Senior Investigator

Summary

The position is in the Bureau of Consumer Protection's Division of Financial Practices (DFP). The primary purpose of this position is to manage investigative and research support efforts, independently formulate and develop complex investigations. The position coordinates major projects with significant impact across the agency and that are essential to the mission and smooth function of the Bureau.

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Duties

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General Duties for Senior Investigators include:

• Coordinating cross agency efforts. Such coordination would include working with others throughout the agency in different Bureaus/offices or in different roles (e.g., investigators, attorneys, technologists, forensic analysts) to coordinate research and investigative work, initiatives, and resources.
• Creating fraud work templates and updating them. Such templates would tackle common issues and create models on topics such as how to locate individuals and assets and how to put together evidence in an investigator declaration in a manner that presents a coherent story for submission to court. Templates and models would also need to be regularly updated.
• Testing and onboarding investigative tools, getting more staff access to such tools, and providing training.

Duties for ( DFP 's) senior investigators include:

• Guiding case selection. Proactively identifying, researching, and investigating possible targets for investigation, including practices involving large and sophisticated frauds that cause massive consumer harm. In resulting investigations, possible targets may be highly complex in structure and financing, with a large number of primary and subsidiary entities, activities, and components that span local, national, and international markets.
• Effectively and independently plans, arranges, and executes highly sophisticated investigative actions and projects for consumer protection investigations of the most complexity and greatest scope.
• Serving as a subject matter expert on investigative techniques, including money tracing, financial analysis, evidence capture, and analysis in complex investigations involving financial technologies and entities such as payment processors and internet service providers; anticipating and addressing evidence collection issues, including those related to sophisticated frauds and those utilizing new technologies; electronically capturing evidence from a variety of Internet sources using advanced technological techniques and preserving the evidence in admissible form; maintaining chain of custody for physical evidence; and testifying in court proceedings as necessary.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
• This position is subject to a background investigation.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
• You may serve a one-year probationary period under this appointment.
• You must meet time in grade requirement by the closing date of the vacancy.
• You must submit a copy of your performance appraisal with your application.
• You must be a current title 5, status employee of the Federal Trade Commission.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Senior Investigator at the GS-14 level, you must meet the following requirements:

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: conducting and directing the full range of functions for highly complex consumer protection investigations, including, but not limited to, generating case leads and developing new investigations; planning and implementing investigative steps based on the nature of the investigation and following leads developed from the information obtained; executing of the investigation, including interviewing witnesses, obtaining and analyzing financial, company records and documents, and consumer complaint data, as well as managing other personnel assigned to assist the investigation, such as paralegals, data analysts, and accountants; drafting investigative affidavits or declarations; testifying at depositions, trials, hearings, or before grand juries; and identifying areas in need of further inquiry; and revising investigative plans based on acquired evidence and feedback; formulating accurate findings and detailing them in a declaration as needed; managing extensive projects with agency-wide impact that involve consumer protection initiatives and organizational strategic and program goals.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

There is no education requirement for this position or substitution of education for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility.

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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.

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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.

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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.