Christopher Merlino
PARKLAND
Summary
Professional with strong background in investigative work, adept at gathering and analyzing information to uncover key insights. Known for collaborative teamwork and reliability, consistently adapting to evolving requirements to achieve desired outcomes. Skilled in critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication, ensuring thorough and accurate investigations.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Investigator/Instructor GG-13
Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency
05.2017 - Current
- As a member of the Field Investigative Training Team I construct, modify, and deliver training materials to BI field staff across the enterprise
- Training efforts are conducted at the National, Regional, Duty Station and Group levels in accordance with requests from field leadership
- Training materials focus on post initial training topics determined to be of critical need to assist field investigators maintain effective and efficient proficiency of Federal Investigative Standards and adjacent topics
- Independently develop, review and/or revise assigned curriculum and training products as assigned by the Branch Chief
- Collaborate with others to receive feedback and finalize products
- Deliver training materials in support of learning objectives to students both virtually and in person classes
- Collect and evaluate Kirpatrick data to determine effectiveness of training programs
- Selected to serve on inaugural DCSA Employee Council in 2020
- Originally selected to represent Security Training Directorate, I accepted the role of President for the first year of council’s existence
- For the remainder of my term on the council, I served as Secretary
- Accomplishments include formal charter completion, representation at Deputy Director’s Unity of Effort speaking engagements, development of DCSA branded merchandise efforts, feedback to senior leadership on FEVS, along with providing input to leadership on selected topics
- Lead Presenter and Subject Matter Expert at the New SAC Training Course 2011 – 2018
Supervisory Agent-in-Charge (SAC) GG-13
Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency DOD
01.2010 - 05.2017
- Selected to rehabilitate a historically underperforming Field Office, rife with personnel, performance, and security issues
- With the support of management, I implemented several Standard Operating Procedures to establish consistent expectations and transparency for the staff
- At the time of my departure, group the group was among the highest performing in the Region, particularly in terms of Quality, Timeliness, Efficiency, and Program Advancement
- Established clear, concise expectations for staff in terms of case handling
- Assisted staff in synthesizing their role on the team to align individual performance to maximize group efficiency
- Modernized existing case assignment practices to increase case closings while decreasing cycle- times
- Commitment to consistent assignment practices enabled staff to realize more predictable work patterns by minimizing distractions
- Fostered a more holistic understanding of case-level coverage, empowering staff to focus on closing complete cases rather than merely scattered items
- Organized growing investigative staff into geographically-based Squads to improve communication, gain efficiencies, and develop future leaders
- Achieved and maintained highest Field Office Quality in Gulf Coast Area
- Leveraged experience in the Program and understanding of the Federal Investigative Standards and Adjudicative criteria across staff with varying levels of understanding of the security clearance process
- Oversaw targeted review of Reports of Investigation to provide constructive feedback regarding coverage, reporting, and necessary issue resolution
- Advised users on use of legacy investigative systems
- Established internal procedures to track weekly workload opening / closing metrics as a function of staffing to enable real-time trending of resource needs
- Formulate recommendations for higher management based on identification and analysis of these trends
- Postured the Field Office to effectively micro-target our staffing locations when opportunities arose, and enabled support of other Field Offices
- Educated subordinate staff to improve overall operational understanding, implement living Individual Development Plans, and develop local leadership succession alternatives
- Resulting workforce was far better prepared to assume leadership roles across the organization – locally, regionally, and nationally
- Served as SME to revise 1810 – General Investigator position description
- Lead Presenter and Subject Matter Expert at the SAC Leadership and Technical Training Course (SAC LTTP) 2011 – 2018
Supervisory Agent-in-Charge (SAC) GS-13
Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Federal Investigative Services (FIS)
02.2008 - 12.2009
- Managed Field Operations for a staff of 20 personnel, both local and remote, balancing resources with workload to ensure deadline compliance and cost-recovery goals were met
- Selected to lead and unify staff in newly reorganized field office
- Developed and implemented accountability measures for chronically underperforming staff
- Empowered staff to help develop office culture of performance and accountability
- Selected by regional leadership to present at national level conference to performance topics
- Selected as member of working groups to develop program level efficiencies
- Created detailed reports on team performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement and potential solutions.
- Oversaw budget planning and resource allocation within the department, ensuring optimal use of funds.
District Manager/Team Leader/Investigator
US Investigations Services (USIS)
08.1998 - 02.2008
- Served in positions of increasing responsibility from field level to second line supervisor
- Improved district performance from last in the country to a consistently high performing group that regularly met and exceeded production benchmarks
- Oversaw growth from to over 120 employees (investigators, record searchers, interns), while maintaining one of the lowest attrition rates in the organization
- Provided continuous training and mentoring of geographically-dispersed staff through meetings, conference calls, and checkrides
- Served as a mentor to other District Managers, providing ongoing feedback and guidance
- Innovated and shared a number of 'Best Practice' operational concepts
- Maintained fiscal control over an annual budget exceeding $10 million, routinely performing as one of the more profitable Districts in the company
- Implemented workload management, training, and operational practices to ensure integrity, while maximizing efficient resource utilization to complete cases in accordance with customer-identified workload priorities
Investigator & Team Leader
US Investigations Services (USIS)
08.1998 - 09.2006
- Conducted most complex background investigations for USIS under contract to OPM & US Air Force
- Selected as Team Leader to manage team of 9 employees and 12 contractors
- Provided field training and mentoring to new investigators
- Served periodically as acting District Manager
- Special Achievement Award Winner – 2001& 2002
Education
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SCSkills
- Training development and delivery
- Curriculum development
- Strong communication skills
- Expertise in subject matter
- Public speaking
- Group and individual instruction
- Continuous professional development
- Class instruction
- Lesson planning
- Engaging presentation style
Accomplishments
- Achieved enterprise level efficiency through effectively helping with revised report writing guidance.
- Achieved level of effort metrics by completing enterprise level time study with accuracy and efficiency.
Certification
- Six Sigma Certification - LSSGB
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy Instructor
Timeline
Investigator/Instructor GG-13
Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency
05.2017 - Current
Supervisory Agent-in-Charge (SAC) GG-13
Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency DOD
01.2010 - 05.2017
Supervisory Agent-in-Charge (SAC) GS-13
Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Federal Investigative Services (FIS)
02.2008 - 12.2009
District Manager/Team Leader/Investigator
US Investigations Services (USIS)
08.1998 - 02.2008
Investigator & Team Leader
US Investigations Services (USIS)
08.1998 - 09.2006
- Six Sigma Certification - LSSGB
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy Instructor
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
University of South Carolina
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