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Summary 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. Responsibilities 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. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Must work an average of 50-hour workweek which may include irregular hours, and be on call 24/7, including holidays and weekends. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 4 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Mobility Agreement Required. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Law Enforcement Availability Pay Eligible. Subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement. Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you are required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness & whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process & therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals & mission of the agency, &/or otherwise promote efficiency of service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance & conduct; the needs & interests of the agency; whether continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; & whether continued employment would advance efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue & that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications* Qualifications 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. Education Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid & unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills & can provide valuable training & experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: As a condition of employment, & on a continuing basis, the incumbent must meet the established physical qualifications for rigorous law enforcement positions, in accordance with National Park Service standards. The duties of the position include detaining persons of interest, arresting suspects, executing search warrants, performing long periods of surveillance & carrying investigative equipment. The work requires strenuous physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, walking, & running over rough & hazardous terrain; crawling in restrictive areas; climbing over obstacles; & driving all-terrain vehicles over rough terrain. The work requires long periods of unscheduled duty; intense concentration, emotional & mental strain; & participating in activities under dangerous & trying conditions. Position requires unplanned travel & extensive details in fulfilling investigative responsibilities. Working Conditions: Although primarily conducted in an office setting, the work also involves high risk of exposure to potentially dangerous & stressful situations such as: high-speed vehicle pursuits; involvement in physical altercations or the use of lethal weapons; assignments alternating between extremely cold, mountainous terrain & extremely hot, arid deserts; risk of falling, or exposure to fires, explosions, & noxious gases. Safety or security precautions sometimes are necessary, & the investigator may have to use special clothing or gear. They may be required to work long & irregular hours, on weekends, nights, & accept changes in shifts & duty stations. Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework & the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.