Mission Support Specialist

Mission Support Specialist

Summary Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, Mission Support Directorate (MSD), Training and Development in Ashburn, VA. Additional selections may be made to include other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Responsibilities: In this position, you will carry out administrative, research, and program planning activities and perform review and analysis of budget, management, training, logistics, procurement, and other areas of mission support resources. This work impacts a nationwide staff of agents, professional staff, managers, and a variety of other technical positions directly responsible for ensuring the safety and security of our nation's borders and compliance with regulations and policies. This position starts at a salary of $101,401.00 (GS-12, Step 1) to $131,826.00 (GS-12, Step 10). As a Mission Support Specialist, you will be responsible for providing advice and guidance to USBP employees at headquarters and throughout the sectors and developing new and modified administrative program work methods, approaches, and procedures for delivering effective customer service. Typical work assignments will include:

• Developing and analyzing internal administrative support procedures and management processes through independent review and coordination with internal and external components.
• Reviewing and analyzing presented materials and works with the presenter to develop materials that are clear and concise, while taking into account current management and political trends.
• Gathering, analyzing, and coordinating with liaisons to formulate responses to the Office of Inspector General (IOG), and Government Accounting Office (GAO) audits.
• Serving as a point of contact and providing general advice and guidance to USBP headquarters and sector office staff on emerging trends affecting CBP and USBP's business processes.

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.

Requirements: 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.
• 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.
• DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below:

• The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or
• The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or
• If applicable, for employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted for more than 1 year to another duty location, the detailed or temporary duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.
• For employees detailed or temporarily promoted for less than one year, the permanent duty location is considered the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.

Qualifications: Experience: You qualify for the 12 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Developing and providing administrative training and resource materials, operations manuals, and standard operating procedures;
• Gathering and arranging necessary information and preparing briefing materials for the supervisor and other senior management;
• Providing guidance to field managers on workforce related issues, managing inquiries and internal investigative files and reports, and drafting disciplinary proposals and final decision letters;
• Participating in special studies and analytical projects related to current and proposed organization and program initiatives.

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.

You must:

• Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process;
• 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 09/02/2025.

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, 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 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.

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 eligibility on 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.

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

Additional Information: 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.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities