Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, Credibility Assessment Division, located in:

• Tucson, AZ
• Aliso Viejo, CA
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Chicago, IL
• Portland, ME
• Minneapolis, MN
• Newark, NJ
• Buffalo, NY
• Dallas, TX
• El Paso, TX
• Houston, TX
• McAllen, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Seattle, WA

Duties

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Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement. Further selections may also be made for additional organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

This position starts at a salary of $97,108.00 (GS-12, Step 1) to $150,119.00 (GS-13, Step 10)

Salary: salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or special rate of the duty location and position.

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.

The Investigative Program Specialist (Polygraph Examiner) applies the full range of polygraph investigative methodologies necessary to resolve and complete administrative, civil, counterintelligence, and criminal investigations by detecting deception, collecting sworn statements of confession, vetting critical information, and exonerating the falsely accused. Duties and responsibilities include:

The major duties for this position are listed below but not limited to:

• Conducting all types of polygraph examinations in support of Federal, State, and local agencies as directed by management. Coordinating, planning and administering polygraph examinations.
• Conducting pretest interviews of individuals to be examined in order to determine their willingness and capability to submit to the examination. Evaluating physical and psychological suitability for testing in order to make a final determination on whether to conduct the examination.
• Preparing accurate, concise, logical, comprehensive, and objective reports of investigations to be used in legal venues, potentially including testifying in court in rare occasions, for adjudication, and to brief managers.
• Conducting extended testing to resolve undecided issues, confirm admissions, or locate evidence as necessary.

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.

QUALIFICATIONS

All Polygraph Examiners hired must be certified by the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) by attending the Basic Federal Polygraph Training Program.

Individuals who are not currently certified through an official designation of the NCCA under the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment or the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, the NCCA requires candidates to meet the qualification basic requirements detailed below to be admitted into the training program, this will require you to submit your transcripts to establish eligibility to attend the NCCA and meet all the basic requirements listed below in addition to the specialized experience.

Individuals who are certified and are establishing eligibility based on certification through a prior official designation of the NCCA under the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment or Department of Defense Polygraph Institute must provide your certificate as appropriate and meet the specialized experience listed below:

Qualifications

Transcripts will be required if candidate is unable to provide certification documentation, at the time of application.

Basic Requirements:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university;
• at least two years of investigative experience with a recognized U.S. Government agency or other law enforcement agency;
• Successful completion of a Psychophysiological Detection of Deception (PDD) polygraph examination; and
• Be at least 25 years of age

AND

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:

• Selecting appropriate polygraph techniques based on a thorough review and analysis of all available documentation on the investigation.
• Analyzing physiological data collected to determine the results of the polygraph examination; and Conducting in-depth interrogations in an attempt to elicit admissions or confessions if deception is indicated by test results.
• Identifying criminal or misconduct case issues and evidence needed, based on analysis of charges, complaints, or allegations;
• Preparing accurate, concise, logical, comprehensive, and objective reports of forensic investigations to be used in legal venues, including testifying in court, for adjudication, and to brief managers;

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:

• Adapting polygraph techniques to the situation, using experience and ability to recognize when administrative cases become criminal investigations.
• Collecting evidence while maintaining all lawful and legal standards throughout the polygraph interview process. (e.g., administering Miranda warnings, obtaining sworn written statements of confession).
• Conducting in-depth interviews and interrogations in an attempt to elicit admissions or confessions if deception is indicated by test results;
• Preparing accurate, concise, logical, comprehensive, and objective reports of forensic investigations to be used in legal venues, including testifying in court, for adjudication, and to brief managers.
• Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the rules of evidence, criminal procedure, constitutional rights, search and seizure protocol, apprehension and detention of suspects, and related investigative matters.

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 07/10/2026.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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

Polygraph Examination: The Investigative Program Specialist (POLYGRAPH EXAMINER) position is a polygraph-required position. If you are not a current CBP employee in a law enforcement position, you may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. Please see Polygraph Examination.

Polygraph Reciprocity: CBP may accept the results of a prior federal polygraph exam in lieu of a CBP polygraph exam. You will receive information to request reciprocity in your Background Investigation Package.

Polygraph Waiver: Certain veterans may be eligible to obtain a polygraph waiver. You will receive information to request a waiver in your Background Investigation Package.

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.

Retention Incentive: This position is eligible for Polygraph Retention Incentive.

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

This position DOES NOT confer Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) retirement coverage.



Education

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

Additional information

TELEWORK Eligible: NO-Exceptions related to telework maybe available in very limited cases.

Security Clearance: You may be required to obtain a Top Secret or higher level clearance for this position.

Per Executive Order 14170, you will be asked four optional essay questions as part of your application. These will not be rated but will be viewable by the hiring manager.

The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. To preview the questionnaire please click the link https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12990302