Supervisory Employee Benefits Investigator
What you'd do
EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement, health, and other job-based benefits of America's workers, retirees, and their families. We issue effective regulations, offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers, plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers, and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers, families, and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nation's benefit systems.
Major duties
The advertised salary reflects the minimum and maximum pay for the locations listed. Upon selection, the salary will be set in accordance with the selectee's assigned duty location. The Supervisory Employee Benefits Investigator initiates, plans, coordinates, and manages extremely broad, difficult civil and criminal investigations focusing on the analysis of employee pension, health, and other welfare benefit plan operations and the business, financial, and accounting practices of a variety of related entities (e.g., major service providers, trust departments, investment managers, insurance companies, etc.). Duties include but are not limited to the following: Plan, coordinate, and direct civil and criminal ERISA investigations by approving case openings and investigative plans, and by setting team priorities and milestones. Manage investigative resources by assigning or redirecting staff and reviewing completed investigations to ensure adequate evidence and appropriate case disposition (e.g., voluntary compliance, referral for litigation/prosecution, or closure). Provide policy, technical, and procedural leadership; resolve highly technical or sensitive issues; escalate matters with major policy impact to senior leadership; and negotiate with plan officials, service providers, attorneys, and partner agencies to secure compliance and coordinate enforcement activities. Oversee subpoena preparation in civil investigations, coordinate enforcement activities with U.S. Attorneys and other agencies, and refer prohibited transactions to the IRS and auditing issues to the Office of Chief Accountant. Lead negotiations with plan officials, fiduciaries, service providers, and their counsel to communicate significant findings, explain ERISA requirements, and obtain voluntary compliance or corrective actions in non-criminal matters. Provide briefings to the Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director on investigation progress, evidence sufficiency, and recommended case dispositions. Resolve problematic or sensitive issues through effective communication, determine when controversial matters need to be elevated to senior management, and address employee concerns by providing guidance, responding to complaints, and ensuring resolutions align with merit principles and EEO requirements. Apply knowledge of employee benefit plan operations and related financial practices to guide investigators, review investigative plans and case files for technical sufficiency, and determine when additional investigative steps are required. Initiate corrective actions, including settlements or referrals to the Office of the Solicitor, and identify deficient public accountant audit work for referral to the Office of Chief Accountant.
What you need to qualify
You must meet the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Supervisory Employee Benefits Investigator as described below. For GS-14: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants must meet 3 out of the 4 examples of specialized experience below. Examples of qualifying specialized experience are: 1) Experience planning, directing, and completing broad, difficult civil and/or criminal investigations involving employee pension, health, and other welfare benefit plans, including analysis of plan operations and fiduciary conduct (and/or criminal actions) of plan officials and service providers. 2) Experience evaluating compliance with ERISA reporting/disclosure requirements, health plan requirements, bonding standards, and related Federal/state laws; developing legally supportable case findings; and recommending case outcomes (e.g., voluntary compliance, case closure, or referral for litigation/prosecution). 3) Experience overseeing use of investigative tools and enforcement actions such as subpoenas; initiating corrective actions (settlement and/or referral to the Office of the Solicitor); making determinations regarding ERISA civil penalties (e.g., Sections 502(l) and 502(i)); and referring prohibited transactions/excise tax matters to the IRS or other appropriate entities. 4) Experience coordinating enforcement/prosecution activities with U.S. Attorneys and other Federal/State agencies and communicating/negotiating with plan sponsors, fiduciaries, attorneys, accountants, and other industry stakeholders to obtain compliance and resolve complex or sensitive issues. NOTE: Specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume; merely copying this statement into your application does not demonstrate that you possess the required experience.
Before you apply
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