Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) (Open Continuous Announcement)

Summary

This is an open continuous announcement until 09/30/2027. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is looking for energetic, innovative, solution-oriented professionals to help the ATF team succeed in our responsibilities to reduce violent crime and protect the public.

Duties

• Recruitment Incentive: May be paid to new federal employees only and subject to successful completion of 12-week CITP and 15-week Special Agent Basic Training at FLETC-Glynco, GA. Total Amount: up to $60,000** Annual amount: $15,000 over four years*** 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 ** Annual Amount: $12,500 over two years*** **May not exceed 25% of total salary, including locality pay. ***Subject to federal taxes and any applicable state/local taxes This is an excepted service Schedule B (213.3210) appointment. After completing 3 years of satisfactory service, you may be converted without further competition to a permanent appointment in the competitive service. Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Field Operations. Location is negotiable upon final selection. You will be asked for your location preferences once all pre-employment process have been completed. ATF will have the final determination based on the needs of the agency. This position starts at a salary of $51,632 (GL-5, Step 1) to $84,579 (GL-9, Step 10) with promotion potential to the GS-13 grade level. The salary listed reflects the "Rest of U.S." scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or cost of living expenses of the duty location upon selection. In this position, you will serve as a Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) trainee performing the below duties: Investigating criminal violations of Federal laws within the enforcement jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice. Conducting investigations of violations relating to explosives, firearms, arson, and alcohol and tobacco diversion. Preparing concise criminal investigative case reports. Testifying for the Federal Government in court or before grand juries. Gathering and analyzing evidence through investigative leads, seizures, arrests, execution of search warrants, and a variety of other means.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service. Age Requirement: Must be at least 21 years of age and not older than 40 years of age at the time of appointment. The day immediately preceding an individual's 40th birthday will be the last day for selection consideration. However, the age restriction may not apply if you are a preference-eligible veteran or if you are currently serving or have previously served in a federal civilian law enforcement position covered by 5 U.S.C. § 8336(c) or 5 U.S.C. § 8412(d). (After subtracting the years/months of prior and current Federal service worked in a primary law enforcement position, applicants must be less than 40 years of age). Motor Vehicle Operation: You must have a valid automobile driver's license at the time of appointment. Security Clearance: You will be required to obtain a Top-Secret clearance for this position. You will be required to carry a firearm and maintain firearm proficiency. Pass the below assessment hurdles: ATF Special Agent Applicant Assessment Physical Task Test Structured Interview Pass the below pre-employment requirements: Drug Test Medical Examination Polygraph Examination Background Investigation Attend and successfully pass the below training: Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) ATF Special Agent Basic Training (SABT) Mobility Agreement: You must sign a mobility statement and agree to be relocated at any time to any office in the United States, to include U.S. territories. All candidates will be required to perform a minimum of 3-5 years at their initial duty station.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met at the time of application. No updates will be allowed to your application. GL-5: You qualify for the GL-5 grade level if you have three years of progressively responsible experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least the GS/GL-04 performing duties such as Gathering pertinent data Communicating effectively orally and in writing. OR A bachelor's degree or successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in ANY FIELD leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Conferred date must be listed on your unofficial or official transcripts. GL-7: You qualify for the GL-7 grade level if you possess: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, performing all of the following duties: Assisting in criminal investigations by gathering evidence, conducting record and database searches Participating in searches, seizures, and arrests Preparing reports for routine investigations OR Successful completion of one year of full-time graduate education from an accredited college or university in any field. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours. OR A bachelor's degree in any field with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). To qualify for SAA, you must meet one of the following: A grade point average of "B" (a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in the applicant's major field of study, or those courses in the applicant's major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of the applicant's class in the college, university, or major subdivision. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. GL-09: You qualify for the GL-9 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, performing all of the following duties: Serving subpoenas, arrest, and search warrants Conducting interviews, interrogations of suspects and witnesses Providing status reports of ongoing criminal investigations to higher level management OR A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field; a J.D. or an LL.B. degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for experience required at this level. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours. NOTE: Your resume must indicate how you meet the qualifications above, otherwise, you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements. Combining Experience and Education: To combine your education and experience, you must convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages. The combined total of your percentage of education and experience must equal at least 100% in order to qualify. If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, divide the number of graduate semester hours by 18. To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, you must divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages of education and experience. The two percentages must total at least 100%. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Drug Testing: You must satisfactorily complete a drug test prior to being hired. More information on the ATF Drug Policy can be found here. Medical Examination: Individuals must meet the established medical standards and/or physical requirement for the position, proving they are medically and physically capable of performing the essential job functions and duties of the position safely. Polygraph Examination: You will be required to successfully complete a polygraph examination. Applicants who have significant responses or who manipulate the polygraph process will be removed from the hiring process. Researching polygraph is unnecessary and highly discouraged, as many websites recommend methods that, if employed, may be deemed as a manipulation of the polygraph process. Polygraph Reciprocity: ATF may accept the results of a prior federal polygraph exam in lieu of an ATF polygraph exam. Background Investigation: You will be required to undergo a background investigation prior to employment. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions, the use of illegal drugs and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. 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

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below. Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Criminal Investigator Training Program: Criminal Investigators must complete and pass an initial course of basic training, specifically the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) and the ATF Special Agent Basic Training (SABT) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Both basic and advanced training programs are designed to prepare law enforcement personnel with the skills, aptitudes, and competencies required to serve as a Criminal Investigator. More information on these programs can be found here. Firearms Requirement: You will be required to carry a firearm and maintain firearm proficiency. This position requires that the incumbent meet initial and continuing qualifications in the use of firearms as outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968, amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996. The Lautenberg Amendment makes it a felony for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence such as an assault or attempted assault on a family member, to ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms or ammunition. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): As a law enforcement officer you will be required to work on an unscheduled basis in excess of the 40-hour work week. These positions require substantial overtime to include holidays, weekends and nights. You must be readily accessible to perform this unscheduled work. To ensure your availability, you will receive extra compensation in the form of Law Enforcement Availability Pay, which is calculated at a flat rate of 25 percent of base salary. Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit. Federal Law Enforcement Retirement Coverage 12(d): Criminal Investigators are covered under the provisions of both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) 6 (c) or the Federal Employees Retirement System and 5 U.S.C. § 8412(d). Employees covered by either retirement system that reach age 50 or over with at least 20 years of service as a law enforcement officer are eligible for law enforcement retirement. In addition, employees covered by FERS (all new hires to the Federal government) are eligible for law enforcement retirement at any age with at least 25 years of service as a law enforcement officer. Finally, employees who reach age 57 with at least 20 years of service as law enforcement officers are subject to mandatory retirement under both retirement systems. If you are a preference eligible veteran, additional opportunities may be available to you; you may find additional information at the following website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide-for-hr-professionals/ Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied. "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

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. Important Compliance Rules: 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. Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations. Veterans' Preference documentation: If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit: (1) a copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR (2) a certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.