Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, Strategic Planning and Analysis Directorate, located in Washington, D.C.

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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Serving in this role allows for the incumbent to participate in the planning and managing of major mission-oriented projects that deliver and sustain critical enforcement and administrative requirements for USBP, strengthening the ability to conduct border security operations and meet policy requirements.

This position starts at a salary of $121,785.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $158,322.00 (GS-13, Step 10).

As a Program Manager, typical duties may include:

• Serving as a Program Manager for one or more national U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) enforcement and administrative system programs, with responsibility for planning, organizing, directing, and overseeing program activities from concept development through implementation, sustainment, enhancement, or closeout.
• Developing program goals, objectives, plans, schedules, implementation strategies, and governance processes to ensure assigned programs support USBP and CBP strategic priorities, operational requirements, policy objectives, and available resources.
• Applying established program management principles and practices, including requirements management, risk management, change control, cost and schedule oversight, performance monitoring, and corrective action planning, to ensure program scope, deliverables, and outcomes are effectively managed.
• Establishing and managing program review processes, decision forums, documentation, internal controls, performance measures, dashboards, and reporting tools to monitor execution, assess risks, and support informed leadership decision-making.
• Serving as the primary program-level liaison with USBP Headquarters, field Sectors, CBP offices, DHS components, acquisition partners, and other internal and external stakeholders to coordinate program implementation, issues resolution, negotiate priorities, and communicate program status and provide recommendations to leadership.

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.

Requirements

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Qualifications

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:

• Managing national-level or large-scale programs or projects that sustain mission-critical requirements while exhibiting knowledge of management principles and practices.
• Developing and implementing program management plans, schedules, governance processes and structures, risk registers, performance measures, internal controls, standard operating procedures, or other program documentation used to guide, monitor, and oversee program execution.
• Coordinating with cross-functional teams to align program requirements, while establishing roles and responsibilities, setting priorities, and resolving conflicts.
• Analyzing program performance, risks, interdependencies, budget or resource needs, obligations, expenditures, milestones, or implementation challenges and recommending corrective actions, adjustments, or mitigation strategies to leadership.
• Preparing and presenting program briefings, decision papers, reports, dashboards, or recommendations to senior officials, management officials, or non-technical audiences to support decisions on programs.

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 10/07/2026.

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) 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.

Additional information

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.

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.

Review our benefits

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.