Clarification from the agency

For details regarding who can apply for this Job Opportunity Announcement please see the Requirements section.

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol at the Tucson Sector Headquarters - Special Operations Detachment located in Tucson, AZ.

This position will allow you to use your expertise to prevent illegal entry of aliens into the United States by land, water, or air; enforce criminal provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Laws; and seek out and apprehend smugglers or aliens who are in the United States illegally. Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to protect the homeland.

This position starts at a salary of $92,206.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $119,871.00 (GS-13, Step 10) with promotion potential to $119,871.00 (GS-13 Step 10).

As a first-line Supervisory Border Patrol Agent you will serve as a primary law enforcement officer (under 5 U.S.C. 8331 (6C) and 8412 (d)) and be responsible for:

• Serving as a first-line supervisor over BPAs engaged in law enforcement work, supervising a specially trained and equipped search and rescue unit to conduct high-risk and specialized law enforcement responses, often in short notice, to situations of local, regional and national significance.
• Planning and coordinating the search and rescue, tactical medicine, technical rescue, land navigation, communication, swift-water rescue, and air operations and logistical programs that facilitate the fielding of a BORSTAR special response team.
• Testifying in court on behalf of both criminal and administrative proceedings; and/or ensuring subordinate BPAs are capable of carrying out the task.
• Resolving discrepancies, reviewing criminal complaints, and managing the tracking of suspects and evidence, and the coordination of assignments for BPAs who testify in court on behalf of both criminal and administrative proceedings.
• Ensuring that the USBP strategic plan, mission, vision and values are communicated to the unit and integrated into the unit's strategies, goals, objectives, work plans and work products and services.

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)
• You may be required to pass a background investigation and/or polygraph
• CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
• You must be able to meet job-related medical and/or fitness standards

Who May Apply:

• This is a Voluntary Reassignment Opportunity for current U.S. Border Patrol GS-1896 employees with competitive status currently stationed within the Border Patrol Sector listed in the Organizational Location of this Job Opportunity Announcement, in one of the following positions: a current or former permanent CBP GS-1896-13 BPA or SBPA (if previously served in this role, the change to lower grade action was not a result of an adverse action);; or a current GS-14 (or higher graded) SBPA/BPA CBP employee who is willing to take a voluntary change to lower grade.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements:

The basic qualification requirements include experience in law enforcement or other responsible work that demonstrates the ability to make arrests and exercise sound judgment in the use of firearms; to deal effectively with individuals or persons in a courteous, tactful manner; and to analyze information rapidly and make prompt decisions.

AND

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:

• Interpreting and enforcing immigration or comparable laws, rules, and regulations;
• Gathering and analyzing intelligence from a variety of sources;
• Developing case work pertaining to criminal prosecutions and investigations;
• Identifying and investigating smuggling operations;
• Devising and recommending solutions to operational problems, and apprising management of identified deficiencies and solutions;
• Ensuring compliance with enforcement and operational practices.

Language Requirement: Must be proficient in the Spanish language. (i.e., able to speak and read in Spanish).

BORSTAR Selection and Training Course: You must have successfully completed the BORSTAR Basic Academy Course to be considered for this position.

Firearms Requirement: You will be required to carry a firearm while on duty. Anyone who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, U.S.C. Section 922 (g) (9)). Candidates will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense.

Physical and Medical Requirements: Because the duties of the position are of a strenuous nature and require a high degree of interaction and responsibility to the public, you may be required to undergo and successfully pass our medical screening process. We will schedule, provide and pay for the required basic medical examination. For more information, visit this link.

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 04/27/2020.

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.

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.

Polygraph Examination: This is a polygraph-required position. If you are not a current CBP employee in a law enforcement position, you may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment 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.

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 wavier 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

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal Government, you are not CTAP eligible. Information about CTAP eligibility can be found here. You must submit the supporting documents listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. In addition, to be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must possess the knowledge, skills and abilities and/or competencies clearly exceeding the minimum requirements of the position.

Age Requirement: Provisions of Public Laws 93-350 and 100-238 allow the imposition of a maximum age for initial appointment to a primary Law Enforcement Officer position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In accordance with DHS Management Directive 251-03, the "day before an individual's 37th birthday" is the maximum age for original appointment to a position as a primary law enforcement officer within DHS. NOTE: The Commissioner of CBP has approved a temporary increase in the maximum allowable age for original placement into a BPA position; therefore, candidates must be referred for selection before reaching their 40th birthday.

Creditable law enforcement officer service covered by Title 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) or Title 5 U.S.C. 8412(d), or creditable service covered by Title 5 U.S.C. 8401(36) (as a Customs and Border Protection Officer) on or after July 6, 2008, may be applied toward the maximum age requirement. This age restriction may not apply if you are currently serving in a federal civilian (not military) law enforcement position covered by Title 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) or Title 5 U.S.C. 8412(d).

To ensure compliance with statutes pertaining to the appointment of preference eligible veterans as determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board in its recent decision of Isabella v. Dept. of State, the maximum age for original appointment articulated above shall not apply to the hiring of individuals entitled to veterans preference eligibility under 5 U.S.C. § 3312.

Veterans' Preference Eligibility: The maximum age for original appointment does not apply to veteran's preference eligible.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

To preview the job questionnaire, see https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10795501

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 provide support to Federal, state, local and international government agencies; as well as, Emergency Response Teams, Search and Rescue Units, Crisis and Natural Disaster Response Units (FEMA, Center for Disease Control (CDC), etc.).
• Knowledge of the trends, profiles, and methods of drug and alien smuggling, terrorism, document fraud, and other sensitive national security issues to uncover and document such activity and to share information with law enforcement agencies both nationally and internationally.
• Ability to carry out search and rescue and high risk operations with equivalent units from the US Coast Guard, US military special operations forces (SOF) such as the US Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces, and elite police and military units of several foreign nations.
• Ability to provide and/or assist in the deliverance of training course of a technical nature to include such subjects as search and rescue, high risk enforcement operations, tactical medicine, air operations, airborne/maritime operations and land navigation, etc.
• Knowledge of specialist training, such, operations planning, land navigation, patrolling, tactical tracking, rappelling and fast roping, defensive tactics, drown proofing, trauma medicine, combat firearms, and air assault operations.
• Ability to exercise discretion and season law enforcement judgment, skills and ability in approaching the individual or group in order to obtain the desired effect, such as gaining compliance with established immigration and nationality laws; deterring potential use of firearms, and gaining compliance with DHS, CBP and USBP policies and regulations by persuasion or negotiation.
• Overall second-line supervisor knowledge and skills to supervise a special operations unit that performs investigative and/or enforcement work concern with preventing terrorists and terrorists' weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the U.S.; and typically the area of responsibility encompasses a major metropolitan area, a state, a small region of several states, or an outside-the-continental United States foreign location.