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CBP Technician

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Office of Field Operations

Summary

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP): Securing America's Borders
Discover a challenging and rewarding career with the sole organization responsible for securing the nation's borders from terrorism, human/drug smuggling, illegal migration, agricultural pests, and enforcing legitimate travel and trade. CBP employees demonstrate the highest level of commitment to exemplify the core values of Vigilance, Service to Country and Integrity. Learn more at https://www.cbp.gov/about

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/15/2026 to 04/29/2026
This job will close when we have received 1500 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$40,736 - $59,031 per year

Salary reflects the Rest of U.S. scale and will be adjusted to meet the locality pay of the duty location upon selection.

Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
CBPO Nationwide
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 - May include rotating shifts, assignments, and overtime on a regular and recurring basis.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
8
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CBPT 26-1
Control number
864713600

Videos

Duties

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Being a CBP Technician makes you a valuable member of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Typical assignments include:

  • Operating scanning equipment to review contents of packages;
  • Examining cargo and merchandise; applying appropriate tariff number, value, and rate of duty and tax to merchandise;
  • Reviewing declarations and cargo manifests for completeness and compliance with applicable regulations;
  • Coordinating and processing of data (e.g., permits, entries, declarations) into various automated systems;
  • More information on CBP Technician specialized experience is listed in the Qualifications section of this announcement.
Salary: Selections from this announcement will be at the GS-5 or GS-6 grade levels with promotion potential to GS-7 and GS-8. Promotions are not guaranteed and are at the discretion of the agency. Your pay will be determined after you successfully complete all pre-employment processes. Pay rates are based on the 2026 OPM Salary Tables - these tables do not take into consideration any potential overtime earnings, recruitment incentives, location incentives or yearly cost of living increases.

Duty Location: You will be asked to select your preferred location for one of the following mission critical locations: San Ysidro and San Francisco, CA; Hartford, CT; Honolulu, HI; Baton Rouge, LA; Calais, Coburn Gore, Houlton, Jackman, and Madawaska, ME; Boston, MA; International Falls, MN; Gulfport, MS; Sweetgrass, MT; Alexandria Bay, Buffalo, Champlain, and Rochester, NY; Pembina and Portal, ND; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Memphis, TN; Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Presidio, TX; Derby Line, Highgate Springs, and Norton, VT; Blaine and Sumas, WA.

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

Bargaining Unit: This position is covered under the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). For more information, please visit https://www.nteu.org/who-we-are/what-we-do

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

Overtime: Overtime will not be regularly scheduled; however, you must be available to work overtime on an unscheduled basis in excess of the 40-hour work week.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position.

Residency Requirement: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a residency requirement that applies to 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 (3) of the last five (5) years, before completing an application for CBP employment. If you do not meet the residency requirement 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.

Background Investigation: This position is a sensitive National Security position and, upon selection, applicants will be required to undergo, and must successfully pass, a Tier 5 investigation or equivalent for placement and retention. For more information, please see the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: The Background Investigation.

Drug Testing Requirements: Employees are subject to drug testing in compliance with the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Program. You must complete a drug test as a condition of employment. For more information, visit our Drug Testing FAQs and the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: The Drug Test

More requirements listed in the Additional Information section below.

Qualifications

Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

You qualify for the GS-5 grade level if you possess one of the following: experience, education or a combination of both.

Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (e.g., GS-4), performing duties such as:

  • Maintaining and preparing files, records, and correspondence
  • Entering data into automated systems
  • Collecting fees for applications and/or services, reconciling accounts, or billing
OR

Education Substitution:
A conferred 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 business school, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university; OR

Combining Experience and Education: A combination of specialized experience AND successfully completed education. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable to combine with experience to meet the requirements.

You qualify for the GS-6 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (e.g., GS-5), performing duties such as:
  • Evaluating programs or individuals to ensure compliance with the established rules through audits, reviews, or inspections
  • Conducting searches of records and automated systems to obtain information
  • Reviewing documents for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws, policies, rules and regulations
  • Collecting information and maintaining records such as daily findings, results, procedures, actions-taken, accomplishments, etc.

Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-6 grade level. More information on the CBP Tech qualification standard is located here.

National Service 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.

Education

See the Qualifications section for education substitution for the GS-5 grade level.

Additional information

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

Probationary Period: You must serve a one-year probationary period during the first year of your initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period.

Training: You will receive on-the-job training at your official duty location.

Work Environment: Work involves moderate risk depending on current assignment that may require special safety precautions. Employees may be required to use protective clothing or gear.

Under Executive Order 14170, you will be asked four essay questions as part of your application, these will not be rated but will be viewable by the hiring manager.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): To be considered, you must submit the documents listed in the Required Documents section. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

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

Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you 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.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the online application questionnaire, and the results of the required USA Hire assessment for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management


If you successfully complete the USA Hire assessment and meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
  1. Best Qualified: Substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications
  2. Well-Qualified: Exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates average proficiency
  3. Qualified: Meets the basic minimum qualifications
Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Best Qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference.

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.

Customs and Border Protection

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

Be sure to keep up to date on all the latest CBP has to offer its employees by liking and following us on X (@CBPJobs) and LinkedIn

#LI-CBPNW

Agency contact information

CBP Applicant Contact Center
Phone
855-500-3722
Email
CBPApplicantContactCenter@cbp.dhs.gov
Address
Office of Field Operations
Please read entire announcement
Please apply online
Washington, DC 20229
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Customs and Border Protection, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://careers.cbp.gov/s/

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