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Career Opportunities

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Office of Inspector General
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time Permanent

LOCATION: many vacancies - Washington DC Metro Area, DC

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:  Applications will be accepted from current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities.

Job Summary:

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of the Inspector (OIG), is recruiting for Foreign Service Special Agents, 1811 Criminal Investigators to serve in positions located in countries where USAID is operating. The OIG's headquarters is in Washington, D.C. OIG has field offices located in Baghdad (Iraq); Cairo (Egypt); Dakar (Senegal); Manila (Philippines); Pretoria (South Africa); and San Salvador (El Salvador). As Foreign Service Special Agent, you will be required to combine your skills as a Criminal Investigator with the skills of a seasoned diplomat in order to accomplish the OIG's mission of fighting fraud, waste and abuse in USAID programs and operations throughout the world. A Foreign Service career involves uncommon commitments and occasional hardships, as well as unique rewards and opportunities. A decision to enter this career must involve a firm dedication to public service and a strong desire to serve in the overseas environment. The Foreign Service strives to maintain diversity in the representation of gender, geographic region, race, and ethnicity.

Major Duties:

Foreign Service Special Agents will plan, organize and conduct sensitive investigations related to USAID programs and operations involving alleged violations of U.S. criminal and civil laws and USAID regulations. The violations include but are not limited to false statements, conflict of interest, bribery, theft, kickbacks, antitrust, conspiracy, procurement integrity, and violations under the standards of ethical conduct.

You will develop or assist in the development of proactive investigative plans for sensitive, criminal investigations and other special investigative projects to determine the validity of allegations, scope of illegal activity or administrative mismanagement and maintain the integrity of Agency programs.

In addition you may perform other duties such as interviewing witnesses, interrogating subjects, obtaining statements, making arrests, executing search and seizure warrants, and testifying before the grand jury, trial court and special hearings. You will also utilize investigative techniques including use and development of informants, undercover operations, searching for evidence, surveillance, financial analysis, and obtaining evidence through the use of special investigative tools such as recording devices, technical equipment, and subpoenas.

You will work closely with other USAID personnel, law enforcement organizations, and professional business communities in resolving alleged violations of criminal and/or civil law, or administrative regulations.

You will prepare reports of investigations to be used in criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings; report investigative findings, as necessary; and assist authorities in the development and execution of judicial and/or administrative actions.

You will provide fraud awareness training to USAID officials, contractors, grantees, and others to educate them as to the potential for fraud, waste and abuse in Agency programs and operations.

Qualifications:

All applicant must meet the minimum requirements of the Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standards Handbook.

Education:

*To qualify based on education, submit copy of transcript or list of courses with credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Application materials will not be returned. You can receive credit for education received outside the United States if you provide evidence that it is comparable to an accredited educational institution in the United States when you apply.

To qualify for the FP-07/GS-07 level, applicants must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement (S.A.A.)* or 1 year of work experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 (see specialized experience below).

*Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

1.    Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

2.    Grade point average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

• 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
• 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
• Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society - Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. The honor societies are listed in the Association of College Honor Societies: Booklet of Information (1992-95) and/or Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (1991). Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

To qualify for the FP-06/GS-09 level, applicants must have 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 1 year of work experience equivalent to at least GS-07 (see specialized experience below).

Specialized Experience:

For FP-07 level (GS-07 equivalent), must have fifty two week (52) weeks of experience at the GS-07 level, or equivalent, that the applicant received formal training designed to instruct in such matters as: the laws and regulations enforced by or applied by his/her agency, use of investigative techniques available to Federal investigators, rules of evidence that are applicable in criminal and non-criminal court cases, preparation of reports, investigative procedures applicable to the work of his/her agency, and the use of firearms as appropriate.

For FP-06 level (GS-09 equivalent), must have fifty two week (52) weeks of experience at the GS-09 level, or equivalent, that the applicant received advanced training while working with higher grade investigators performing segments of assignments, study of assigned material pertinent to cases, interviewing employees, officials in and out of Government, and others for the purpose of verifying facts and obtaining specific information, securing signed statements, affidavits and documentary evidence to be included in reports or case records.

For FP-05 level (GS-11 equivalent) must have fifty two weeks (52) weeks of experience at the GS-11 level, or equivalent, that the applicant performed the full range of investigative functions on assigned cases or portions of cases, from planning fact-finding to reporting the results of his/her investigations.

For FP-04 level (GS-12 equivalent), must have fifty-two (52) weeks of experience at the GS-12 level, or equivalent, that has equipped the applicant with the ability to initiate and conduct white collar fraud investigations, ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and conduct complex procurement investigations, ability to communicate in writing, including preparation of investigative reports, and the ability to communicate orally and work effectively with individuals and/or other agencies in order to conduct investigations.

Highly desirable are applicants who possess college degrees to include classes in finance, accounting, or law. CPA certificates or law degrees are extremely beneficial, as is a foreign-language proficiency, particularly in French or Spanish.

You can be appointed into this position as long as you have not reached your 37th birthday.

You must meet time-in-grade restrictions by the closing date of this announcement. Applicant must satisfactorily complete the Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, or its equivalent.

Applicants must be citizens of the United States.

Applicants must possess a valid U.S. driver's license upon appointment.

Applicants are required to qualify and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties of this position. Because of the Lautenberg Amendment [18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9)], applicants are ineligible for this position if at ANY TIME they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside, or the applicant received a pardon.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of appointment. This position is covered under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. Applicants that have no prior series 1811 criminal investigator experience must meet the maximum age for entry into a "covered position" which is the date immediately preceding the applicant's 37th birthday and must be able to retire at the mandatory age of 57 years with 20 years of service as an 1811 criminal investigator. In order to receive consideration, you must include your date of birth in your application package.

Applicants must agree to work an average of two hours extra per day to meet the requirements of law enforcement availability pay (LEAP), as described in Title 5 U.S.C. §5545a(d)(1). Upon tenure, the applicant will no longer qualify for LEAP, but will qualify for premium pay in the form of special differential at the current rate of 18% of salary.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or/are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service law.

Applicants must be willing to travel to a variety of overseas posts, some of which are classified as hardship posts.

Applicants must meet medical fitness standards which are more rigorous than those of most other professions. They must pass a thorough medical examination, which for some applicants may include a cardiovascular stress test.

Applicants must undergo a thorough background investigation to determine eligibility for a Top Secret security clearance, as well as suitability for appointment into the Foreign Service.

Applicants, depending on country of assignment, may be required to attain a certain level of foreign language proficiency. This can be demonstrated by either language aptitude scores or evidence of existing proficiency in a foreign language.

Applicants must be available for and willing to accept assignments throughout the world, including assignments to Washington, D.C. They must also be willing to travel frequently on short notice. In cases where both husband and wife are foreign affairs agency employees, both are expected to be willing to accept assignments to a post other than that of the tandem spouse in order to meet the needs of the Service.

In order to be eligible to receive a conditional offer of employment, applicants must have successfully completed the application assessment stages and have been placed on a rank-ordered list of eligible candidates. A final offer of employment is contingent upon the candidate successfully completing the medical, security, and suitability stages. Candidates who are offered employment are given probationary appointments as Foreign Service Career Candidates for a period not to exceed five years.

Medical Clearance:    Foreign Service pre-employment hiring policy requires that candidates be medically cleared for worldwide assignment according to the needs of the Service. Family members are not required to obtain medical clearances prior to a candidate's entry on duty. However, family members must be medically cleared before they can travel at U.S. Government expense to the assigned overseas post. Family members, who, for medical reasons, are unable to accompany the employee on an overseas assignment, may be eligible for a separate maintenance allowance. Medical examinations may be performed by a family doctor, in which case USAID will reimburse the candidate. Alternatively, the examination may be conducted at the Agency's medical facility in Washington, D.C.

Background Investigation:    Eligible candidates will be asked to submit forms required for a security clearance and suitability determination for appointment to the Foreign Service. The clearance process considers such factors as registration for the Selective Service, failure to repay a U.S. Government-guaranteed student loan, past problems with credit or bankruptcy, failure to meet tax obligations, unsatisfactory employment records, violations of the law, drug or alcohol abuse, or a less then honorable discharge from the armed forces. Investigations, which usually take several months, include current and previous contacts, supervisors and co-workers. These investigations are conducted by USAID Security personnel in cooperation with other federal, state and local agencies.

Occupational 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 joint 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 arduous and responsible, involving activities under challenging conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to themselves, or others, is disqualifying.

Tenure and Promotion:

Foreign Service career candidates will be considered for tenure by a Tenuring Board after they have acquired a minimum of two years' overseas experience in the Service. Each career candidate is afforded two opportunities to receive tenure based on the Board's review of the employee's written performance evaluations which are prepared by a supervisor at least once a year. A career candidate who fails to perform satisfactorily may be separated at any time during their probationary period. Any employee who remains untenured after two reviews will be separated from the Agency at the end of the five-year probationary appointment. The appointment status of a career candidate who receives tenure will be changed from probationary to career.

Foreign Service employees will first be stationed in Washington, DC. Each year, employees will be given the opportunity to bid for available positions overseas. The OIG will try to accommodate employees' personal preferences; however, program needs of the OIG, individual career development needs, and the need for assignment continuity will also be determining factors in making assignments overseas.

Performance is evaluated in writing annually by a supervisor. After one year in grade, the Special Agent is eligible to compete annually for promotion with other Special Agents at the same grade. Due to the limited number of yearly promotions available, panels select candidates based on published criteria and quality performance. In general, persons with good performance will receive a within-grade increase annually up through step 10 and biennially from step 10 through step 14 if they have not received an equivalent increase during that period.

How You Will Be Evaluated:

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required. You are required to submit the following: (1) a two-to-three page narrative autobiography, and (2) respond to the five (5) KSAs (see below).

A two-to-three page, typed (double-spaced) narrative autobiography to include the following:

(a)    Personal background;

(a)    Personal interests; hobbies and travel;

(a)    Professional experience which was not included in the employment application; and,

(a)    Motivation for applying for a Foreign Service Inspector career.

AND

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent that your application shows that you possess the knowledges, skills, and abilities associated with this position as defined below. When describing your knowledges, skills, and abilities, please be sure to give examples and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of the people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.

Please limit your KSAs responses to three pages. The following are the KSAs:

1.    Knowledge and experience in planning, coordinating and conducting, complex and sensitive investigations involving contract and procurement fraud, assistance agreements, and employee misconduct relative to agency operations and programs.

2.    Demonstrated experience in the application of U.S. criminal laws (Title 18 and 15, U.S.C.); Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Evidence and related constitutional and statutory authorities in the investigation of financial and contract-related crimes and employee-integrity matters.

3.    Knowledge and experience in the application of criminal, civil and administrative investigative tools and techniques and modern detection methods and equipment.

4.    Knowledge and experience communicating effectively, orally and in writing, reporting facts clearly, concisely and accurately on investigative matters.

5.    Ability to maintain effective working relationships with individuals and/or groups at all levels of government, the public and private sector.

BASIC BENEFITS:

1.    Travel at Government expense of employees and their authorized dependents to and from posts of assignment in the United States and abroad.

2.    Basic orientation at time of entrance on duty and subsequent in-service professional training before the first overseas assignment.

3.    Group life insurance and health benefits programs.

4.    Accrual of annual leave ranging from 13 to 26 working days a year, depending on length of service.

5.    Accrual of sick leave at thirteen working days per year.

6.    Locality pay authorized under certain circumstances.

7.    Generous pension and Thrift Savings Plan similar to 401K benefits.

BENEFITS WHEN ASSIGNED OVERSEAS:

1.    Travel expenses of employee and their authorized dependents to and from posts abroad, including shipment of personal effects.

2.    Government quarters or housing allowance.

3.    Cost of living allowance at posts where the cost of living is substantially higher than in Washington, D.C.

4.    Salary differential, which is taxable, ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent of base pay at posts where there are unusual hardships.

5.    Accrual of home leave at a rate of fifteen working days per year served abroad.

6.    Paid round-trip transportation to a rest and recuperation area for employees and authorized dependents who are assigned to designated hardship posts.

7.    Educational allowance for dependents under certain circumstances.

8.    Limited coverage for emergency medical expenses of employees and authorized dependents.

How To Apply:

Applications must be postmarked by the closing date and received within five (5) working days of that date. If hand delivered, be sure your application is received by closing date. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that his/her application is complete. The personnel office will not be responsible for soliciting additional information from applicants.

Your application package must include the following:

1.    Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF-612), or a Resume. Applications must include the following:

• Vacancy announcement number; title and grade(s) of the job for which they are applying;
• Full name, social security number, day and evening phone numbers, mailing address, country of citizenship. If applicable, reinstatement eligibility to Federal service and highest Federal civilian grade ever held on a permanent basis.
• Name, city and state of high school and colleges/universities attended with date(s) of diploma. For college include major and type and date of degree(s).
• Job titles, salaries, employer's name and addresses, supervisor's name and phone number (indicate if we may contact your current and former supervisors), starting and ending dates, hours per week and any unpaid or non-paid work experience that relates to this vacancy.
• Job-related training courses, special skills, certificates and licenses, honors, awards and publications.

2.    All applicants must submit an OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment Form. This form may be downloaded from the OPM website at www.opm.gov/forms.

3.    If a particular level of education/certification is required or you are asking us to qualify you based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript. Credit for college education will be given if it was obtained through an accredited university.

4.    Status candidates and reinstatement eligibles (current or former government employees) must provide a copy of the last or most recent SF-50, 'Notice of Personnel Action' which indicates proof of competitive status (reflecting career, career-conditional or reinstatement eligibility.

5.    Candidates eligible for other non-competitive appointments must present appropriate documentation reflecting their eligibility.

6.    All current Federal employees should provide a copy of their current performance appraisal (must be within 18 months from the closing date of the announcement).

7.    Response to the two-three page, typed (double spaced) narrative autobiography. Please provide a narrative for the following; (a) personal background; (b) personal interests; hobbies and travel; (c) professional experience which was not included in the employment application; (d) motivation for applying for a Foreign Service Inspector career; and (e) you must submit your responses to the five (5) KSAs.

8.    If you are a federal employee seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, you must include a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating and a copy of your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. You must clearly annotate your application package to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.

Application mailed using government postage or through an internal federal government mail system will not be considered.

What To Expect Next:

Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome.

EEO Policy Statement

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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