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Summary Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, Office of the Chief in Washington, D.C. Responsibilities This position will allow you to serve as a personal consultant to the Senior Executive Service (SES) on broad projects and programs with national level impact. You will develop new ways to resolve major administrative problems by studying reports containing findings and recommendations. Your findings may result in considerable changes in the organization and administration of projects and programs affecting the Directorate, USBP, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This position starts at a salary of $142,488.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $185,234.00 (GS-14, Step 10). As a Special Assistant, you will be responsible for providing program advice and guidance on national-level initiatives, acting as the principal liaison with internal and external stakeholders, and researching/preparing executive-level written products while managing correspondence and taskings. Typical duties will include: Reviewing, analyzing, and providing recommendations on sensitive/confidential policy matters while acting as a liaison with Labor and Employee Relations (LER), recommending long-range plans, goals, objectives, and milestones, and coordinating implementation of projects and policies. Representing the Senior Executive Service in meetings and briefings, planning and directing liaison operations for critical USBP programs, and resolving complex issues and proposing recommendations to advance CBP priorities. Researching, drafting, and coordinating correspondence, reports, briefings, memoranda, and other written products as well as managing incoming correspondence and taskings (including Congressional/Departmental). Providing guidance and tracking of the Directorate's budget, booking and managing travel for the SES and Directorate staff, and ensuring conference spending compliance with budgetary limits. 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. 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 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 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: Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including federal, state, local, and tribal governments, private industry, and international partners, to advance key organizational initiatives and priorities; Researching, drafting, and reviewing complex written materials, including correspondence, reports, briefings, and memoranda, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and alignment with organizational goals and priorities; Managing responses to individual and union grievances, preparing Congressional-level correspondence, and coordinating contributions from subject-matter experts to produce high-quality deliverables; Managing travel arrangements for senior executives and staff, ensuring proper documentation and adherence to budgetary constraints. 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 11/20/2025. 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 (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. Education Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position. Additional Information 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.