Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results
 

Investigative Program Specialist (POLYGRAPH EXAMINER)

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Office of Professional Responsibilty

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, Credibility Assessment Division located in Fort Jackson, S.C.

This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 50 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/17/2026 to 02/23/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$125,776 to - $163,514 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Fort Jackson, SC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OPR-IMP-12876598-JSH
Control number
856081600

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who are currently working in a permanent competitive service position; Career Transition Assistance Plan CBP employees.

Duties

Help

The purpose of this position is to serve as a quality control officer/team lead as well as to apply the full range of investigative methodologies necessary to resolve and complete administrative, civil, counterintelligence, and criminal investigations by detecting deception, collecting sworn statements of confession, vetting critical information, and exonerating the falsely accused.

This position starts at a salary of $125,776.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10)

The Major Duties for this position are listed below but not limited to:

  • Reviewing polygraph examinations conducted by government and contract examiners to ensure compliance with Federal and CBP standards regarding techniques and investigative methods.
  • Providing guidance to examiners to facilitate professional development and case resolution.
  • Mentoring and training new, inexperienced examiners; providing remedial training to previously certified examiners, as needed, and ordering new examinations, if warranted.
  • Reviewing written reports of investigations prepared by examiners before dissemination outside of CAD/OPR.
  • Applying extensive experience to participate as an advisor to examiners on criminal investigative issues as they develop during the conduct of both routine and specific issue polygraph tests.

Requirements

Help

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 and/or polygraph
  • 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.
  • Financial Disclosure is required.
  • Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

All Polygraph Examiners hired must be certified by the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) by attending the Basic Federal Polygraph Training Program.

The Federal Polygraph Handbook requires that all Quality Control Personnel be designated, experienced, certified PDD examiners. In order to show that you meet this requirement, you will be required to submit a copy of your NCCA Certificate at the time of application.

In addition to the above, the Federal Polygraph Handbook also requires that all Quality Control Personnel have a minimum of two years' experience as a PDD examiner. Please ensure that your experience is thoroughly documented on your resume. If experience cannot be verified based on the resume submitted, you may be found ineligible for this position.

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:

  • Appearing in court as a recognized authority on polygraph matters and providing expert consultation to government and law enforcement officials, officials of the judicial system, educational institutions, and others.
  • Providing instruction to others on conducting polygraph examinations and communicating feedback for improvement.
  • Identifying and coordinating training needs for new and/or inexperienced examiners.
  • Adapting polygraph techniques while conducting in-depth interviews and interrogations in an attempt to elicit admissions or confessions for administrative or criminal investigations.
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 02/23/2026.
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

Polygraph Examination: The Investigative Program Specialist (POLYGRAPH EXAMINER) position 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 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

Security Clearance: You may be required to obtain a Top Secret or higher level clearance for this position.

This position DOES NOT confer Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) retirement coverage.

Follow U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Twitter @CustomsBorder

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.

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/12876598

Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to ensure you meet the minimum qualification(s). Your resume must support that you meet both specialized experience requirements described in the qualifications section and are proficient in the skills/competencies. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using a Structured Resume Review process.
Your final rating will be based on a Structured Resume Review conducted by Subject Matter Experts (SME). This Structured Resume Review requires that candidates resume must demonstrate the competencies noted below:

  • Technical Competence
  • Problem Solving
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Teaching Others
Failure to demonstrate sufficient detail in the body of your resume may impact your final rating. Please note you are not required to provide specific narrative responses to the skills and competencies described in this section. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview.

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.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.