Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) (Open Continuous Announcement)
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) See More Job Openings by This Employer
ATF is a law enforcement agency in the U.S. Department of Justice that protects our communities from violent criminals/criminal organizations, illegal use/trafficking of firearms, illegal use/storage of explosives, acts of arson/bombings, acts of terrorism, and illegal diversion of alcohol/tobacco products. We partner with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public through information sharing, training, research, & technology. Visit www.atf.gov.
Duties
This is an Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) that will be used to fill multiple Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) vacancies for the Homeland Security Task Force. Eligible candidates will be referred as long as there are vacancies. This position is located under the Office of Field Operations located in Location Negotiable After Selection, United States.
Relocation Incentive: May be paid to eligible current federal employees only and subject to successful completion of required Special Agent Basic Training at FLETC-Glynco, GA.
- Total Amount: $25,000 (May not exceed 25% of total salary, including locality pay.)
- Annual Amount: $12,500 over two years (Subject to federal taxes and any applicable state/local taxes.)
ATF is looking for experienced Criminal Investigators. The primary purpose of this position is to be responsible for the prevention, detection, and investigation of substantive and conspiracy type violations of laws administered and enforced by ATF.
As a Special Agent, your typical work assignments may include:
- Performs the full range of expert level criminal investigative i.e. conducting complex investigations involving illegal and/or organized crime organizations.
- Recognizes patterns of illegal operations in order to anticipate and/or influence events as they transpire while maintain awareness of the implications of precedential court decisions in one or more judicial and law enforcement jurisdiction.
- Establishes and develops leads from known criminal activities and initiates investigations that are wide in scope and complexity and involve criminal conduct that is interwoven with legitimate business pursuits.
- Utilizes elaborate planning and coordination to resolve and overcome complex jurisdictional problems involving other Federal, State, county, and local agencies.
- Serves as the key person or coordinator when performing duties such as surveillance or undercover work involving extremely complex, delicate or dangerous elements.
- $76,745 - $177,767/year
The requirements listed below must be met at the time of application.
- Must be U.S. Citizen or National
- Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
- May be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test.
- Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation.
- You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements at the time of application.
- Must display and maintain required proficiency with firearms.
- Take and pass a medical examination and meet medical requirements.
- Must take and successfully complete a polygraph examination (reciprocity may be provided).
- Possess a current and valid automobile operator's license.
- You are expected to successfully complete Special Agent Basic Training (SABT) and failure to pass may result in removal of your position.
- All applicants must pass a standardized Physical Task Test (PTT) to meet the eligibility requirements for the special agent position. See link: Special Agent Physical Task Test (PTT)
- May have to attend and successfully pass the below training:
- Occupational Questionnaire
- SME Resume Review
- Structured Interview
- SABT
- Law Enforcement Training: You must have successfully completed and passed Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Criminal Investigator training program (CITP), OR an equivalent and recognized federal law enforcement training program- must upload certification.
GS-11 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GL-9 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties:
- Conducting the full range of criminal investigations using accepted methodology and problem solving techniques; AND
- Obtaining investigative leads and factual data; participating in operational planning, searches, seizures, and arrests; reviewing evidence; and preparing case reports at the conclusion of a criminal investigation.
You have one of the following:
- A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Criminal Justice and/or Administration; Law and Society; Forensics; Public Safety and/or Administration; Homeland Security; Law Enforcement; Justice Administration; Organizational Security and Management; Criminology; Cyber Security; Social Work; Fire Science; or
- 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or
- LL.M., if related.
You have the specialized experience as described above but less than one year; and have some graduate education as described above, but less than the required one-year. The percentage of the requirements MUST total least 100%.
GS-12 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties:
- Conducting the full range of criminal investigations of greater than average complexity and importance using accepted methodology and problem-solving techniques; AND
- Serving as a lead agent in planning and conducting investigations, operations, searches, seizures, or arrests; AND
- Reviewing evidence; and preparing case reports at the conclusion of a criminal investigation.
GS-13 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties:
- Applying a wide range of criminal investigative, enforcement, laws, regulations, guidelines, and precedent decisions; AND
- Identifying significant sources of information to detect illegal activity and document issues or probable cause and conduct investigations to determine if violations have occurred; AND
- Communicating orally and in writing to prepare and present reports, briefings, and/or exchange information.
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.
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 score 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: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 score 85 or better on established ranking 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: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (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 Veteran Employment Opportunities Act (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.
Please note: Applicants applying under the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) Authority may only be placed at the GS-11 grade level.
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.
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation to prove you possess the required specialized experience for this position. IF YOU OMIT ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, YOU RUN THE RISK OF BEING FOUND INELIGIBLE FOR THE POSITION.
Resume - All Applicants:
You must submit a resume (strictly two pages or less) that serves as the primary evidence of your qualifications. To demonstrate that you meet the specialized experience requirements, your resume must comprehensively and explicitly link your career history to the specialized experience competencies of this role.
To reduce possible disqualification due to a lack of verifiable information, you should include all six of the following elements for every job entry listed in your employment history.
If any element is omitted, the HR Specialist may be unable to determine your eligibility, resulting in your removal from consideration with an ineligible rating:
- Official Position Title: State your exact federal or corporate title to establish the professional level of your experience. For example, Division Chief, Group Supervisor, etc.
- Employer Name and Contact Information: Provide the company/agency name and a valid phone number or email address for verification purposes.
- Start and End Dates: List the exact month and year for both the start and end of each employment period to verify you meet the time-in-grade and minimum duration requirements for specialized experience.
- Hours Worked Per Week: Explicitly indicate if the position was full-time or state the exact number of hours worked per week if part-time. (Specialized experience is credited based on a 40-hour work week; failure to provide hours means your experience cannot be quantified or credited.)
- Pay Plan/Series/Grade: For all federal positions held, you should explicitly state your Pay Plan (i.e., GS, GL, etc.), Series (i.e., 1811, 1801, 2210, etc.) and Grade (e.g., GS 01-15). It should be expressed as following example GS-1811-14). If a position was in the private sector or was volunteer work, explicitly state "N/A - Private Sector" or "N/A - Volunteer" so the HR Specialist can accurately assess your equivalent level of experience.
- Duties Performed and Accomplishments: Provide a targeted list of responsibilities and measurable achievements. This section must directly mirror and provide evidence of the specialized experience outlined in the qualifications section of this announcement. Use action-oriented, quantifiable bullets to demonstrate your mastery of the required skills.
- Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) certificate (or equivalent) - ALL APPLICANTS
- Two-Page Absolute Limit: Resumes must be limited to two pages or less. USAJobs will only allow candidates to upload 2-page resumes. However, any resumes in excess of 2-pages will result in immediate disqualification.
- Most Recent Submission Counts: Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" document type will be evaluated for rating and qualification determinations.
If you are a current or former Federal employee:
- You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. 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.
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 08/31/2027 to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
If you are a person with a disability, claiming eligibility under Schedule A:
- You must submit "proof of a disability" documentation ("Proof of a disability" is a letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability or psychiatric disability).
- You must get this letter from your doctor, a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal, state, or local agency that issues or provides disability benefits.
- For more information about Schedule A and verification requirements, please see OPM's Schedule A site.
- You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency OR if you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
- Submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location OR Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.
- Spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty: documentation showing 1) your spouse's active-duty status and 2) your marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage certificate or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
- Spouse of service members who incurred a 100% disability because of the service member's active-duty service: documentation showing 1) the member of the armed forces retired, or was released or discharged from active duty, with a disability rating of 100 percent; and 2) documentation of marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
- Spouse of service members killed while on active duty: documentation showing a) the member was released or discharged from active duty due to his or her death while on active duty; b) the member of the armed forces was killed while serving on active duty; c) proof of the widow or widower's marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage); and d) a statement certifying that the individual seeking to use the authority is the un-remarried widow or widower of the service member.
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