Intelligence Research Specialist (Watch Officer)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

• $85K — $111K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 1-2 years of intelligence analysis experience at an entry level.
  • Experience using IC databases and tools for data collection and assessment.
  • Ability to prepare detailed intelligence reports and assessments.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • U.S. Citizenship and residency requirement must be met.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the main contact for CBP Executive leadership and federal partners.
  • Research and evaluate information related to CBP issues and threats.
  • Utilize Intelligence Community databases for gathering and analyzing data.
  • Produce clear assessments of intelligence findings.
  • Inform leadership of significant or unusual incidents promptly.
  • Provide situational awareness of ongoing intelligence activities.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision plans.
  • Annual leave and sick leave policies for work-life balance.
  • Training and professional development opportunities.
  • Flexible work schedules and telework options available.
  • Participation in the federal retirement plan.
Full Job Description
Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Intelligence, located in Washington DC.

This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

Additional selections may be made to include other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Duties

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In this position you will serve as the primary point of contact within the National Intelligence Watch (NIW) for CBP Executive leadership, field managers, the Intelligence Community (IC), federal partners, and DHS Intelligence Enterprise component watches.

This position starts at a salary of $85,447.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $111,087.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $158,322.00 (GS-13 Step 10).

GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.

Major Duties for this position include, but are not limited to:

  • Assisting in the research, screening, evaluation and consolidation of a large quantity of information related to CBP issues and threats within assigned area of responsibility;
  • Demonstrating proficiency using Intelligence Community (IC) databases and tools to gather, review and collate all-source message traffic and other communications;
  • Drawing meaningful conclusions and produces clear assessments;
  • Presenting findings in written products or oral briefings to superiors, planners, and policy makers;
  • Providing situational awareness of all events, issues and threats being monitored by the National Intelligence Watch (NIW) and promptly informing leadership of significant or unusual incidents.


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


Training:This position has a training requirement. Selectee(s) are required to attend and successfully complete Intelligence Specialist Core and Specialized paid training. The location will be determined at the time of training. You may be required to successfully complete the training requirement as a condition of employment. Failure to successfully complete the required course(s) of training in accordance with CBP standards and policies will result in placement into either a former or different position, demotion, or separation as determined by management and appropriate procedures.

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:

  • Providing leadership and programs with intelligence information, data gathering, assessments, and reports;
  • Performing all facets of intelligence reporting including (but not limited to) databases searches, nomination/enhancement of records, records removal, quality assurance, and information evaluations;
  • Preparing intelligence reports impacting assigned specialty area including evaluation and interpretation of findings;
  • Supporting coordination efforts and information sharing with counterparts and colleagues throughout the intelligence and law enforcement communities.


Education Substitution GS-11: You may substitute a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M. for experience at the GS-11 grade level. 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.

Combining Education and Experience: To combine your education and experience, convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages. If your education is described in quarter hours, multiply by the fraction 2/3 to convert into semester hours, then divide the semester hours by 18. To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total months of experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% in order to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

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 09/15/2026.


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.

Your resume: A resume describing your job-related qualifications is required and will be used for the purpose of reviewing your qualifications and determining what training, if any, would be required when placed. A resume in English is required. It must contain your full legal name, address, phone number, complete work history including a detailed description of your duties, the dates you performed those duties (MM/DD/YY), your hours worked per week, job title, as well as series, grade, and salary (if applicable). For additional required items, see the link. *Note- It is recommended that you upload your resume as a PDF instead of a Word document to ensure document quality. Ensure that your uploaded resume is not a password protected document, to include Office 365 passwords. Your resume must only be two pages or less and uploaded under the document type - Resume. No additional document types will be reviewed as part of your resume, only the most recently uploaded version of your resume will be reviewed.

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.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP eligible. View information about CTAP eligibilityon OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement. To be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position.

Education

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

Education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

Additional information

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
  • 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

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