NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness

OPPORTUNITY

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness is seeking to hire a full-time position assigned to the Operations Bureau within the Intelligence and Operations Division. 

We offer a generous benefit package for our full-time employees which includes vacation, personal and sick leave as well as 13 annual paid holidays, medical, dental and prescription plans, retirement plans, life insurance, flexible spending account plans, commuter Tax$ave program and professional development courses. For more information on careers at NJOHSP please visit: Careers | New Jersey OHSP.

This position is in the unclassified service and applicants must meet the minimum job requirements specified below.

POSTING NUMBER:               25-10-S

TITLE:                                      Investigator 3, Law and Public Safety

ISSUE DATE:                          May 16, 2025      

CLOSING DATE:                    May 30, 2025      

SALARY:                                $68,049.63 - $96,532.47*                                                

LOCATION:                            Hamilton, New Jersey or Newark, New Jersey

                                                (Location Preference Required)

JOB DESCRIPTION

The mission of the Operations Bureau is to detect and deter terrorist plots, targeted violence, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and hostile intelligence activities against New Jersey. The Operations Bureau consists of three program areas:

The Counterterrorism Unit has two primary squads, the State Counterterrorism squad and the JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force) squad. The former is responsible for the triage and review of all NJSARS (New Jersey Suspicious Activity Reporting System) relinquished by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) and criminal investigations consistent with the overall mission of the Operations Bureau. Additionally, the State Counterterrorism squad is responsible for cultivating sources of information consistent with the overall mission. The JTTF squad consists of Operations Bureau personnel assigned to FBI Newark and FBI Philadelphia or resident agencies of those Field Offices.

The Counterintelligence Unit has two primary squads, State Counterintelligence squad and the CITF (Counterintelligence Task Force) squad. The former is responsible for counterintelligence matters relevant to the State of New Jersey. These efforts are closely coordinated with the FBI and other relevant agencies but focus on those areas not typically addressed by other agencies. The CITF squad consists of Operations Bureau personnel assigned to FBI Newark or resident agencies of the Newark Field Office.

The Operations Unit consists of the Public Protection squad, the NJ STAT (New Jersey Statewide Threat Assessment Team) squad, and the IAC (Interfaith Advisory Council). The Public Protection squad is responsible for target hardening efforts and their three core functions include tripwire engagements, Red Team exercises, and SHADOW (Surveillance & Hostile Actor Detection Operations) deployments. The NJ STAT squad works closely with the broader multi-agency, multi-disciplinary New Jersey Statewide Threat Assessment Team, which is aimed at preventing targeted acts of violence. The Interfaith Advisory Council leads and coordinates efforts with New Jersey’s faith-based partners.

The selected candidate will be assigned to the Counterintelligence Unit, as an Investigator 3, Law and Public Safety. Duties will include but are not limited to: 

•    Conduct investigative work supporting criminal investigations related to national security threats and critical infrastructure. 
•    Review and analyze documents in support of investigative work and prepare findings in a clear and concise manner. 
•    Research and investigate foreign influence activities, economic interference, disinformation campaigns, insider threats, domestic and non-state actor threats.
•    Prepare and provide defensive briefings on the national security threat landscape to state, county, and local partners.
•    Provide international travel security briefings to state employees traveling internationally to protect sensitive information from foreign threats.
•    Conduct extensive vetting of foreign delegations traveling to New Jersey.
•    Interface and establish working relationships with representatives from partner agencies at the state and federal levels to enhance collaboration on issues of national security.
•    Conduct due diligence on various engagement opportunities to assess risk factors and/or vulnerabilities focusing on exposing and preventing activities that could harm national security and critical infrastructure.
•    Assist in the preparation of materials for grand jury presentation and/or criminal trial. 

REQUIREMENTS 

Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester-hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience:

Education/Experience: 

1. Seven (7) years of professional experience in the conduct of civil or criminal investigations related to compliance, enforcement, detection, and surveillance activity, including the preparation of investigative reports. OR 
2. Seven (7) years of professional experience in the conduct of investigative administrative audits and/or regulatory examinations of records maintained by businesses and organizations. OR 
3. Seven (7) years of professional experience in the conduct of investigations for the government, the military, consumer protection programs, public advocacy organizations, or the public interest. OR 
4. Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and three (3) years of the above-mentioned professional experience. OR 
5. Possession of a juris doctorate or a master's degree in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Business Administration, Law, or a related field; and two (2) years of the above-mentioned professional experience.

Note: Completion of a supervised internship field placement of 300 hours in an undergraduate curriculum in Criminal Justice or a related degree program may be substituted for one (1) year of the non-supervisory experience.

Note: "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.

Preference: Preference will be given to candidates with investigative experience in counterintelligence or national security-related matters; Advanced degrees in fields such as international relations, security studies, or criminal justice or other related areas; Proficiency in critical foreign languages, especially Russian or Mandarin.

License: Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Resume Note:  Eligibility determinations will be based upon information presented in resume only.  Applicants who possess foreign degrees (degrees earned outside of the U.S.) are required to provide an evaluation indicating the U.S. equivalency. 

*Salary: For newly hired individuals, the starting salary will normally be at the minimum of the salary range. For current state employees, salary will be a promotional calculation.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: Applicants should be aware that all NJOHSP employees must be a U. S. Citizen due to the fact that they need to be eligible to obtain a Secret or Top-Secret Clearance from the federal government.  U. S. citizenship is a requirement for obtaining such clearance.  Additionally, a criminal and personal background investigation is conducted on all NJOHSP personnel.

REMOTE WORK OR ALTERNATE WORKWEEK PROGRAM: NJOHSP currently offers a hybrid work schedule up to 2 days remote work provided you meet requirements of NJOHSP’s Pilot Telework Program. NJOSHP also offers a flexible work week with one day off per week or per pay period.  Approval is based on nature of work and operational needs.

NJ RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: In accordance with the New Jersey First Act P.L. 2011 c70, effective September 1, 2011, new public employees are required to obtain New Jersey residency within one (1) year of employment.

NJ ETHICS REQUIREMENT: Applicants accepting employment with NJOHSP are required to adhere to the Conflicts of Interest Law N.J.S.A. 52:13D-12 et seq., the Uniform Ethics Code N.J.A.C. 19:61-1.1. et seq., and LPS Supplementary Ethics Code which may limit or preclude outside activities and/or outside employment.  Employees in certain positions are required to annually file financial disclosure statements.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: NJOHSP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our staff.  We strongly encourage people from all groups and communities to apply.

SAME Applicants: NJOHSP participates in the “State as a Model Employer of People with Disabilities”. If you are applying under the NJ “SAME” program, your Schedule A or B letter must be submitted along with your resume and any other required supporting documents indicated on the announcement by the closing date indicated below.  For more information on the SAME Program please visit https://nj.gov/csc/same/overview/index.shtml, email: CSC-SAME@csc.nj.gov or call CSC at (609) 292-4144, option 3.

NJOHSP provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application hiring process, please notify the agency via careers@njohsp.gov and request the ADA Coordinator contact you.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

TO APPLY: Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest/cover letter, resume, and State of NJ Application for Employment.  All submissions must be received no later than 4 p.m. on the closing date.  Failure to submit all required documentation may result in your disqualification from consideration.