Chief Computer Forensic Specialist

Summary

The Office of the Inspector General is one of the best places to work in the Department of Justice and is one of the premier inspector general offices in federal government. The Investigations Division (INV) investigates alleged criminal violations and misconduct that govern DOJ employees, operations, grantees, and contractors. Annually INV receives more than 13,000 complaints, opens approximately 250 investigations, and makes an average of over 90 arrests.

This job is open to
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Veterans

Clarification from the agency

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO CURRENT DOJ EMPLOYEES WITH COMPETITIVE STATUS; CTAP ELIGIBLES AND VEOA ELIGIBLES.

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Duties

This position falls under the direction of the Investigations Division, Cyber Investigations Office in Arlington, VA.

If you are selected as a Chief Computer Forensic Specialist, your responsibilities would include, but would not be limited to:

Plans, conducts, and/or coordinates complex digital forensic support for criminal, civil, and administrative investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of Federal laws committed by or against DOJ personnel or contractors.
Works with the Office of General Counsel and Investigations Division to update policies and SOPs. Responsible for integrating the latest current rules, guidelines, policies, case law and legislation required for the DOJ/OIG agency policy manual.
Serves as a witness in grand juries, criminal and civil courts, and administrative forums providing expert testimony in court as to the procedures and methods used to obtain and analyze digital evidence.
Plans, conducts, directs and integrates studies and analyses involving OIG, CIO program planning in the prospective areas of digital forensics, examination, and investigations.
Plans and schedules work to be accomplished and assigns work both verbally and through various automated systems based on priorities, difficulty, requirements, and capabilities of subordinates. Adjusts priorities as needed. Approves or denies leave as mission dictates.
Ensures timely and accurate responses to management and employee requests. Contributes to standard operating procedures for office staff and provides advice or instruction to employees, as needed, on both technical and administrative matters.
Identifies and relates ways to improve production or increase the quality of forensic work directed and establishes deadlines and priorities for major projects.
Advises subordinates on all administrative matters, including personnel policies and regulations. Participates in the selection, assignment, and promotion of subordinate personnel. Assists program leadership in all phases of full cycle recruiting, from job fairs, initial sourcing, and screening through offer negotiations, placement, and onboarding. Interviews candidates for subordinate positions and recommends appointments of qualified new candidates against office vacancy announcements.
Provides professional administrative oversight over staff, giving advice or instruction on work matters, and evaluating performance.
Duties require eligibility for access to classified information at the Top-Secret Clearance with SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) access.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
You must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable.
You must successfully pass and are subject to random drug screenings.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You may be subject to a probationary period.
You must maintain a valid state issued driver's license.
You must successfully completed the following Forensic Examination Certification: Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS).
Qualifications
To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level obtained in the public sector. (Specialized experience is paid or unpaid experience which has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.) Examples of specialized experience include such duties as: supervising a team engaged in conducting comprehensive investigations encompassing allegations of criminal misconduct using a computer, mobile, or other electronic device, serious administrative infractions or integrity violations involving individuals, groups, or large organizations. Types of investigations include violations of Title 18, United States Code, including fraud, bribery, larceny, embezzlement, collusion, conflict of interest, civil rights violations, contract fraud, and other Federal criminal violations.

REQUIRED TRAINING INCLUDE:
Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS). Equivalent training courses include:
Electronic Crimes Special Agent Program (ECSAP) offered at USSS
Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) offered at FBI
Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy (DCITA)
National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) (for this NW3C training - you must have successfully completed and passed both courses below)

• Basic Data Recovery and Acquisition (BDRA)
• Intermediate Data Recovery and Analysis (IDRA)

Additional Qualifications:
1. Have training and experience conducting forensic examinations of mobile devices.
2. Have earned at least one advanced certification, such as the EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE), DCITA Digital Forensic Examiner (DFE), Certified Computer Examiner (CCE)

• International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners, or Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE)
• International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists

CERTIFICATIONS MUST BE INCLUDED IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT OR YOUR APPLICATION MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade level (or equivalent).
Education

There are no education requirements for this position.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The CTAP/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 CTAP/ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP/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 (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating 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 CTAP/ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is at: www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): 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 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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

Benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position and a review of your application by a panel of subject matter experts. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Technical Competence including ability to plan, organize, and conduct extremely sensitive and complex criminal investigations for computer forensics
Ability to supervise.
Communication including ability to communicate investigative findings orally and in writing
Criminal Investigation including ability to serve as an investigative authority for computer forensic examination
You must have successfully completed the following Forensic Examination Certification: Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS)Equivalent training includes Electronic Crimes Specialist Agent Program (ECSAP), Computer Analysis Response Team (CART), Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy (DCITA), and National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) - must have successfully completed and pass both the Basic Data Recovery and Acquisition and Intermediate Data Recovery and Analysis courses.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12409625

If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for further employment consideration.

Required Documents

Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume showing relevant experience and dates the experience was obtained. 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, and 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. (A cover letter is optional).
SF-50 (most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase, or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action if you are applying as a current or former Federal Employee) that shows you have acquired competitive status, and the highest grade or promotion potential you held.
Training Certifications to include Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS)and or equivalent training courses.
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act, Veterans Recruitment Appointment, and 30% Disabled Veteran Eligible: DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days.
CTAP/ICTAP documentation
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): The 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 (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating 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: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.
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 OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.
The Reemployment Priority List (RPL) (if applicable) is a list an agency uses to give reemployment priority to any career and career-conditional competitive service employees the agency separated by reduction in force (RIF) or due to compensable injury. In accordance with 5 CFR 330.204(a), each agency must establish an RPL for each local commuting area where competitive service employees have either been separated by RIF or have recovered from work-related injury. In accordance with 5 CFR 330.207(a), RPL registration is limited to the local commuting area in which the eligible was, or will be, separated. For additional information on RPL, see 5 CFR part 330 subpart B.

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.

How to Apply

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/24/2024 to receive consideration.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov//how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information
Felecia Butler
Email

Felecia.M.Butler@usdoj.gov

Address

Investigations Division
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20530
US

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.

To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments.