Workforce Support Specialist (Critical Incident Response - Canine Handler)

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, The Immediate Office of the Executive Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Services (ES), Workforce Care Directorate, Located in Minneapolis, MN.

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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This position is within CBP's Workforce Care Directorate, which supports employee and family wellness, resilience, and work-life programs across the agency. You will serve as a canine handler and as an expert analyst and advisor, using qualitative and quantitative methods to assess and improve employee-support programs and related systems.

Workforce Care develops, implements, and maintains resources that promote CBP employees' mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. The directorate works with CBP leadership, program offices, and federal partners to manage programs, develop policy, use workforce feedback and data to address emerging needs, and strengthen employee health, morale, retention, and mission readiness.

This position starts at a salary of $116,038.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $150,852.00 (GS-13, Step 10).

Major Duties:

• Providing 24/7 care, grooming, feeding, and physical conditioning for the ES CIR-K9, ensuing the welfare and safety of the canine, and maintaining accurate health, immunization, and medical records.
• Participating in public speaking engagements, training conferences, and workshops to keep abreast of current concepts related to Employee and Family Support, Wellness, and Work-Life programs and uses information developed throughout CBP and federal agencies to enhance education objectives.
• Managing plans, developing program policy and evaluating the operations of an Employee and Family Support, Wellness, or Work-Life program to include overall program direction for the agency.

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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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.

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:

• Developing, preparing, and presenting formal briefings and speeches to senior officials, and organizing and conducting meetings of both large and small workgroups and seminars.
• Tracking data and developing narrative reports that identify trends, problem areas, and opportunities for program enhancement.
• Establishing collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including internal leadership and outside partners, other Federal agencies, external vendors, audit liaisons, and members of the public.

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 11/06/2026.

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

Temporary/Rotational Assignment: To meet agency needs, this position will be filled on a temporary basis not-to-exceed (NTE) 2 years, with possible extension(s) for an additional 3 years. You may be returned, at any time, to the position from which temporarily promoted, or to a different position of equivalent grade and pay, and the return is not subject to the procedures found in 5 C.F.R. 351, 432, 752, and 771. If you are currently at the grade level of the position announced, this action will result in a reassignment, and you may be returned at any time to a same or similar position held prior to this temporary assignment. If you currently hold a grade level higher than the grade being announced, this action will result in a change to lower grade, and you may be returned at any time to the position held prior to this temporary assignment or to the same or similar position at the lower grade level. At management's discretion, you may be permanently placed to this position without further competition.

Training Requirement: Applicant must be able to successfully complete the CBP K9 Academy within 1 year of entry on duty.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary; however, the position also requires considerable walking, standing, heavy lifting, stooping and other types of physical effort and dexterity in providing daily care, grooming, feedings, and physical conditioning for ES CIR-K9.

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.

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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.

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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.