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Instructional Systems Specialist

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Office of Training & Development

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Training & Development (OTD), in one of the following locations;

  • Artesia, New Mexico
  • Glynco, Georgia
  • Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/16/2026 to 04/22/2026
Salary
$61,722 - $97,087 per year

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

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Locations
20 vacancies in the following locations:
Glynco, GA
Artesia, NM
Harpers Ferry, WV
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
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
OTD-DE-12935389-KAA
Control number
865293600

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.

Duties

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Joining the Customs and Border Protection's Office of Training and Development will allow you to use your knowledge to ensure that the training provided in CBP meets all technical requirements of all specialty areas.

This position starts at a salary of $61,722.00 (GS-09, Step 1) to $97,087.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $97,087.00 (GS-11 Step 10).

GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.

Typical work assignments include:

  • Conducting performance, job, task, audience, and cost-benefit analyses to determine training requirements and inform the design, development, or revision of CBP training courses and curricula.
  • Designing and documenting instructional strategies, course structures, learning objectives, and assessment approaches that reflect current CBP directives, doctrine, conditions, and procedures.
  • Developing and revising course materials and related products (e.g., instructor guides, participant guides, student materials, scenarios, job aids, and evaluations) using a range of instructional methods such as lecture, large-group interventions, technology-enabled learning, group projects, coaching, and performance evaluations.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of training programs using qualitative and quantitative methods; identify issues or problem areas; and recommend or implement improvements to course content, instructional methodology, and delivery.
  • Coordinating and collaborating with managers, instructors, and subject-matter experts; provide advice and technical guidance on instructional systems design issues, training methodologies, and process improvements.

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 is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions - NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU.
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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least four of the following five areas:

  1. Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material.
  2. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness.
  3. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments.
  4. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training.
  5. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software.
You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above and possess the experience or substitution of education, if applicable, as described below:

Experience: You qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing duties such as:
  • Assisting in the analysis of training needs, job tasks, or performance requirements to support the development or revision of training courses.
  • Assisting in the design or development of portions of instructor-led or technology-enabled training (e.g., lesson plans, student materials, or assessments) using established templates, guidelines, or precedents.
  • Supporting the evaluation of training courses by collecting feedback or performance data and recommending minor changes to content or delivery.
  • Drafting or editing training-related materials, correspondence, reports, or presentations for review by more senior staff.
Experience: You qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing duties such as:
  • Conducting performance, job, task, or audience analyses to determine training requirements and inform course or curriculum design.
  • Designing and developing instructor-led and/or technology-enabled training, including writing learning objectives, selecting instructional strategies, and creating or revising course materials and assessments.
  • Evaluating training programs or courses, identifying issues affecting effectiveness or efficiency, and recommending or implementing improvements to content, delivery methods, or evaluation processes.
  • Providing advice or recommendations to management, instructors, or program offices on instructional design, training methods, or training program improvements.
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.

Education Substitution GS-09: You qualify for the GS-09 grade level of this position if you have successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours.

Education Substitution GS-11: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level of this position if you have successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. To combine your education and experience, convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages. If your education is currently described in quarter hours, multiply by the fraction 2/3 to convert into semester hours then divide the semester hours by 18. To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total months of experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% in order to qualify.

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 04/22/2026.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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

Education

Please see the Qualifications section in addition to the information noted below for more information if education is applicable to this position.

  • Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable at this time; however, official copies will be required prior to entrance on duty) or a list of coursework with hours completed provided from the institution. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials. Note: If submitting documentation of an evaluation, transcripts are still required. For a listing of some accrediting agencies see www.naces.org. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
  • Your transcripts: All applicants are required to submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable at this time; however, official copies will be required prior to entrance on duty) or a list of coursework with hours completed provided from the institution. If you are a current CBP employee within the position series announced, transcripts will not be required at the time of application; however, education will be verified if you are selected and you may be required to submit transcripts at that time. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials.

Note: If submitting documentation of an evaluation, transcripts are still required. For a listing of some accrediting agencies, please see www.naces.org. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Additional information

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 eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described within this announcement. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied.

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.

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.

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection completes their selections, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with hiring managers and Human Resources specialists at additional agencies who are hiring for similar positions. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics).

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The USA Hire Assessment will be used to assess the following general competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading
  • Self-Management
  • Teamwork

If you meet the minimum qualifications, we will use responses you provide on the application questionnaire and the result of the online assessments required for this position to place you in one of three categories based on your experience, education, and training:
  1. Highly Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
  2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPF's and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
  3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
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.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred 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. Preview the job questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12935389

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.


Customs and Border Protection

Customs & Border Protection (CBP): Securing America's Borders
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.

Discover a challenging and rewarding career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the sole organization responsible for securing the nation's borders. At CBP, we:

  • Secure and facilitate trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws
  • Screen passengers, vehicles, and shipments entering our country
  • Seize illegal narcotics, vehicles, and agricultural products and prohibited goods.
  • Prevent unauthorized entry into the country
  • Rescue individuals who fall into dangerous conditions traversing our border
Find us on X at @CBP and @CBPJobs
Find us on LinkedIn at U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CBP employees demonstrate the highest level of commitment to protect and serve the United States of America and to exemplify the CBP Core Values of Vigilance, Service to Country and Integrity. Learn more about CBP's mission, core values and careers at https://www.cbp.gov/about

Agency contact information

CBP Hiring Center HR Contact
Phone
855-500-3722
Email
cbphiring-applicantinquiry@cbp.dhs.gov
Address
Office of Training and Development
Please read entire announcement
Please apply online
Washington, DC 20229
US

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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.

http://www.cbp.gov

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