Criminal Investigator, GS-1811-14 (ED OIG-Wide Only)

Criminal Investigator, GS-1811-14 (ED OIG-Wide Only)

Department: Department of Education

Location(s): Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Denver, Colorado, Washington, District of Columbia, Miami, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, Boston, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kansas City, Missouri, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New York, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, Austin, Texas

Salary Range: $125776 - $163514 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is in the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Investigation Services (IS), The incumbent of this position is responsible for planning, implementing, and guiding a national investigative program.

Major Duties:

• Fraud doesn't stop, and neither do we. We're the Office of Inspector General, an independent oversight office within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness within ED programs. If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America's students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you! We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for rapid and substantial salary increases and career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more. We're the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG). Often referred to as America's watchdogs, it's our job to help ensure that the hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients. The OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K–12 schools, charter schools, special education, vocational education, adult education, and more. When our work identifies problems, we propose solutions. Our work has resulted in improvements to ED programs and changes to some of the most important Federal education laws in our country. We conduct criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials—any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding. Through our work, we have unraveled multimillion-dollar fraud schemes by people placed in positions of trust to educate our children. We're also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, using the latest technology and techniques to discover and defeat current and emerging threats from cyber and economic crime. We tackle new and emerging issues head-on and continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities. We consistently expand our expertise by training and developing our staff. This dedication has enabled the OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime. Whether you are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, if you're looking for a career rather than just a job, and shaping the next generation of American's tackling tomorrow's challenges, consider joining our team. As a Criminal Investigator, the incumbent is responsible for performing a wide range of complex investigative, analytical, and program‐coordination duties in support of the agency's mission. The incumbent serves as an advocate for the assigned region, exercising independent initiative and judgment in the coordination of initial and ongoing criminal, civil, and administrative investigations. This includes communicating investigative approaches, articulating anticipated benefits, and reporting results to management. The incumbent prepares regional performance assessments to evaluate resource utilization, investigative timeliness, and overall outcomes, and works proactively to recommend or initiate changes to policies, procedures, and program areas where improvements are warranted. The incumbent manages the review and analysis of investigative activity requests—including consensual monitoring, undercover operations, and other sensitive actions—submitted by regional offices. Responsibilities include engaging with Special Agents, Assistant Special Agents in Charge (ASAC), and Special Agents in Charge (SAC) to clarify intent, resolve inconsistencies, and present well‐supported positions regarding the merits and risks of proposed investigative activities. The incumbent identifies, plans, coordinates, and delivers internal and external training and outreach related to investigative activities and program responsibilities. The role also includes developing and managing new initiatives, special projects, and programs that strengthen investigative capabilities. The incumbent develops policies, criteria, and procedures governing investigations; performs special studies and analytical projects; and implements training strategies that support the professional development of Criminal Investigators nationwide. The incumbent provides leadership and oversight for national, multiregional, or highly sensitive investigations requiring extensive coordination of resources and personnel. Duties also include reviewing investigative files prior to closure to ensure accuracy, completeness, and proper documentation of all investigative actions. The incumbent leads or conducts analytical reviews of agency operations to assess effectiveness, compliance, and alignment with statutory and regulatory requirements, recommending improvements to operational methods, investigative procedures, policies, or legislation as needed. The role includes leading and coordinating enterprise‐level programs and projects that advance agency priorities, ensuring effective planning, execution, and performance management.

Qualifications: Minimum Qualification Requirements Specialized Experience for the GS-14 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level or equivalent public or private sector experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the following duties or work assignments below: Planning and conducting complex criminal, civil, and administrative investigations; managing cases through all stages of the investigative process; and preparing comprehensive reports. Leading and executing the implementation of a non-investigative effort, such as a training event, program, or project, that required a) cross-component or multi-office coordination, b) communication, and c) leadership, or comparable experience that would prepare the candidate to serve and complete training as a certified program/project manager. Briefing management and senior leaders on key findings and special projects while fostering strong relationships with multiple entities and components. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). Possess a comprehensive mastery of sensitive investigative operations across criminal, civil, and administrative domains. Knowledge of investigative principles, techniques, methods, and procedures in order to conduct difficult, complex, and highly sensitive investigations. Ability to independently plan, organize, prioritize, and conduct complex investigations and reviews. Skill in oral and written communications. Must be able to work independently or collaborate with others in establishing plans for the execution of most unique, complex and sensitive projects relating to the criminal investigative programs of Investigation Services. Balance technical and non-technical competencies, such as: Project planning and execution, Risk management, Communication and stakeholder engagement, Analytical thinking and decision-making and Leadership and collaboration. Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR): Medical Requirements: 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.

How to Apply: Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)). Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application. NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts. In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-19