Career Opportunities
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Office of Inspector General
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-26NJ
POSITION: Foreign Service Criminal Investigator (Special Agent), FP-1811-03/03
Administrative Uncontrolled Overtime (AUO)
Salary Range: 64,447.00 - 94,643.00 USD per year
Promotion Potential: 02
Opening Date: Friday, July 17, 2009
CLOSING DATE: Monday, August 10, 2009
POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time Permanent
LOCATION: many vacancies - Washington DC Metro Area, DC
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:
Applications will be accepted from all groups of qualified individuals in Foreign Service,
Civil Service, 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 Inspector General (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); San Salvador (El Salvador); Kabul, Afghanistan; and
Islamabad, Pakistan. 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 will 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.
For FP-03 level (GS-13 equivalent), you must have experience at the GS-13 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 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;
(b) Personal interests, hobbies and travel;
(c) Professional experience which was not included in the employment application; and,
(d) Motivation for applying for a Foreign Service Inspector career.
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
knowledge, 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 one per page. 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.
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 prepare a concise narrative addressing each knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). Responses must be separate
from the application form.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Candidates eligible for other non-competitive appointments must present appropriate documentation reflecting their eligibility.
7. 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).
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.
Contact Information:
Keyonna Washington
Phone: (202)712-4189
Fax: (202)216-3392
Email: recruitmentoig@usaid.gov
Or write:
U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 8.07A
Washington, DC 20523-8700
US
Fax: (202)216-3392
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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