INVESTIGATIVE PROGRAM SPECIALIST (POLYGRAPH EXAMINER)

SelectUSA; Durban; On-site; USD 148,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading government agency seeks a Quality Control Officer to oversee polygraph examinations and provide oversight to examiners. The successful candidate will ensure compliance with federal standards and mentor new professionals in the field, contributing to high investigative standards. A strong background in investigative methodologies is required along with certification from NCCA.

Qualifications

• Must be certified by the National Center for Credibility Assessment.
• Minimum of two years' experience as PDD examiner.

Responsibilities

• Review and ensure compliance of polygraph examinations.
• Mentor and train new examiners.
• Advise on criminal investigative issues.

Skills

Investigative Techniques

Mentoring

Polygraph Examination Standards

Education

NCCA Certification in Polygraph

Job description

Help Duties

The purpose of this position is to serve as a quality control officer/team lead as well as to apply the full range of investigative methodologies necessary to resolve and complete administrative, civil, counterintelligence, and criminal investigations by detecting deception, collecting sworn statements of confession, vetting critical information, and exonerating the falsely accused. The unique skill set and substantial expertise of the incumbent is utilized to maintain high standards of polygraph examinations conducted throughout CAD, and to advance or resolve investigations performed under the authority and jurisdiction of OPR.

This position starts at a salary of $148,935.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $193,614.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

In This Position, You Will

• Review polygraph examinations conducted by government and contract examiners to ensure compliance with Federal and CBP standards regarding techniques and investigative methods.
• Provide guidance to examiners to facilitate professional development and case resolution.
• Mentor and train new, inexperienced examiners; providing remedial training to previously certified examiners, as needed, and ordering new examinations, if warranted.
• Review written reports of investigations prepared by examiners before dissemination outside of CAD/OPR.
• Apply extensive experience to participate as an advisor to examiners on criminal investigative issues as they develop during the conduct of both routine and specific issue polygraph tests.
  
  

Duty Location: The duty location of this position is negotiable to the following locations

• NY
• Buffalo
• Valley Stream
• TX
• Dallas
• El Paso
• McAllen
• Houston
• San Antonio
• MI
• Detroit
• IN
• Indianapolis
• FL
• Miramar
• Orlando
• NJ
• Newark
• CA
• San Diego
• San Francsico
• Aliso Viejo
• WA
• Seattle
• AZ
• Tucson
• Yuma
• PR
• San Juan
• IL
• Chicago
• GA
• Kennesaw (Atlanta)
• MN
• Minneapolis (Bloomington)
• TN
• Nashville
• ME
• Portland
• DC
• Washington
• SC
• Columbia (NCCA-Ft. Jackson)
  

Requirements Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
• Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below)
• You may be required to pass a background investigation and/or polygraph
• CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
• As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link .
• DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
• Financial Disclosure is required.
• Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.
  
  

Qualifications

All Polygraph Examiners hired must be certified by the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) by attending the Basic Federal Polygraph Training Program.

The Federal Polygraph Handbook requires that all Quality Control Personnel be designated, experienced, certified PDD examiners. In order to show that you meet this requirement, you will be required to submit a copy of your NCCA Certificate at the time of application.

In addition to the above, the Federal Polygraph Handbook also requires that all Quality Control Personnel have a minimum of two years' experience as a PDD examiner. Please ensure that your experience is thoroughly documented on your resume. If experience cannot be verified based on the resume submitted, you may be found ineligible for this position.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you meet the basic requirements above and possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• appearing in court as a recognized authority on polygraph matters and providing expert consultation to government and law enforcement officials, officials of the judicial system, educational institutions, and others;
• providing instruction to others on conducting polygraph examinations and communicating feedback for improvement;
• identifying and coordinating training needs for new and/or inexperienced examiners;
• adapting polygraph techniques while conducting in-depth interviews and interrogations in an attempt to elicit admissions or confessions for administrative or criminal investigations
  
  

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements.

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.

You Must

• Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and
• Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 06/06/2025.
  
  

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers

Polygraph Examination: The INVESTIGATIVE PROGRAM SPECIALIST (POLYGRAPH EXAMINER) position is a polygraph-required position. If you are not a current CBP employee in a law enforcement position, you may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. Please see Polygraph Examination .

Polygraph Reciprocity: CBP may accept the results of a prior federal polygraph exam in lieu of a CBP polygraph exam. You will receive information to request reciprocity in your Background Investigation Package.

Polygraph Waiver: Certain veterans may be eligible to obtain a polygraph waiver. You will receive information to request a waiver in your Background Investigation Package.

Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions:

• Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
• A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government
• Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
• Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government
  
  

Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one-year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period.

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional Information

Additional Hiring and Special Appointing Authorities: See "THIS JOB IS OPEN TO" section above for what additional Appointing Authorities may apply. Veterans, military spouses, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and people with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility and to understand what documentation would be required with your application, please click on the appropriate link below. You must provide documentation supporting your eligibility prior to the closing date of this announcement. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the CBP Hiring Center via the contact information listed at the end of this job opportunity announcement.

• Veterans
• Military spouses Effective until December 31, 2028, any spouse of a member on active duty may be eligible
• Individuals with Disabilities The proof of disability documentation must specify that you are eligible to apply using Schedule A. It does NOT need to detail your specific disability, medical history or need for accommodation. For more information visit this link .
• Peace Corps and VISTA
• Land Management Hiring Flexibility Act: The following documents are required at the time of application: SF-50s to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility requirements and the most recent performance rating signed by your supervisor or a statement from your supervisor documenting acceptable performance.
• O ther miscellaneous hiring authorities
  
  

This position DOES NOT confer Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) retirement coverage.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

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The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR

• 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR
• 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. Read more