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Data Scientist

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Office of Human Resources Management

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Human Resources Management, People Analytics Division, in the following locations:

  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Washington, D.C.

Salary: Salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or cost of living expenses of the duty location upon selection.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/16/2025 to 12/22/2025
Salary
$124,531 to - $161,889 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
7 vacancies in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Indianapolis, IN
Minneapolis, MN
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
HRM-DE(DHA)-12848789-SNM
Control number
852472300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Career Transition Assistance Plan DHS employees, Reemployment Priority List, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Federal Employees. This announcement will be utilized to fill positions through the Direct Hire Authority.

Duties

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In this position, you will serve as an expert analyst and advisor to senior management, with a primary function of applying an in-depth knowledge of computer theory, algorithms, data structures, programming concepts and languages, and computer architecture, to support business lines throughout the Office of Human Resources Management.

This position starts at a salary of $124,531.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $161,889.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

Typical duties include:

  • Applying advanced data science techniques including data extraction, transformation, cleaning, modeling, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to process and extract insights from structured and unstructured data.
  • Applying advanced quantitative, computer science, mathematical, and statistical skills to interpret extremely large and unstructured data sets, the results of which will be used for forecasting critical problems and making data-driven decisions regarding the administrative and programmatic aspects of HRM and CBP's operations and management.
  • Gathering, processing, and converting raw and unstructured data from a variety of systems and databases into clean, organized information.
  • Overseeing the preparation of reports using machine learning, programming, and data visualization skills, and presenting findings from partner organizations within HRM.
  • Serving as the primary HRM representative on data science matters in contacts with agencies to participate in planning long-range research and development processes.

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.
  • DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
  • Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

Basic Requirement:
Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

AND

You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above and possess the experience as described below:

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:

  • Applying advanced statistical techniques, such as regression analysis and time-series forecasting to analyze large datasets, identify trends, and extract actionable insights to inform decision-making.
  • Applying expertise to extract large volumes of structured and unstructured data from disparate data sources, ensuring data quality and optimizing model performance.
  • Having familiarity in the principles and tooling common in agile software development, such as Jira, Gitlab, and Confluence.
  • Applying principles such as user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to create seamless, user-centric solutions for data visualization platforms.
  • Translating structured and unstructured data into clear, impactful visualizations, including charts, graphs, infographics, and other visual summaries to support decision-making.

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 by 12/22/2025.

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.

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional information

The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12848789

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons 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 for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

This position is being filled under a Direct Hire Authority. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. All applicants who meet minimum qualifications and any basic requirements applicable to this position, will be forwarded to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview. As a part of the interview process, additional selection criteria may be administered by the hiring manager.

The competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job are:

  • Ability to apply advanced statistical knowledge to understand significance of analysis results.
  • Knowledge of exploratory data analysis techniques as well as hypothesis testing.
  • Ability to conduct regression analysis and other statistical analysis, modeling, machine learning, data extraction, mathematical programming, Natural Language Processing, auto coding, and data visualization.
  • Knowledge of advanced concepts of data science including data extraction, transformation, cleaning, modeling, machine learning, and AI sufficient to serve as a senior advisor and consultant.

Veterans: Veterans preference does not apply to selections made using the Direct Hire Authority. Veteran applicants will be considered along with all other applicants who apply.

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 under CTAP/ICTAP, you must have knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies as defined above which clearly exceed the minimum qualification and any applicable basic requirements for the vacancy. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

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