to reasonableaccommodations@atf.gov. The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled on a case-by-case basis. Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Required Documents

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.

Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history. Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training, your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations.

  • Official position title,
  • Employer name and contact information,
  • Start and end dates (including month and year),
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time,
  • Your Pay Plan/Series/Grade for all federal positions, and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Resumes must be limited to two pages in length. Applicants with resumes longer than two pages will not be considered. You can only submit one resume; Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations.

SF-50: You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action). Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment. Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status.
  • An SF-50 showing 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 one-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.
  • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
    • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
    • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
    • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

CTAP eligibility documentation:
  • A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation ; or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, or a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement).
  • A copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" noting current position, grade/band level, promotion potential, and duty location.

It is your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are legible. If applying online poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants MUST CONTACT US PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, update your profile information in MYUSAJOBS as well as contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process.

Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/ validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility. All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement.

Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/16/2026 to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

  1. Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  2. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  3. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  4. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit My Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement is closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. Your applications will appear on the Welcome page. Navigate to the job application and click Track this application to view your application status. The link will take you to the hiring agency application system, which has the most up-to-date status of your application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means click here.

NEED HELP?If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.



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