Summary This position serves as a Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) assigned to the USDA Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Midwest Region, under the direction of the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge (ASAC) and/or the Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC) for the office. LAW ENFORCEMENT AVAILABILITY PAY (LEAP) OF 25% WILL BE INCLUDED IN FINAL SALARY CALCULATIONS. Responsibilities Investigate allegations of embezzlement and fraud involving USDA-funded programs. Establish and maintaining liaison with USDA agency personnel. Analyze allegations, complaints and investigations to identify issues involved and the types of evidence needed to properly address each matter. Maintain liaison with other Federal (non-USDA agencies) and State and local government organizations. Advise and/or assist U.S. Attorneys and/or State/local prosecutors and/or their staff members in the preparation of investigations for presentation to Federal and/or State/local Grand Juries. Appear as a witness before grand juries and trial courts, or participate and assist in other legal proceedings, lead and coordinate collateral administrative functions in a unit, such as custodial officer for all investigative equipment. Personally handles exceptionally complex, technical investigative problems or controversial, novel, or exploratory questions and issues, and advises on potential investigations areas and new investigative approaches. Report critical information to other concerned law enforcement jurisdictions. Collaborate with other INV team members as required in establishing objectives of the OIG investigative program. Perform, or may lead and coordinate the conduct of, undercover and/or surveillance work; provide technical subject matter expertise support for training, internal inspection and/or quality control as required. Serve, as required, as a Task Force member or outside agency liaison, working from an alternate duty location, relaying information and accessing outside agency resources to support OIG investigations. Perform full criminal, civil or administrative investigations and conduct investigative interviews. Develop new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations. Analyze investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions Plan and conduct fact-finding and prepare comprehensive administrative and technical reports in order to present complex and conflicting findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. Lead and coordinate collateral administrative functions in a unit, such as custodial officer for all investigative equipment. Collaborate with other Office of Investigations team members as required in establishing objectives of the OIG investigative program. Performs other duties as assigned. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications This position is a primary law enforcement position under 5 U.S.C. 8336 (C) (CSRS and 5 U.S. C 8412 (d) (FERS). You must be no more than 37 years of age upon entry into the GS-1811 series, unless the applicant has previous service creditable under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) law enforcement provisions sufficient to enable you to retire at age 57 with 20 years of creditable service. Persons already in covered secondary positions or persons with previous approved service who apply for a primary position cannot be considered if their age at reentry into the primary position exceeds 37 years after subtracting their years of service in covered positions. Applicant must provide evidence of current or previous coverage that would qualify. This age restriction does not apply to those entitled to Veteran's Preference. THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT. The duties of positions in this series 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 sufficiently intact and functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, corrective lenses permitted, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of these positions are exacting and responsible, and involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself, or others is disqualifying. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT ABOVE, APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS BELOW. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-11: To qualify at the GS-11 level: Applicants must meet the qualification requirements described below, the education requirements described in the Education portion of this announcement, or a combination of specialized experience and education as shown in the Education portion of this announcement. Specialized Experience for GS-11: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade of GS-09 level or equivalent in the Federal service. This experience includes performing such duties as conducting, with an appropriate level of supervision, a full range of criminal and administrative investigative functions on assigned investigations, from planning and conducting fact-finding, to reporting the results of investigations; performing undercover and surveillance work; conducting investigative interviews; and analyzing investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions. This experience includes the preparation of comprehensive administrative and technical reports in order to present complex and conflicting findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. In addition, the incumbent must have experience conducting liaison activities with other investigative agencies, including Federal, State, and local agencies, representing the interests of the employing agency, and developing new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-12: Specialized Experience for GS-12: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade of GS-11 level or equivalent in the Federal service. This experience includes performing such duties as independently, at times as a team leader, or as a team member, conducting a full range of criminal and administrative investigative functions on assigned investigations, from planning and conducting fact-finding, to reporting the results of investigations; independently performing undercover and surveillance work; conducting investigative interviews; and analyzing investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions. This experience includes the preparation of comprehensive administrative and technical reports in order to present complex and conflicting findings in a clear, logical, impartial, comprehensive, and concise manner. In addition, the incumbent must have experience conducting liaison activities with other investigative agencies, including Federal, State, and local agencies, representing the interests of the employing agency, and developing new approaches to performing investigative functions, including responses to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities in on-going operations. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-12 LEVEL. Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate experience. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at GS-09 is required to meet time-in-grade requirements for GS-11 and one year at GS-11 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for GS-12 level. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (GS-11 ONLY): Possession of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or at least three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement, OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of education and experience which together qualifies for the GS-11. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-12 LEVEL. Additional Information USDA OIG Statement At the Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, we are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and aim to build a workforce that mirrors the diversity of our nation. We invite applications from individuals of all backgrounds who are dedicated to public service and share our commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment. Explore our Office of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion page to delve deeper into our commitment to DEIA at OIG. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). Veterans' Recruitment Appointment allows agencies to make noncompetitive appointment of eligible veterans up to the GS-11 or equivalent grade level. Veterans' Recruitment Appointment Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.