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Supervisory Flight Test Pilot

Department of Homeland Security
Customs and Border Protection
Air and Marine Operations

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations, Washington, D.C.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/30/2026 to 05/06/2026
Salary
$170,618 - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - n/a
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
AMO-IMP-12941777-AGJ
Control number
867254000

This job is open to

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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

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The Supervisory Flight Test Pilot serves in a supervisory capacity with the primary responsibility of administering, managing, and planning CBP's Aviation and Maritime Test and Evaluation (T&E) Program.

This position starts at a salary of $170,618.00 (GS-15, Step 1) to $197,200.00 (GS-15, Step 10).

Typical work responsibilities include:

  • Serving as the agency's Chief Test Pilot administering, managing, and planning CBP's Aviation and Maritime Test and Evaluation (T&E) Program.
  • Serving as the Agency's certification expert of normal, utility, primary, and restricted category airframes and the subject matter expert on certification and validation board meetings, and safety/certification review panels.
  • Developing, writing, reviewing, and executing test plans by directing and performing the ground/flight/underway testing for fixed wing/rotor wing/UAS (when required)/marine vessels. Reviewing post-test results, data, analysis, and reports and recommending improvements and solutions to problems resulting from test.
  • Representing the Agency and its components at meetings with officials from DHS and other Federal, state, and local agencies on planning and coordinating joint test efforts with the U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and foreign enforcement agencies.

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.
  • Financial Disclosure is required.
  • Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.
  • Security Clearance: You will be required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance for this position.
  • FAA Class 1 Medical or FAA Class 2 medical
  • FAA Commercial or ATP Airplane or Helicopter rated with Instruments
  • Certificate of completion Test Pilot School, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (USAFTPS) U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) or Ecole du Personnel Navigant d' Essais et de Reception (EPNER) or National TPS (pilot long course) is preferred
  • Flight Logs showing 1750 hours total flight time, 1150 pilot-in-command, 75 night flight hours, 100 flight hours in last 12 months

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

  • 1. A current FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with the following ratings: airplane, single engine and multi-engine land and instrument; OR rotorcraft helicopter and instrument. Appropriate U.S. military ratings may be substituted. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot Certificate are also acceptable (e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate).
  • 2. A current FAA Class II Medical Certificate is acceptable for applicants who currently occupy Customs and Border Protection Air Interdiction Agent positions. For initial entry or re-entry into the occupation, a current FAA Class II Medical Certificate is acceptable for application purposes; however you MUST have a Class I by the time of your interview.
  • 3. A documented log reflecting a minimum of 1750 hours total flight time, with 1150 pilot-in-command, 75 night flight hours, 100 flight hours in last 12 months
Experience: You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:
  • Overseeing all testing and evaluation activities for aircraft, boats, and their systems.
  • Working with the acquisition team to discuss and organize technical changes to aircraft production, integration, and support, and giving clear, reliable advice and recommendations.
  • Using rules, regulations, technical plans, and other guidance to plan tests and programs that help create Operational Requirement Documents.
  • Acting as the main point of contact and subject matter expert for DHS at meetings to plan and coordinate joint testing with other federal, state, local, and foreign agencies.
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 05/06/2026.
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

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.

Supervisory Probationary Period: You may be required to serve an 18 month probationary period upon appointment.

?Leadership Training: All newly appointed GS-15s are required to complete mandatory training. The training will be scheduled by the Office of Training and Development within the first 90 days of appointment. The duration of the training will include 5 weeks of in residence training in Harpers Ferry, WV. Note: This training may be waived if previously completed.

Education

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

Additional information

Physical Demands: This position requires periods of long-term standing, bending and crouching working in and around aircraft and boats. It requires working on concrete ramps in high temperature conditions, climbing in and out of aircraft, flying in aircraft, and operations in and on boats (under 50') while underway in varying sea states.

Work Environment: Work entails operations around high noise areas, aircraft ramp operations, on aircraft in flight, boats underway, in all conditions and will require protective gear to include hearing protection and flight uniforms. The work environment includes high hot, low cold temperatures, humidity, rain, and desert conditions and can involve testing platforms with substantially modified systems characterized by a substantial degree of hazard.

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.

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 to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Failure to demonstrate sufficient detail in the body of your resume may impact your final rating.

This position requires a 90-minute timed General Supervisor Test Battery consisting of two parts: 1) Managerial Writing Skills; 2) Critical Thinking Skills. The assessments are administered unproctored and online. Questions are multiple-choice; candidates select the best answer and can mark items for review.

The General Supervisor Test Battery will be used to assess the following Supervisory competencies:

    • Written Communication
    • Decision Making
    • Problem Solving
    • Reasoning
Your final rating will be determined by your cumulative score on the Supervisory exam. All applicants will be contacted via email to complete the General Supervisor Test Battery. Applicants who do not complete the entire exam will be removed from consideration. To be considered for the position, you must demonstrate minimum proficiency and achieve a passing score on the exam. A passing score does not guarantee selection.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990, as amended, that would interfere with completing the General Supervisor Test Battery, you are able to request a Reasonable Accommodation prior to the Managerial Writing Skills and Critical Thinking Skills Test. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

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.

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 enforce 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
Air and Marine Operations
Please read entire announcement
Please apply online
Washington, DC 20229
US

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http://www.cbp.gov

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