Summary

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

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

Duties

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This position is responsible for conducting analyses of geopolitical risk factors that impact legitimate flows of people and goods in relation to U.S. trade and security goals and for developing and managing related technical assistant and capacity building programs.

This position starts at a salary of $102,415.00 (GS-12, Step 1) 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.

Typical duties include:

• Collaborating with federal interagency partners to assess the economic potential, diplomatic capabilities, and border security of the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)"; developing plans for international trade and travel, enhanced border security for the U.S. and host nation.
• Promoting outreach activities and programs with the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)" to strengthen diplomatic ties with the U.S by recommending, planning, and coordinating engagements with U.S. government representatives, leaders, and congressional members.
• Developing proposals and recommendations for future development and outreach activities with the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)"; and supporting the assigned country, region, or organization in assessing the effectiveness of economic, diplomatic and border security initiatives and recommending courses of action for improvement.
• Participating in assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)" development and providing input on sensitive and controversial issues; collaborating with assigned country, region, or organizations representatives to formalize strategic plans to facilitate and substantially enhance trade, diplomacy and border security between the host nation and the U.S.

To learn more about CBP's Office of International Affairs, please visit https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/international-initiatives or visit us on X/Twitter: [redacted]

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 position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below:

• The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or
• The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or if applicable
• For employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted for more than 1 year to another duty location, the detailed or temporary duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes. For employees detailed or temporarily promoted for less than one year, the permanent duty location is considered the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

1. Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods.

OR

2. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, in one or more of the social sciences, or in the humanities, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

OR

3. Experience: four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Conducting research and analysis of international policies, agreement or events.
• Gathering information and assisting in preparation of reports, briefings, or requests for information related to diplomatic, political, military, economic, and significant developments in a global region.
• Assisting with the recommending, planning, and coordination of engagements between foreign and U.S. officials.
• Collaborating with other U.S government agencies and foreign counterparts on developing plans to enhance trade, diplomacy and security cooperation.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Analyzing geopolitical risk factors that impact legitimate flows of people and goods in relations to United States trade and security goals, and developing recommendations based on identified impacts.
• Preparing and conducting reports and briefings and responding to requests for information related to diplomatic, political, military, economic, and significant developments in a global region.
• Recommending, planning, and coordinating engagements between foreign and U.S. officials.
• Assisting in developing, implementing, and managing technical assistance and capacity building programs such as training, international visits, and advisory services, for foreign partners.

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 06/25/2026.

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.

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

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

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