Special Agent in Charge, Special Operations Division

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

The position of Special Agent in Charge (SAC) manages a major field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and exercises executive responsibility for the primary enforcement of Federal alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives and arson laws and regulations. This position is located in: Washington, D.C.

• Directs and manages national and congressionally mandated programs and activities that support ATF's firearms, explosives, alcohol, and tobacco enforcement mission.
• Serves as the primary advisor to the Assistant Director (AD)(FO) and the Deputy Assistant Directors (DAD)(FO) on all matters pertaining to technical surveillance, polygraph examinations, investigative examinations, investigative-type enhancements, airborne operations, forensic hypnosis, agent cashier and emergency funds, firearms training, and special response team policy and programs.
• Manage the program development, operation, and training/readiness for all ATF's highest risk tactical and undercover operations, critical incident management, and emergency response functions.

Salary

• $151,661 - $228,000/year

Conditions of Employment

1. You must be a United States Citizen or National.
2. Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
3. Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
4. You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check for the security level designated for this position.
5. You may also be subject to post-employment conflict of interest restrictions under 18 USC 207 (c).
6. You will be required to undergo a drug screening and obtain favorable results prior to being appointed.
7. You may be subject to a one-year probationary period effective from the date in which you are appointed.
8. This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
9. You must meet all minimum qualifications to be deemed eligible. Only experience obtained by closing date of this announcement will be considered.
As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications.

Experience required for the ES-1811 series: You must have substantive experience serving as a principal advisor to senior management on laws, regulations, policies and procedures pertaining to law enforcement and regulatory operations.

The 1811 position requires law enforcement experience and is covered by special retirement provisions, including maximum entry and retirement age requirements. The successful applicant must be able to display and maintain the required proficiency with firearms per ATF's firearms proficiency standards. Complete or have previously completed the basic criminal investigative courses at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Complete a medical examination (including vision, hearing, cardiovascular and mobility of extremities) by an authorized government physician and be determined physically fit to perform strenuous physically demanding duties. You will be required to undergo regular physical examinations and to maintain a level of physical fitness in accordance with ATF's standards and policies.

Qualifications

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Applicants must show clear evidence of their demonstrated leadership ability by addressing the the Executive Core Qualifications(ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) embedded within their resume. The resume-based application should not to exceed 2 pages (1-sheet double-sided or 2 sheets one-sided)

**Note: Applicants who have completed the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and have had their ECQs certified by OPM must provide a copy of their certificate as part of their application. Candidates must still satisfy the MTQs of the position.

We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the Special Agent in Charge. Please be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess.

ECQ1- Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: Involves demonstrating knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ2- Driving Efficiency: Involves demonstrating the ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ3- Merit and Competence: Involves demonstrating knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ4- Leading People: Involves demonstrating the ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ5- Achieving Results: Involves demonstrating the ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

For this position, the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) have been established and should be addressed within the resume application.

MTQ1: Knowledge of federal laws, regulations and policies governing law enforcement operations in order to plan, implement and evaluate comprehensive enforcement programs, with particular emphasis on investigative techniques involving undercover operations, technical surveillance, polygraph examinations, and investigative-type enhancements related to the enforcement of federal laws.

MTQ2: Demonstrate experience in developing, planning, and carrying out high risk, tactical operations, and critical incident management through the use of the Special Response Team, Tactical Medics, Negotiators and the Critical Incident Management Response and Support Teams.

MTQ3: Demonstrate experience in forming and maintaining effective partnerships with counterparts in other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to effectively coordinate efforts as the Nation's lead for Emergency Support Function-13 - Public Safety and Security. (For example, developing and implementing the multi-agency federal law enforcement responses to assist other law enforcement entities overwhelmed by a terrorist and/or natural or manmade disaster).

MTQ4: Broad management experience in planning, developing, administering, and directing an organization, including overall responsibility for short and long range program planning, allocation of human and material resources, development of operational guidelines and policies, implementation of technology solutions, and creation of new methods and procedures to solve complex management problems.

Other Information EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you must contact the ATF EEO office within 45 calendar days of when the alleged harm occurred at 202-648-8760 or eeointakemailbox@atf.gov. Please see DOJ Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy. 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, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request 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 receive the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. Legal and Regulatory Guidance Social Security Number - Your Social Security Number may be requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361. Signature - Before you are hired, you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your application. False Statements - If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action. 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. "Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized." Required Documents ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history: Official position title; Employer name and contact information; Start and end dates (including month and year); Your Pay Plan/series/grade and a detailed list of duties & accomplishments Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. Narrative Statement of Executive Core Qualifications, if applicable. Narrative Statement of Technical Qualifications. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility): Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee 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 Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying 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. The page of your performance evaluation that indicates your overall, current rating of record and the date of that rating. Actual written narrative submissions are not required. A copy may be asked for at a later time. Applicants who fail to submit all required information and documents will not receive consideration for the position. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. It is also your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are readable. If applying on-line 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. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete. How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all 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. You must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/07/2026 to be considered. 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
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 re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the Track this 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. 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. There you can review any notifications sent to you related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means click here.