Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, Mission Readiness Directorate, Human Capital Division, HR Staffing Branch, located in the following locations:

• Chicago, IL
• Miami, FL
• 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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In this position you will serve as a Mission Support Specialist performing a variety of administrative research, and analytical duties and special assignments related to the mission and functions of the Office of Trade supporting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

This position starts at a salary of $70,623.00 (GS-09, Step 1) to $111,087.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $133,142 (GS-12 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 for this position:

• Providing mission support and administrative advisory services for the Office of Trade (OT), including workforce management, human resources-related coordination, personnel/position management, and other administrative research and planning activities that support OT's mission and programs;
• Analyzing complex and often sensitive organizational issues involving the effective use of resources, application of administrative policies, and alignment of processes with OT and CBP objectives; developing options and recommendations to improve operations, procedures, and controls;
• Serving as a technical advisor on substantive organizational functions and work practices, interpreting and applying applicable laws, regulations, directives, and policies, and developing or refining local procedures as needed;
• Planning, designing, and implementing new or modified administrative methods, workflows, and tools to enhance service delivery and program execution; establishing and applying criteria, metrics, and timelines to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative and mission support activities;
• Developing and delivering briefings, issuing papers, status/staff reports, and other written and oral products for senior managers and stakeholders, presenting analyses, findings, risks, and recommending courses of action, and coordinating with counterparts across CBP, other DHS components, and external partners as required.

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.
• 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

GS-09 Experience: You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Conducting management or administrative analyses, including gathering data from multiple sources, verifying and reconciling discrepancies, researching precedents or guidance, and developing recommendations to improve processes, workflow, or resource utilization;
• Providing management advisory or consultative services on administrative or mission support issues of limited to moderate scope, such as responding to specific requests from supervisors or managers, identifying potential impacts on related functions, and recommending options or solutions;
• Preparing a variety of written products (e.g., reports, briefings, spreadsheets, correspondence, or presentations) and presenting information to management or staff to convey findings, explain requirements, or support decision-making.

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.

Education Substitution GS-09:

Graduate Education: Successful completion of a master's degree, two full years of graduate education leading to such a degree, or a J.D. or LL.B may substitute for the experience required at this level. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours.

GS-11 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:

• Using standard office automation tools (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and databases or tracking systems) to develop and maintain records, track actions, compile data, and generate reports in support of a program or office;
• Analyzing issues related to the efficient and effective use of organizational resources (e.g., staffing, workload, or operational processes), identifying problems, and developing recommendations to improve procedures, workflows, or controls;
• Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, standard operating procedures, and guidance to administrative or mission support activities, including resolving issues where guidance is not fully specific and professional judgment is required;
• Coordinating with management, staff, and external stakeholders (e.g., other offices, agencies, or contractors) to gather information, address administrative or operational issues, and support the implementation of new or revised processes, while appropriately handling sensitive or confidential information.

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.

Education Substitution GS-11:

Graduate Education: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for experience required at this level. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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 Experience and Education: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade level, and may be computed by first determining your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for positions at the grades GS-09 and GS-11. More information on this qualification standard is located here.

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.

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.

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