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Offices, Boards and Divisions

Equal Opportunity Investigator

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  • Full Time
  • $99,200 - $153,354/year
  • Washington, DC
November 23, 2024

Job Description

This position is in the Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. The Criminal Section primarily prosecutes cases involving unconstitutional use of force and other misconduct by law enforcement officers, hate crimes, human trafficking and involuntary servitude, and interference with access to reproductive health care.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

The incumbent will serve as a Equal Opportunity Investigator. Duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Conducting and/or assisting with appropriate investigative steps, such as reviewing evidence
  • Conducting open-source investigation for trial research, and analyzing and organizing the results of such searches
  • Drafting reports and preparing and handling electronic evidence
  • Maintaining and Utilizing the Section's case management system, as well as programs such as Excel, Power Point, and Access to present information in response to inquiries

Salary
  • $99,200 - $153,354/year
Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration).
  • DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
  • You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Qualifications Specialized Experience Requirements

For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service, public, or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes THREE of the following:
  • Working on investigations and/or prosecutions of federal criminal civil rights cases;
  • Conducting open-source investigations;
  • Interviewing and communicating with witnesses and people who have been marginalized or traumatized;
  • Locating, collecting, and interpreting data and documents to discover federal criminal civil rights violations
For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the federal service, public, or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes ALL of the following:
  • Working on investigations and/or prosecutions of federal criminal civil rights cases; AND
  • Conducting open-source investigations; AND
  • Interviewing and communicating with witnesses and people who have been marginalized or traumatized; AND
  • Locating, collecting and interpreting data and documents to discover federal criminal civil rights violations. AND
  • Analyzing all types of digital evidence of any criminal, civil, intelligence or national security matter.
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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.

All qualifications and education requirements, if applicable, must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. If you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

During the eligibility review process, the Human Resources Specialist will only review the latest document uploaded to USA Jobs. Therefore, if you submit duplicate documents, ensure the last version uploaded to USA Jobs is the necessary document required to meet the criteria/qualifications described in this job announcement. Education This position does not have an education qualification requirement. Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

Schedule A: The Civil Rights Division 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. The Civil Rights Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to Diane Turner by email to Diane.M.Turner@usdoj.gov.

DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download

FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR JOBS: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee has violated your rights under the Fair Chance Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly with the DOJ component hiring office listed in the job opportunity announcement. For more information visit USAJOBS Help Center - What are criminal history inquiries?

The Division's telework policy requires employees to be in the office at least four (4) days per pay period, or as required by the Division's policy.

This position is in the bargaining unit: JMD American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3097.

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. For additional information on uploading documents in USAJobs, please refer to this link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/upload/.

  • Required, Resume - All Applicants: To receive credit for experience contained in your resume, your employment history must include the start and end dates in the month and year format (MM/YYYY), and include the number of hours worked per week. Failure to follow this format may result in disqualification. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. (Cover letter optional). Please see - "USAJOBS - What should I leave out of my resume?" for specific information on what to leave out of your resume. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.
  • Required: A complete Occupational Questionnaire
  • Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the "Qualifications" section of this vacancy announcement.
  • Required, Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable: If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, you must submit proof by the closing date of the announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(u) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. The proof includes a copy of the Agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for Competitive Appointment.
    • Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
    • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
    • Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
  • Required, if claiming Veterans Preference:
    • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
    • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
    • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability. For more information:
      https://www.opm.gov/fedshirevets/veteran-job-seekers/veteran-family-members/

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/02/2024 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  • To begin, 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, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an "Additional Application Information" page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. 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/.

Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD214, or Transcripts.

It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and all required documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For additional information on uploading documents in USAJobs, please refer to this link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/upload/.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.



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