Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Centers of Excellence and Expertise. The selections will be made and oversight of this position will be maintained by the Field Office, but the physical location of these positions will remain in the locations attached to the announcement.

Duties

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The selection will be made, and oversight of this position will be maintained by the Field Office below, but the physical location of this position will remain in the duty location chosen.

Field Office Centers:

Houston- Petroleum, Natural Gas & Minerals (PNGM)

New York- Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals (PHC)

San Francisco- Apparel, Footwear & Textiles (AFT)

This position will allow you to use your expertise in administration to provide advisory and technical services to higher DHS officials and drawback claimants within the scope of review of drawback claims by determining drawback eligibility and other import/export related decisions on a national scope and on an account basis. This position starts at a salary of $73,939.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $115,213.00 (GS-12, Step 10).

Salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or cost of living expenses of the duty location upon selection.

In this position, you will strengthen the Department's ability to perform homeland security functions by becoming a valuable member of a team of commercial, inspection, entry, liquidation, and Customs Officer employees.

Typical duties include:

• Reviewing drawback claims and supporting documentation, e.g., certificates of delivery, certificates of manufacture, and proof of exportation to ensure compliance with all drawback laws and regulations, and with trade agreements
• Participating in the review of company records on-site to establish if goods meet eligibility requirements, and to verify the adequacy of a company's drawback system.
• Examining the manufacturing process, and various records to determine eligible quantities of goods, to trace imported merchandise through to exportation, to ensure use complies with applicable laws and regulations, and, for Unused Merchandise claims, to ensure imported goods are neither used in the United States nor commercially interchangeable.
• Assisting in the reviews of claimants' requests for drawback privileges including Accelerated Payment, Exporters Summary Procedure, Waiver of Prior Notice, and use of substitution under 1313(j)(2); this includes determining bond sufficiency under supervision.
• Responding to basic, repetitive questions regarding reporting requirements, and calculation methods. Presents limited portions regarding basic factual situations in outreach efforts to explain drawback eligibility and requirements to potential, first-time or established drawback claimants; and to inform exporters, importers, customs brokers, and foreign trade officials about new or revised programs.

Requirements

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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)
• All pre-employment processes will be conducted in English
• You may be required to pass a background investigation
• 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.
• Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions - NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Reviewing and processing drawback claims and supporting documentation.
• Applying customs laws, regulations, and procedures, interpreting customs requirements or similar experience involving determinations of rates of duty.
• Classifying of merchandise, entry requirements, manufacturing records, export documentation, and accounting & inventory records.
• Reviewing and making decisions independently on drawback claims of more than average difficulty and complexity.
• Participating in public outreach programs, which involve presenting seminars and providing guidance to claimant.

GS-12: You qualify at the GS-12 level if you possess one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the skills needed to perform the job duties. Examples include experience in

• Reviewing and deciding complex drawback claims and supporting documents to ensure compliance with all laws, regulations and trade agreements.
• Performing compliance reviews of records to establish if goods meet eligibility requirements for drawback, and to verify the adequacy of a company's drawback system.
• Reviewing and making determinations concerning claimants' request for drawback privileges including Accelerated Payment, Exporters Summary Procedure, Waiver of Prior Notice, and use of substitution under 1313(j)(2); this includes determining bond sufficiency.
• Participating in public outreach programs, which involve presenting seminars and providing detailed guidance to claimants

Education Substitution: GS-11: You may substitute a Ph.D., an equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a qualifying field for experience at the GS-11 grade level or an LL.M., if related. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours

There is no education substitution for the GS-12 grade level.

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 09/08/2025.

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

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

Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions- NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU.

Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied.

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
• 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.

Please view the video "Protecting America 24/7" to learn more about CBP's Office of Field Operations.

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.

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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.