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Customs and Border Protection Officer

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Discover a challenging and rewarding career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the sole organization responsible for securing the Nation's borders. CBP employees protect our Nation's borders from terrorism, human and drug smuggling, illegal migration, and agricultural pests while simultaneously facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and trade.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/01/2020 to 08/02/2020
This job will close when we have received 30 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$34,916 to - $101,222 per year

A fully trained CBP Officer is eligible for up to $45,000 in overtime pay in addition to the starting salary.

Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required based on operational needs.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - May include rotating shifts, assignments, and overtime on a regular and recurring basis.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
CBPO 20-11
Control number
574463000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Location determined by the needs of the agency. United States Citizens may apply. This announcement will close once we receive 30 applicants.

Duties

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As our nation navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, our agency remains committed more than ever to delivering our mission to safeguard America's borders and enable legitimate trade and travel. Driving forward our hiring process to staff mission critical positions continues to be one of our highest priorities. First and foremost, we want to provide you reassurance that CBP is still hiring, despite potential delays with some hiring process steps due to COVID-19 restrictions that impact in-person activities.

Being a Customs and Border Protection Officer makes you a valuable member of the Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) profession. Typical assignments include:

  • Enforcing customs, immigration, and agriculture law and regulations;
  • Facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel;
  • Conducting inspections of individuals and conveyances;
  • Determining the admissibility of individuals for entry into the United States; and
  • Preventing the illegal entry of individuals and prohibited goods and the smuggling of illegal drugs and other contraband
You will be asked to provide your preference for one of the following mission critical locations: Pembina or Portal, North Dakota.

Locations offered are based on operational and mission requirements, and critical agency hiring needs for entry level CBP Officers as determined by the CBP Office of Field Operations. The above preference locations are expected to have vacancies available at the time of final offer, however, if the duty locations do not have vacancies, you may be offered a duty location in another geographic location within the United States.

If you accept one of the below duty locations you may be eligible to receive an additional 15%-25% of your salary each year for the first 3 years of employment in addition to any overtime pay. These incentives only apply to new federal employees and are dependent upon the availability of funds.

Duty location offering 25% recruitment incentives: Pembina, ND

Duty Location offering 15% recruitment incentives: Portal, ND

If you accept Portal, North Dakota as your location you will be eligible for the Special Salary Rate based on the Portal ND Special Salary Rate Table

You may want to consider locations along the Southern Border by applying here!

This is a career ladder position with a grade level progression of GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, GS-11, and GS-12. You will be eligible for a promotion to the next higher grade level (without re-applying) once you successfully complete 52 weeks in each grade level. Promotions are at the discretion of the agency. For example you could:
  • start as a CBPO in March 2021 as a GS-5 and make $34,916 - $79,916 per year*
  • be promoted in March 2022 to GS-7 and make $43,251 - $88,251 per year*
  • be promoted in March 2023 to GS-9 and make $52,905 - $97,905 per year*
  • be promoted in March 2024 to GS-11 and make $64,009 - $109,009 per year*
  • be promoted in March 2025 to GS-12 and make $76,721 - $121,721 per year*
*Please note this example includes a range from minimum locality pay up to maximum potential salary with overtime earnings. Pay rates are based on the 2020 Rest of United States Salary Table and do not take into consideration higher locality pay where applicable, recruiting incentive or yearly cost of living increases.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Firearm Proficiency: Firearm proficiency is required for all CBP Officers and is part of the training provided.

Probationary Period: You must serve a one-year probationary period during the first year of your initial permanent Federal appointment

Formal Training: You will complete a paid pre-academy orientation for approximately 30 days at your home port prior to attending the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) for approximately 17 - 19 weeks at Glynco, GA. Candidates selected for duty locations where they are required to be proficient in reading, writing and speaking Spanish will be required to either pass a Spanish language proficiency examination or attend a 6-week long Spanish immersion class at FLETC.

Uniform/Grooming Standards: While in a duty status, this position requires wearing an officially approved uniform and complying with established grooming standards found here.

Residency Requirement: CBP has a residency requirement that applies to all applicants not currently employed by CBP. You are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates as (as declared under international law) for at least three (3) of the last five (5) years, before completing an application for CBP employment. If you do not meet the residency requirement as stated above and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two (2) of the last five (5) 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:

  1. Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
  2. A dependent of a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. Government
  3. Working as a contractor employee, a volunteer, consultant or an intern for the U.S. Government
  4. Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
If selected for a position, you must provide documentation to support a request for an exception to the residency requirement.

Driver's License: You must possess a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

You qualify for the GS-5 grade level if your supporting documentation shows you possess one of the following:

Experience: A minimum of 3 years full-time general work experience that demonstrates the ability to meet and deal with people and the ability to learn and be able to apply what you have learned; OR

Education Substitution: A bachelor's degree or successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; OR

Will receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university within 9 months from the closing date of this announcement and will upload all official or unofficial transcripts before the closing date of this announcement; OR

Combination of Experience and Education: A combination of successfully completed college education AND general work experience. This will be calculated using your resume and official or unofficial college transcripts submitted with your application.

You qualify for the GS-7 grade level if your supporting documentation shows you possess one of the following:

Experience: A minimum of 1 year of specialized full-time work experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level that entails performance of duties in inspections work at borders, seaports, airports or other ports of entry and/or work involving preliminary screening of persons for entry and immigration status, or compliance/regulatory work; OR

Education Substitution: A bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement, which is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average (i.e., GPA 3.0 or higher of a possible 4.0), or (3) honor society membership. Go to Superior Academic Achievement to see if you qualify under this provision; OR

One full year of graduate level education (equivalent to 18 semester or 27 quarter hours) in a field of study related to law enforcement (e.g., criminology, criminal justice, law enforcement, courts and judicial systems, corrections and rehabilitation, justice studies, homeland security, forensic technology and forensic psychology) from an accredited college or university; OR

Will receive a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement or one full year of graduate level education (equivalent to 18 semester or 27 quarter hours) in a field of study related to law enforcement (e.g., criminal justice, homeland security, justice studies, law enforcement, courts and judicial systems, forensic technology, forensic psychology, or corrections and rehabilitation) from an accredited college or university within 9 months from the closing date of this announcement; OR

Combination of Experience and Education: A combination of specialized work experience equivalent to the next lower grade level AND graduate level education completed in a field of study related to law enforcement (e.g., criminology, criminal justice, law enforcement, courts and judicial systems, corrections and rehabilitation, justice studies, homeland security, forensic technology and forensic psychology) from an accredited college or university. This will be calculated using your resume and official or unofficial transcripts submitted with your application.

If you have previous or current law enforcement or military law enforcement experience, you may qualify at the GS-9 grade level. Please refer to the CBPO GS-9 announcement: Apply Here

Age Requirement: Effective May 1, 2016, the Commissioner of CBP has approved a temporary increase in the maximum allowable age for original placement into a CBPO position; therefore, candidates must be referred for selection before reaching their 40th birthday (increased from age 37). In accordance with Public Law 110-161, this position is covered under enhanced retirement provisions. However, the age restriction may not apply if you are currently serving or have previously served in a Federal civilian law enforcement (non-military) position covered by Title 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) or Title 5 U.S.C. 8412(d). This measure will increase the statutorily mandatory retirement to an age of up to 60 to allow individuals the opportunity to complete 20 years of Enhanced Customs and Border Protection service (See U.S.C 8425 (b)(1) and 8335 (b)(1)).

The age restriction does not apply if you are a Veterans' Preference eligible. For more information on eligibility as a Veterans' Preference eligible please see the OPM Veterans' Guide.

Current Federal Employees: Current Federal employees who apply to this announcement will be required to serve a probationary period in accordance with 5 CFR 315 and may be required to accept a change to lower grade, which may reduce their salary based on Federal pay regulations. Re-promotion is not guaranteed. Timeframes and grade level re-promotion is at the discretion of the agency and will be subject to a probationary period.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer 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.

Experience as a CBP Explorer may be qualifying if your resume provides sufficient information to credit your experience. To receive full credit for your experience please be sure to describe your duties, roles and responsibilities in detail.

Political Appointees: 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.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to ensuring that all of our employees act in a manner that embodies the Department's Mission Statement: With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland and our values. 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 here.

Education

Refer to the Qualification Section for information on education substitution.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

Polygraph Examination: The CBP Officer position is a polygraph-required position. You must take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. For more information and videos about the polygraph process, please see Polygraph Examination.

Polygraph Reciprocity: CBP may accept the results of a prior Federal polygraph exam in lieu of a CBP polygraph exam. You will receive information to request reciprocity in your Background Investigation package.

Polygraph Waiver: Certain veterans may be eligible to obtain a polygraph waiver. You will receive information to request a waiver in your Background Investigation package.

Background Investigation: This position is a sensitive National Security Position and, upon selection, candidates will be required to undergo, and must successfully pass, a Tier 5 investigation or equivalent for placement and retention in this position. For more information, please see Background Investigation.

Pre-Screening Interview: As a part of the suitability process applicants may be required to undergo a pre-screening interview.

Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence: The CBP Officer position is a weapons-carrying position. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition. Therefore, if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, you are not qualified for this position.

Medical/Physical Requirements: You must complete the medical screening process and be found to meet the medical standards for the position. If you do not meet the medical standards for the position, you may request a waiver of the medical standard by demonstrating with non-medical information that, with or without reasonable accommodation, you can safely perform the essential duties of the position. Click here for the specific requirements.

Drug Testing Requirements: This is a drug testing designated position. You must complete a drug test as a condition of employment. Employees are subject to drug testing in compliance with the Agency's Drug-Free Workplace Program.

Physical Fitness Screening: You will be required to successfully pass the Pre-employment Fitness Test. Please see the Pre-Employment Fitness Test Readiness Program for additional information. This is a 6-week program designed to assist you in achieving a level of physical fitness that will help you successfully pass the CBP fitness test.

Interview Process: You will be required to pass a face-to-face structured interview.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment. Click this link for more information.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your resume, supporting documents and the entrance examination. Test scores prior to August 5, 2018 are no longer valid.

The entrance examination consists of two parts: 1) the online assessment taken on a personal computer and, 2) the proctored exam taken at a local testing center. The proctored exam contains the following 3 assessments: Logical Reasoning, Arithmetic Reasoning, and Writing Skills. To be eligible, applicants must pass the entrance examination with a score of at least 70. Proper test preparation is essential for the successful candidate; therefore, we strongly encourage you to review the CBP Officer Study Guides and take the CBP Officer Pre-Test. The pre-test is a preview of the types of questions you can expect to see on the actual exam.

You will not be able to retake the entrance exam for six (6) months, regardless of whether you pass or fail. A passing score does not guarantee selection.

Applicants will be referred for selection consideration throughout the announcement open period as they successfully complete the entrance exam and meet minimum qualifications.

If you pass the entrance exam and meet minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories for referral and consideration:

Best Qualified: Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications
Very Highly Qualified: Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds, to a very considerable extent, the minimum qualifications
Highly Qualified: Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds, to a considerable extent, the minimum qualifications
Well Qualified: Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that marginally exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and who demonstrate average proficiency in most of the critical competencies
Qualified: Applicants possessing the type and quality of experience that meets the minimum qualifications

Veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed at the top of the highest quality category depending on grade levels. Veterans with 5-point preference or 10-point non-compensable preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible within the category in which they qualify.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990, as amended, that would interfere with completing the CBP Officer Entrance Exam, click here for more information about the request process: Reasonable Accommodations Request Process. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the CBP Officer Entrance Exam must be received before the announcement closes to be considered for this job opening. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. After notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the CBP Officer Entrance Exam.

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