Chief Computer Forensic Specialist

The Office of the Inspector General is one of the best places to work in the Department of Justice and is one of the premier inspector general offices in federal government. The Investigations Division (INV) investigates alleged criminal violations and misconduct that govern DOJ employees, operations, grantees, and contractors. Annually INV receives more than 13,000 complaints, opens approximately 250 investigations, and makes an average of over 90 arrests.

Duties

This position falls under the direction of the Investigations Division, Cyber Investigations.

If you are selected as a Chief Computer Forensic Specialist, your responsibilities would include, but would not be limited to:

• Plans, conducts, and/or coordinates complex digital forensic support for criminal, civil, and administrative investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of Federal laws committed by or against DOJ personnel or contractors.
• Works with the Office of General Counsel and Investigations Division to update policies and SOPs. Responsible for integrating the latest current rules, guidelines, policies, case law and legislation required for the DOJ/OIG agency policy manual.
• Serves as a witness in grand juries, criminal and civil courts, and administrative forums providing expert testimony in court as to the procedures and methods used to obtain and analyze digital evidence.
• Plans, conducts, directs and integrates studies and analyses involving OIG, CIO program planning in the prospective areas of digital forensics, examination, and investigations.
• Plans and schedules work to be accomplished and assigns work both verbally and through various automated systems based on priorities, difficulty, requirements, and capabilities of subordinates. Adjusts priorities as needed. Approves or denies leave as mission dictates.
• Ensures timely and accurate responses to management and employee requests. Contributes to standard operating procedures for office staff and provides advice or instruction to employees, as needed, on both technical and administrative matters.
• Identifies and relates ways to improve production or increase the quality of forensic work directed and establishes deadlines and priorities for major projects.
• Advises subordinates on all administrative matters, including personnel policies and regulations. Participates in the selection, assignment, and promotion of subordinate personnel. Assists program leadership in all phases of full cycle recruiting, from job fairs, initial sourcing, and screening through offer negotiations, placement, and onboarding. Interviews candidates for subordinate positions and recommends appointments of qualified new candidates against office vacancy announcements.
• Provides professional administrative oversight over staff, giving advice or instruction on work matters, and evaluating performance.

Duties require eligibility for access to classified information at the Top-Secret Clearance with SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) access.

Salary

• $133,953 - $192,694/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• You must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must successfully pass and are subject to random drug screenings.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• You may be subject to a probationary period.
• You must maintain a valid state issued driver's license.
• You must successfully completed the following Forensic Examination Certification: Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level obtained in the public sector. (Specialized experience is paid or unpaid experience which has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.) Examples of specialized experience include such duties as: supervising a team engaged in conducting comprehensive investigations encompassing allegations of criminal misconduct using a computer, mobile, or other electronic device, serious administrative infractions or integrity violations involving individuals, groups, or large organizations. Types of investigations include violations of Title 18, United States Code, including fraud, bribery, larceny, embezzlement, collusion, conflict of interest, civil rights violations, contract fraud, and other Federal criminal violations.

REQUIRED TRAINING INCLUDE:

Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS). Equivalent training courses include:

• Electronic Crimes Special Agent Program (ECSAP) offered at USSS
• Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) offered at FBI
• Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy (DCITA)
• National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) (for this NW3C training - you must have successfully completed and passed both courses below)

- Basic Data Recovery and Acquisition (BDRA)
- Intermediate Data Recovery and Analysis (IDRA)

Additional Qualifications:
1. Have training and experience conducting forensic examinations of mobile devices.
2. Have earned at least one advanced certification, such as the EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE), DCITA Digital Forensic Examiner (DFE), Certified Computer Examiner (CCE)- International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners, or Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE)- International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists

CERTIFICATIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT OR YOUR APPLICATION MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade level (or equivalent).

Education There are no education requirements for this position. Other Information The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The CTAP/ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for CTAP/ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP 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 (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is at: www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under the VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire Selective Service: 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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Required Documents

• Resume
  • Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. 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, and 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.
• SF-50 documentation (if applicable)
  • Must show (most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase, or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action if you are applying as a current or former Federal Employee) you have acquired competitive status, and the highest grade or promotion potential you held. Award SF-50's are not acceptable alone as they do not show your grade and step.
• Training Certification (required)
  • Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist Certification: Equivalent training courses are accepted. ** CERTIFICATIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT OR YOUR APPLICATION MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED.
• CTAP/ICTAP documentation (if applicable)
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP 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 (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.
  • The Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating 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/ctap/index.asp.
• Veterans' Preference documentation (if applicable)
  • If you are a veteran and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility.
  • If you are a veteran and you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference click here.
• Education documentation (if applicable)
  • Degree: Unofficial college transcript (If you are selected, an official transcript will be required before your first day)
• Schedule A documentation (if applicable)
  • Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes.

How to Apply

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/17/2026 to receive consideration.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements)
6. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). 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 has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.

For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

This vacancy may be used to fill other similar and/or comparable positions throughout the agency within the stated duty station.