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 150 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

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 Supervisory Intelligence Research Specialist, applying a full range of expert intelligence knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide insights that warn of potential threats and assessments on possible outcomes in regard to national security.

This position starts at a salary of $143,913.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $187,093.00 (GS-14, 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:

• Directing and developing the Counterintelligence Operations Branch. Leads the planning, development, execution, integration, and evaluation of counterintelligence operational capabilities designed to identify, assess, mitigate, and respond to foreign intelligence entity threats to CBP personnel, operations, information, facilities, systems, technologies, and other mission equities.
• Establishing counterintelligence operational priorities, standards, processes, and performance measures. Oversees the development and maturation of branch capabilities, including Counterintelligence Awareness and Reporting, threat and vulnerability assessments, foreign travel and foreign visitor support, counterintelligence collection and reporting, operational support, and other activities designed to protect CBP operations from foreign intelligence threats.
• Serving as an authoritative counterintelligence advisor to senior leadership and operational components. Provides executive-level briefings, operational guidance, threat assessments, mitigation strategies, and recommendations concerning emerging foreign intelligence threats, vulnerabilities, operational risks, and requirements for counterintelligence support.
• Leading coordination and operational integration across CBP, DHS, and the Intelligence Community. Establishes and maintains partnerships with CBP operational and support components, DHS Counterintelligence Program Division, the Office of Professional Responsibility, Intelligence Community organizations, federal law enforcement agencies, and other partners to synchronize activities, exchange threat information, support collection requirements, and ensure counterintelligence capabilities are integrated into mission operations.
• Supervising personnel and manages branch resources, readiness, and performance. Establishes work priorities and performance expectations, allocates personnel and resources, develops subordinate leaders and technical personnel, evaluates program effectiveness and operational readiness, identifies capability gaps, and ensures branch activities comply with applicable law, Executive Orders, intelligence oversight requirements, privacy and civil liberties protections, classification requirements, DHS and CBP policy, and Intelligence Community standards.

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

Supervisory Probationary Period: You may be required to serve an 18-month probationary period upon appointment.

Training: This position has a training requirement. Selectees are required to attend and successfully complete mandatory paid training. Courses currently include (but are not limited to) the Intelligence Foundations Course, Systems Exploitation Training, and the CBP Intelligence Support to Operations Course. The location will be determined at the time of the training assignment. Selectees will be required to successfully complete the training requirement within a year of entry on duty as a condition of employment. Failure to successfully complete the required course(s) 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-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Directing, leading, managing, or developing counterintelligence operations, programs, or organizational capabilities designed to identify, assess, mitigate, or respond to foreign intelligence entity threats against personnel, operations, information, facilities, systems, technologies, or other organizational equities;
• Establishing or implementing counterintelligence operational priorities, policies, processes, or capabilities;
• Providing authoritative counterintelligence advice and operational guidance to senior leaders and mission stakeholders;
• Coordinating complex counterintelligence activities across organizational boundaries; assessing threats and vulnerabilities; and overseeing the development, integration, or dissemination of counterintelligence reporting, assessments, briefings, collection activities, or operational support;
• Translating strategic counterintelligence requirements into operational capabilities, establish repeatable processes and standards, evaluate program effectiveness, and build collaborative relationships with intelligence, law enforcement, security, and operational 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 09/17/2026.

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, phone number, relevant 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. 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. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.

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.

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 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.
• Other miscellaneous hiring authorities

Relocation Funding or Relocation Incentive MAY be offered - In accor