Criminal Investigator

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Inspections and Investigations (OII), Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI). As FDA's criminal law enforcement and intelligence arm, OCI is responsible for protecting public health and furthering the FDA mission by investigating suspected criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and other related laws. Click here to learn more about FDA/OCI.

Duties

Serves as a Senior Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) tasked with coordinating, conducting and leading various criminal investigative activities.

Prepares and reviews a variety of criminal investigative reports detailing the activity and results of the criminal investigation being conducted by FDA/OCI.

Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with both internal and external representatives.

Provides expert interpretation about the application of laws, orders, rules, and regulations pertaining to violations of the FDCA and their legal implications affecting investigative activities.

Qualifications

The position of Criminal Investigator falls under the 1811 occupational series. To qualify for this position at grade GS-13, you must meet https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/pay/time-in-grade requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 10/26/2026. Individual Occupational Requirements: 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. AND Minimum Qualifications: Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. The specialized experience must demonstrate one year of full-time work experience , or the equivalent if part-time (for example, an employee working 20 hours per week for a 12-month period should be credited with 6 months of experience.) Experience may have been obtained in either the federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. GS-13: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12, in the Federal service, which includes: leading Federal criminal investigations; using investigative techniques to uncover suspected violations pertaining to criminal activities, fraud, or related misconduct; applying Federal laws, regulations, and procedures applicable to criminal investigations; collecting and analyzing data and relevant investigative information; and preparing written reports of investigation. Other Requirements: 1. Basic Criminal Investigation Training: Selectee must have already successfully completed a recognized federal law enforcement training program such as: (1) the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) conducted by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC); or (2) the Special Agent Basic Training conducted by Drug Enforcement Agency or Federal Bureau of Investigations; or (3) the Basic Inspector Training conducted by the US Postal Service. (You must include a copy of the Training Certificate of Completion in your application package). 2. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): The incumbent is subject to work unscheduled duty hours and must be available for unscheduled duty based upon the needs of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Therefore, the incumbent is eligible for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) of an additional 25%, and is subject to the provisions of the LEAP Act of 1994. 3. Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm and must meet the Lautenberg Amendment requirements as described in Title 18, USC Section 992 (g). Any person who has been convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor, or crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm. The term convicted as defined by the statute, excludes any person whose conviction has been expunged, set-aside, pardoned, or any person whose civil rights have been restored, so long as the restoration does not restrict the shipping, transport, possession or receipt of firearms or ammunition. Candidates who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or crimes of domestic violence within the meaning of the referenced statute are not eligible for this position 4. Federal Law Enforcement Officer (FLEO): This position meets the eligibility criteria for law enforcement retirement under both the Civil Service Retirement Systems (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Employees covered by either retirement system that reach age 50 or over with at least twenty years of service as a law enforcement officer are qualified for law enforcement retirement. In addition, employees covered by FERS (all new hires to the federal government) of any age with at least twenty-five years of service as a law enforcement officer are qualified for law enforcement retirement. Finally, employees who reach age 57 with at least twenty years of service as a law enforcement officer are subject to mandatory retirement. This position is approved for Primary Law Enforcement coverage under 5 (USC) 8336 (c) or 5 USC 8412 (d).5 5. Minimum Age Requirements: The minimum entry age for this position is 21 years of age and the maximum entry age for this position is 36 years of age (the date of appointment must be no later than the date immediately preceding the 37th birthday) unless you have sufficient prior Federal service in a covered law enforcement position or are a preference eligible veteran. 6. Drug Testing: In accordance with Executive Order 12654 of September 15, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The Federal government, as the largest employer in the Nation, can and should show the way towards achieving drug-free workplaces through programs designed to offer drug users a helping hand, and at the same time demonstrating to drug users and potential drug users that drugs will not be tolerated in the Federal workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative applicant drug test result. In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

Evaluations

You must meet the requirements of the job by 11:59 (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date: 10/26/2026 Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position (as listed in this vacancy announcement above) will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your score from the required assessment(s). The application review process will be conducted in multiple stages: Eligibility Consideration: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Office will review your application and supporting documentation to determine it is complete, meets the two (2) page resume limit and meets the eligibility requirements for this vacancy. Minimum Qualifications: Then, the Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job requirements and qualifications. All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best-qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Career Transition Assistance Programs: Employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position (obtain a score of 85 or higher on assessments); and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Referral Consideration: If you are referred to the hiring manager for consideration, you may be further evaluated based on an interview, review of requested work samples, etc. Failure to comply with any of the additional assessment requirements will result in removal from further consideration.

How to apply In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are optional and will not be scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot). Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must log into https://secure.login.gov/ account and be signed in to that account before you click the "Apply Online" button. See the USAJOBS Help Article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 10/26/2026. We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline. Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the deadline, and in most cases, only experience and education obtained by this date will be considered. If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Contact us at: USAJOBS - Contact us FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues. The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you visit the Applicant HELP Site at: https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you! You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 866-807-3742, or e-mail ERIC@fda.hhs.gov The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays. If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 13074281 so that we may assist you faster. See https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-pathson USAJOBS for more information about various ways you may be eligible to apply! In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements you must have sufficient past experience to demonstrate minimum qualifications for this position. PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment. Be sure that any files you upload as supporting documentation are free of security or compression features which render such documents unreadable to our system. To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13074281

Other information For some advertisements, the Food & Drug Administration receives hundreds, even thousands, of applications from job-seekers. Because of this high level of interest, FDA reserves the option of setting an application number limit. When an application limit is set, USAJOBS will close the vacancy at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) the day the limit is reached, -OR- (B) the pre-defined closing date of 10/26/2026, whichever comes first. If the limit is reached before 11:59 pm ET, all applications in excess of the limit will continue to be accepted until 11:59 pm ET. The application limit for this advertisement, if applicable, is: No Limit For more information about announcement closing, see: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/job-announcement/closing-types ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT THAT MAY BE REQUIRED Pre-employment physical: Yes, you will be subject to a pre-employment and periodic medical examinations. Drug testing: Yes License: Yes, Drivers License Mobility agreement: Yes, to promote the efficiency of the OCI, the incumbent of this position may be reassigned to another position and/or location with OCI in the United States or Puerto Rico. You will be required to sign a mobility agreement to accept relocation to other geographic locations, if required by the agency. Failure to relocate when directed may result in separation from employment in the FDA in accordance with appropriate Government regulations. Immunization: No Bargaining Unit: No Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc. Special Appointing Authorities: If you are applying to this announcement based a special eligibility, such as those for people with disabilities, veterans (or military spouses), or displaced employees under a career transition program, please pay careful attention to the Required Documents section for details on application requirements for each eligibility path, to include supporting document requirements. This position may require financial disclosure reporting and will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers. For more information please visit the FDA Ethics web page: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/jobs-and-training-fda/ethics. All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (10/26/2026). You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.