Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) (Open Continuous Announcement)
Agency
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Location
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia
Salary
$84,601 - $156,755 Per Year
Open & closing dates
Posted: November 5, 2025
Closes: October 31, 2026 (290 days left)
Job Description
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.
Qualifications
GS-11 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GL-9 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties: Conducting the full range of criminal investigations using accepted methodology and problem solving techniques; AND Obtaining investigative leads and factual data; participating in operational planning, searches, seizures, and arrests; reviewing evidence; and preparing case reports at the conclusion of a criminal investigation. OR You have one of the following: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Criminal Justice and/or Administration; Law and Society; Forensics; Public Safety and/or Administration; Homeland Security; Law Enforcement; Justice Administration; Organizational Security and Management; Criminology; Cyber Security; Social Work; Fire Science; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related. OR You have the specialized experience as described above but less than one year; and have some graduate education as described above, but less than the required one-year. The percentage of the requirements MUST total least 100%. GS-12 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties: Conducting the full range of criminal investigations of greater than average complexity and importance using accepted methodology and problem-solving techniques; AND Serving as a lead agent in planning and conducting investigations, operations, searches, seizures, or arrests; AND Reviewing evidence; and preparing case reports at the conclusion of a criminal investigation. GS-13 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience, performing all of the following duties: Applying a wide range of criminal investigative, enforcement, laws, regulations, guidelines, and precedent decisions; AND Identifying significant sources of information to detect illegal activity and document issues or probable cause and conduct investigations to determine if violations have occurred; AND Communicating orally and in writing to prepare and present reports, briefings, and/or exchange information. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. 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 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: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP 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 score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/ Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a Veteran Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under the VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement. Please note: Applicants applying under the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) Authority may only be placed at the GS-11 grade level. 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.
Required Documents
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility. Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) 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), indicate full-time or # hours worked per week Pay plan/series/grade (for federal experience), and A list of duties performed and accomplishments. Resumes must be limited to two pages in length. Applicants with resumes longer than two pages will not be considered. You can only submit one resume. Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) certificate - ALL APPLICANTS Federal law enforcement training program certificate - ALL APPLICANTS Current or former Federal employee: SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility): Most recent SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted. 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. 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. Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse: When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. Military Spouse Appointing Authority: You MUST submit verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage) AND: (1) a copy of your spouse's active military orders; OR (2) verification of your spouse's 100% service-connected disability (VA Letter and/or DD-214); OR (3) verification of the service member's death while on active duty (DD-1300/Death Certificate). You are not eligible if you were not married to the veteran at the time of death or have since remarried. Schedule A: You must submit "proof of a disability" documentation ("Proof of a disability" is a letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability or psychiatric disability). You must get this letter from your doctor, a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal, state, or local agency that issues or provides disability benefits. For more information about Schedule A and verification requirements, please see OPM's Schedule A site. Displaced Federal employee under CTAP or ICTAP: You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency OR if you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force. Submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location OR Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal. See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information. Interchange Agreement with Other Merit Systems Eligible: Documentation of eligibility as listed in each individual interchange agreement. Other noncompetitive or special appointing authorities (e.g., Peace Corps, VISTA, Public Land Corp, Certain Former Overseas Employees, Foreign Service, etc.) must provide substantiating documentation as required. Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement.
Department Information
Agency
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Department
Department of Justice
Location
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States