Lead Criminal Investigator

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and the scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the local side, AUSAs assigned to the Superior Court Division prosecute cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. On the federal side, AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division prosecute federal crimes. The Civil Division further defends the United States in civil suits brought in the District of Columbia.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will serve as a team leader for a group of Criminal Investigators in the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) of the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia. In conjunction with the assigned Supervisory Criminal Investigator, you will be responsible for coordinating your team's law enforcement activities, investigations, and operations, as well as providing oversight, mentorship, and guidance to your team.

Typical work assignments include:

• Providing leadership for a team of investigators, which entails the distribution of assigned work, coordination and quality assurance of investigative operations, monitoring status and progress of assignments, and resolving conflicts and issues as they arise.
• Planning and leading law enforcement and investigative operations.
• Mentoring and guiding a team of criminal investigators in the application of investigative tradecraft and techniques.
• Developing team members' abilities to apply problem-solving methods and techniques for investigations.
• Assisting the direct supervisor with the supervision, training, oversight and development of a team of criminal investigators, to include acting as the supervisor in his or her absence.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Salary

• $121,785 - $158,322/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If you are a male applicant born 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. See http://www.sss.gov/.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (Sensitive Compartmented Information) security clearance.
• You must qualify with and carry a firearm.
• You will be required to complete and file an initial and annual OGE-450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report.
• You must possess and maintain a valid motor vehicle operator's license while employed in the position.
• You must satisfactorily complete the Criminal Investigation Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia, if not already complete. (Equivalent training is acceptable).
• Completion of training at the FBI Academy or DEA Academy is acceptable.

Qualifications

Note: In order to be considered "qualified" for this position, your specialized experience must be described in your resume. Please be sure that your resume clearly states any and all of the specialized experience that you may have. If your specialized experience is not clearly stated in your resume, you will not be considered for this position.

To qualify for the GS-13 Lead Criminal Investigator, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 federal level.

Specialized experience is experience that equipped 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 work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as: using a wide range of investigative methods in planning, coordinating and conducting investigations in support of criminal prosecution; recognizing, seizing and preserving evidence; locating, handling and managing cooperative witnesses/defendants; advising and updating attorneys and management during investigations and prosecutions; preparing reports and exhibits to document the findings of investigations and testifying (including while subject to cross examination) in a variety of hearings and matters, such as before grand and petite juries.

This position has law enforcement officer retirement coverage. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and not reached their 37th birthday prior to appointment (5 U.S.C. 3307(d)). The maximum entry age limit was established under the age discrimination prohibitions contained in section 4 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Maximum entry age limitations may not be waived for any applicant, except those with veteran's preference. If you have prior Federal Law Enforcement Officer coverage, you must submit appropriate SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) that show period of coverage. Failure to provide proof of Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) coverage may result in removal from consideration.

Physical Requirements: Performance of above duties 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 intact and functioning in order that incumbent may perform the duties satisfactorily. Incumbent must possess sufficiently good vision, with or without glasses, in each eye in order that he/she may perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, glasses permitted, must be acute for reading of printed materials the size of typewritten characters. The ability of the incumbent to hear the conversational voice and whispered speech is required. Any hearing impairment may be compensated for by use of a hearing aid. Since the duties of the position are exacting, responsible, and involve work performed under arduous and dangerous conditions, incumbents must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition, which would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself or to others, will be disqualifying.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

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 requirement using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted. Other Information Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. A EEO Statement: 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. Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

-Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

• Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

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, 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.

-Required if you are a current or former Federal employee: a recent copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing title, series, grade, and full performance level (FPL); AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. Please note your SF-50 must include your FPL in the remark section (e.g., appointment, reassignment, promotion actions), pay adjustments and awards do not include this information so they are not acceptable.

-Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility) for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/01/2026 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)

3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12910821

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online, contactHR Operations USAO-DC at or USADC.Staffers@usdoj.gov as soon as possible to arrange an alternative application process.

You must specify in your questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.