This position is that of Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) with the incumbent reporting to an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the Investigative Services Branch (ISB). Open to the first 50 applicants or until 01/22/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.
Requirements Continued... Required medical standards per DO/RM57, for pre-employment, periodic physical exams, & must participate in Physical Efficiency Battery annually. Required to carry firearm, maintain proficiency & must be able to testify in court without restriction. Required to operate a motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. QUALIFICATIONS All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule & determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full &/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR POSITION: 1. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS - Medical Requirements: The duties of this position requires moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking & standing, use of firearms, & exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, & knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, & feet must be sufficiently intact & 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, & 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of this position is exacting & responsible, & involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional & mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself, or others is disqualifying. 2. SELECTIVE FACTORS: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Previous Law Enforcement Experience: Prior law enforcement experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE for incumbents of these positions. (Experience must be documented in your Resume.) Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLERT issued Land Management Police Training (LMPT), full Type I Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment. This will be based upon having completed approved NPS training as outlined by policy including Natural Resource Police Training (NRPT), Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT), US Park Police Integrated (USPPI), Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), BIA Basic Police Officer Training Program (BIA-BPOTP), or Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP). This is required by the closing date of the announcement. Candidates who do not meet requirements by close of announcement will receive no further consideration. 3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) assisting in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, cultural or natural resource damage, & other felony offenses; 2) participating in joint operations or task forces; 3) assisting in developing investigation plans, including timelines & resource needs; 4) conducting traditional & non-traditional investigative techniques such as surveillance, interviews, & the use of informants to gather evidence & intelligence; 5) prepare progress reports, summarizing findings & suggesting next steps in ongoing investigations. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Ph.D., or equivalent degree or three full years of progressive higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if directly related. You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education & experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education & experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified & may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; & then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 & GS-11. You must include transcripts. GS-12 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either public/private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) serve as a lead investigator or case agent in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, or cultural or natural resource damage, & other felony offenses; 2) conducted investigations involving multiple jurisdictions, coordinating with federal, state, & local law enforcement agencies; 3) develop & implement investigation plans that include timelines, resource needs & risk assessments; 4) proficiency in using traditional & non-traditional investigative techniques, such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, & informant management, to gather evidence & intelligence; 5) prepare & executed affidavits for search & seizure warrants, ensuring compliance with legal standards & procedures. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated. You must include months, years & hours per week worked to receive credit for your work &/or volunteer experience. 1 year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.
Major Duties of the Criminal Investigator position include, but are not limited to the following: Provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs. Serve as case agent or assists the case agent primarily in criminal investigations involving individuals, businesses, employers, and criminal organizations or conspiracies that represent a threat to NPS resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security. Uses traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques to obtain evidence, such as electronic surveillance and monitoring; interrogation; polygraph examinations; physical surveillance; controlled deliveries; documentary searches; and recruitment, development and directing of informants. Analyzes evidence and intelligence to determine relationships of individuals and organizations in criminal enterprises; producing progress reports on intelligence gathered during the course of investigations. Prepares investigative reports documenting all relevant facts of investigations to support prosecution. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. This position is covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age & must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Exceptions allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than 1 year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments & must be met by the closing date of this announcement.