Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who are currently working in a permanent competitive service position.

Joining the Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations will allow you to use your expertise in office administration by performing work supportive of and incidental to CBP Officers and Specialists.

This position starts at a salary of $37,301.00 (GS-07, Step 1) to $48,488.00 (GS-07, Step 10) with promotion potential to $48,488 (GS-7 Step 10). Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to perform homeland security functions by performing technical duties requiring application of specialized knowledge of procedures, techniques, regulations and information.
Salary above excludes COLA. Please see the following link for specific COLA Rates.

In this CBP Technician position you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals performing technical duties requiring application of specialized knowledge of procedures, techniques, regulations and information. Typical work assignments include:

• Preparing complex broker/importer cases for decision by specialists; and reviewing declarations and cargo manifests for completeness and compliance with applicable regulations
• Examining cargo and merchandise; applying appropriate tariff number, value, and rate of duty and tax to merchandise; comparing passenger baggage to declarations
• Coordinating and processing of data (permits, entries, declarations) into various automated systems
• Assisting and providing support to CBP Officers and Agricultural Specialists on inspection, intelligence, analysis and examination of passengers, baggage conveyances and cargo
• Operating scanning equipment to review contents of packages; screening incoming parcels for completeness of declarations, admissibility, entry status, and contraband

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
• You may be required to pass a background investigation and/or polygraph
• Upon appointment, you may be required to undergo random drug testing
• You and your dependents must obtain a valid passport
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a CBP Travel Card

Qualifications

This is a Reassignment Opportunity Bulletin. You must be currently serving or have previously served as a full-time permanent GS-07 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and are currently serving or have served in the 1802 CBP Technician series within the last five years to qualify under this Bulletin. If you are currently serving in the 1802 CBP Technician series as a GS-07 or higher or have done so within the last five years and are willing to take a change to lower grade, you will also be considered for this position. This position will be filled through reassignment on a permanent basis through time-limited rotational assignments with a minimum tour of two years. At the end of the reassignment, you will be returned to a position at the same level as this Preclearance position. At the discretion of management the assignment may be extended for additional periods, up to a maximum of six years. You may be returned at any time to your former position or to a different position of equivalent grade and pay as this Preclearance position.

You qualify for this position if you are currently serving or have served as a full-time permanent GS-7 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and are currently serving or have served in the 1802 CBP Technician series within the last five years. Your experience must demonstrate responsibility in performing the full range of CBP Technician duties. This experiences must include applying practical knowledge of the guidelines and precedents relating to the cargo, merchandise, passenger, and/or baggage program areas and working independently in accordance with those guidelines, many of which had gaps in specificity; and supporting specialists by identifying issues or problems and seeking solutions consistent with applicable regulations.

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 01/17/2020.

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.

Applicants must be admissible to the country they are selected for before a final offer is issued. Employees must select the locations of interest and review the admissibility requirements of those countries. Applicants must certify that they, and if accompanied, their family members, are admissible to enter and temporarily reside in the country. A link to the admissibility requirements of each country is located at: https://uconnect.cbpnet.cbp.dhs.gov/sites/OFO/FO/pre/HR/PreDeprt/Pages/default.aspxApplicants should review the below concerning inadmissibility:

• If applicants are not admissible to a specific country, their applications for that location will not be considered further.
• If applicants fails to certify that they have reviewed the admissibility requirements of the country they are applying for, their applications will not be considered further. If an applicant certifies that he or she is admissible, and the Agency later learns that the applicant was inadmissible, the application will not be considered further, and the Agency may pursue other appropriate action, as necessary.
• If an applicant is selected and reports to the country, and the Agency later learns that the employee was inadmissible, the Agency may curtail the assignment, and require the employee to return to his/her permanent position in the United States. The Agency may pursue other appropriate action, as necessary.

Any additional questions for applicants on Preclearance can be sent to: preclearancemissionsupport@cbp.dhs.gov

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 more information visit this link.

Probationary Period: Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period.

Tour of Duty: The employee will serve a two (2) year initial tour, with an opportunity for the Employee to apply for two (2), two (2) year extensions. As an exception to this general rule, tour duration is subject to the host country and the Department of State. At the end of the reassignment, you will be returned to a position at the same level as this Preclearance position. At the discretion of management, the assignment may be extended for additional periods, up to a maximum of six years. You may be returned at any time to your former position or to a different position of equivalent grade as this Preclearance position. Employees who have not served 4 years at a domestic duty station, subsequent to their initial overseas tour of duty, should not be considered for a second tour of duty in any foreign assignment.

Return Rights: No more than one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days before the end of tour, but not less than ninety (90) calendar days prior to the end of the initial tour, as well as the conclusion of any extensions, employees are expected to formally request, through a fully completed Notice of Intent (NOI), express intent to return to the United States. Please refer to Article 40 Section 6 of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement for additional information with regards to Extension Request and Return Procedures.

Shift work: You will be required to perform work on a shift and rotational basis.

Overtime: You must be readily available to work overtime on a scheduled or unscheduled basis in excess of the 40-hour work week.

Home Leave: In addition to annual leave, employees at Preclearance posts earn ten days home leave on each two-year assignment. This leave is only granted to those employees who have their Preclearance assignment extended for another tour and is to be used between tours. The Government pays the employee per diem and transportation expenses from the employee's post of duty in Preclearance to the employee's former official residence in the United States. In addition, it also pays for the transportation expenses of dependents who accompany the employee on home leave to the employee's residence in the United States.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10672479

Selection Certificates: Applications will not be rated. All eligible candidates will be referred to management in name order. A series of vacancy questions will be used to determine your eligibility. If you meet those basic requirements, your application package may be referred to management for selection consideration. Falsification of your application will remove you from consideration and could subject you to disciplinary action.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics (KSAOs):Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements are required to possess certain Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, or Other Characteristics (KSAOs) to successfully perform the functions of this position. Candidates will be asked to demonstrate their attainment of these KSAOs in their resume. The KSAOs are:

• Ability to work independently or as part of a team
• Skill in using automation tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and related programs
• Ability to review incoming documents to determine completeness and compliance with applicable regulations and directives