Criminal Investigator
What you'd do
This position is based at Raymond G Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM, within Police Services. The role involves handling serious crimes comparable to homicides, including large-scale fraud, drug diversion, prostitution rings, and multi-state schemes targeting VA property, Veterans, and staff.
Major duties
Duties include but are not limited to the following: Investigates crimes which cannot be resolved through the initial efforts of the reporting officer's preliminary investigation or are beyond the scope of a Detective's responsibility Researches, interviews, observes, conducts stakeout operations, and executes investigative techniques Coordinates and conducts joint investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of criminal laws with other federal and state agencies such as the FBI, US Marshalls, etc. Participates in surveillance activities that are coordinated by an OIG and/or other federal agencies Collects sufficient evidence to support a court case against a criminal, and explains to the jury the significance of evidence as it relates to proof that a crime was committed Confers with the U.S. Attorney's office, VA Regional Counsel Office, or other outside law enforcement agencies as appropriate, to dispose of or to proceed with a case Leads or assists in the conduct of administrative investigations of alleged administrative misconduct, patient abuse, and other improprieties Coordinates and/or participate in a taskforce or other team to conduct highly complex, difficult and sensitive criminal, civil and administrative investigations Collects/compiles data that includes criminal trends, performance metrics, and quality assurance for all functions of Police Service Creates graphs, charts, and descriptions of the data collected to include analyzing the information and providing ways to reduce crime, improve performance, and meet customer needs while maintaining an acceptable performance service level Conducts and oversees Internal Affairs Investigations (IA), under the direction of the Chief of Police or as assigned by VHA Leadership. Perform other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday thru Friday (8 hours schedule, and on-call ) Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Criminal Investigator/PD99782S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/22/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. This position has an Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR): 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. In addition to meeting the IOR above, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Conducting investigations of complaints, tips/leads, obtaining physical evidence, testimony, etc.; researching and utilizing applicable federal guidelines to investigate crimes; analyzing raw investigative data and converting it comprehensive written reports; and possessing excellent communication skills when interacting with the general public and other law enforcement agencies in a positive and respectful manner. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. OR Combination: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and experience as described above that equates to 100%. ADDITIONAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 1. Required to attend an 8-10-week POST course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas (if not already completed). Satisfactory completion of this course is a condition of continued employment. 2. Must successfully attend and complete the FLETC Law Enforcement Criminal Investigator Training Program (FLETC CITP) within one year if not already completed. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Before you apply
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