Duties

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This position falls under the direction of the Investigations Division, Cyber Investigations.

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

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret 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.

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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.

Benefits

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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.