Summary

Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is an essential labor law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing significant labor laws affecting nearly 150 million workers. Our mission is to protect rights related to minimum wage, overtime, child labor, family and medical leave, employment conditions for migrant workers, lie detector tests, garnishments, prevailing wages on government-funded contracts, labor provisions of several guest worker programs, and more.

Duties

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The Supervisory Wage & Hour Investigator (District Director) oversees all operations of the office, which encompasses, but is not restricted to, the following tasks:

• Develops and directs assigned Wage and Hour program operations within the District and assigned Field and Area Offices, or other geographical jurisdictions(s). These include the annual and long-term plan, enforcement, compliance, education, and information programs.
• Conducts speeches, seminars, and panel discussions with elected officials, professional employer and/or employee representatives and organizations (attorneys, accountants, union representatives etc.).
• Organizes and coordinates program activities within the District Office with other federal, state and local agencies within and outside of the Department of Labor.
• Oversees legality of issues related to potential litigations cases.
• Responsible for all administrative activities of the District Office including effective use of personnel and funds; directing, reviewing and evaluating subordinates work.
• Analyzes and interprets procedures, rules and policies relating to personnel activities including but not limited to hiring, terminating and reassigning of staff.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such position.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. You must meet the following Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Supervisory Wage and Hour Investigator (District Director):

Applicants must meet at least TWO of the following THREE specialized criteria requirements:

• General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
• Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
• Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.

In addition to the criteria specified above, applicants must have knowledge of and ability to apply the provisions of Federal wage and hour labor laws pertaining to wages, hours of work, or related conditions of employment.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards in determining compliance for an organization or government-based program.
• Conducting interviews and providing information about laws and/or regulations.
• Industrial personnel or salary and wage administration or responsible work in a certified public accounting firm.
• Analyzing or applying labor legislation.
• Reviewing and evaluating operations and procedures through analysis, audits, or surveillance inspections.
• Federal, State, or self-regulatory agency work involving obtaining compliance with appropriate program requirements.

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Specialized Experience - Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade, in the Federal service which includes:

• Applying state and Federal employment laws, regulations, guidelines, and legal precedents related to hiring practices, equal employment opportunity, and wage and hour restrictions.
• Applying laws, rules, regulations, case laws, principles, and practices to negotiate and administer labor agreements.
• Performing public information and public relations duties by speaking before employers, labor, and civic groups as well as radio, television and on-line media.

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Supervisory/Managerial Qualities - Candidates must also demonstrate in their work experience that they possess at least three of the qualities listed below to successfully supervise/manage:

• Supervising/managing employees which includes evaluating performance, providing feedback, creating and managing workflow, and providing technical and administrative direction.
• Implementing plans/projects.
• Developing a strategic or operating plan for an organization.
• Preparing and presenting briefings/speeches to high-level personnel.
• Developing and analyzing programs, policies and legislative proposals.

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the GS-13 grade level or equivalent in the Federal Service), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days, if applicable), and minimum qualifications. These requirements must be met within 30 days of the announcement closing date, 08/16/2026, to be eligible for consideration.

Education

This position has no education requirement and there is no substitution of education for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to the assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

One position will be filled at each location. Salary by Location (per annum):

• Portland, OR: $135,522 - 176,183
• Honolulu, HI: $131,310 - $170,708

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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.

Review our benefits

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.