Criminal Investigator (Assistant Special Agent in Charge)

Summary

ATF is a law enforcement agency in the U.S. Department of Justice that protects our communities from violent criminals/criminal organizations, illegal use/trafficking of firearms, illegal use/storage of explosives, acts of arson/bombings, acts of terrorism, and illegal diversion of alcohol/tobacco products. We partner with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public through information sharing, training, research, & technology. Visit www.atf.gov

Summary

ATF is a law enforcement agency in the U.S. Department of Justice that protects our communities from violent criminals/criminal organizations, illegal use/trafficking of firearms, illegal use/storage of explosives, acts of arson/bombings, acts of terrorism, and illegal diversion of alcohol/tobacco products. We partner with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public through information sharing, training, research, & technology. Visit www.atf.gov

Overview

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Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

08/22/2025 to 09/05/2025

Salary $157,830 to - $195,200 per year Pay scale & grade GS 15

Locations

Few vacancies in the following locations:

Boston, MA

Newark, NJ

Columbus, OH

Portland, OR

Show morefewer locations (2)

Philadelphia, PA

El Paso, TX

Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required 50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position. Relocation expenses reimbursed Yes-You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy. Appointment type Permanent Work schedule Full-time Service Competitive

Promotion potential

15

Job family (Series)

• 1811 Criminal Investigation

Supervisory status Yes Security clearance Top Secret Drug test Yes Position sensitivity and risk Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process

• National security

Financial disclosure No Bargaining unit status No

Announcement number 25-FO-IMP-12778402-RT Control number 843929900

This job is open to

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Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from internal employees only of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives serving under a career or career conditional appointment in the competitive service. Applications will also be accepted from CTAP eligibles. Travel and relocation expenses are authorized and will be paid.

Duties

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This position is located under the Office of Field Operations, Seattle Field Division, Portland Field Office in Boston, Massachusetts; Columbus, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon.

• Serves as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of a Field Division over several subordinate field offices and/or groups.
• Functions as a key management official within the field division
• Responsible for assisting and advising the Division Director/Special Agent in Charge in the overall management and coordination of the enforcement programs and operations of the division.
• Through several subordinate Resident Agents in Charge and/or Group Supervisors, manages and directs a large staff of criminal investigators and clerical support, overseeing their work for effectiveness in conducting division law enforcement operations and activities.
• Performs a full range of supervisory functions including: making decisions on work problems presented by subordinate RAC's/Group Supervisors; collaborating with division managers and supervisors to negotiate, decide on and/or coordinate work-related changes affecting their organizations; advising the SAC and other Bureau management officials on problems impacting ATF's overall enforcement mission; etc.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process.

Key Requirements:

• Top Secret/SCI clearance is required for this position
• Subject to random drug testing
• Requires proficiency with a firearm per ATF's Standard.
• May be required to serve a 1-year probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify for GS-15, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-14.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Applying ATF law enforcement investigative techniques in order to direct a major field component of the Bureau; AND
• Executing and coordinating criminal enforcement programs to make operational decisions regarding investigations of a criminal nature.

Experience applying ATF law enforcement investigative techniques in order to direct a major field component of the Bureau; experience executing and coordinating criminal enforcement programs to make operational decisions regarding investigations of a criminal nature.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at:

Additional information

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

EEO 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, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you must contact the ATF EEO office within 45 calendar days of when the alleged harm occurred at ... or .... Please see DOJ Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at ... or send an email to .... The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled on a case-by-case basis. "Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized."

Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement.

A one year probationary period is required for new supervisors and managers.

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

The assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your ability in the following competencies:

• Compliance
• Criminal Investigation
• Leadership
• Technical Competence

When the JOA closes, you will receive an assessment narrative via email that will further allow us to evaluate your written and leadership competencies.

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Required documents

Required Documents

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Required Documents (if applicable):

• ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
• Official position title;
• Employer name and contact information;
• Start and end dates (including month and year);
• Your Pay Plan/series/grade and step and a detailed list of duties & accomplishments

Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.

Please LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO NO MORE THAN TWO (2) PAGES. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

• SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility)

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

• An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade

• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.

• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or

• Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or

• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

• CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable.

All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement. Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.