Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of the Commissioner, Intergovernmental Public Liaison (IPL), CBP Information Center, located in Washington, DC.

Duties

This position starts at a salary of $55,924.00 (GS-7, Step 1) to $88,926.00 (GS-9, Step 10) with promotion potential to $107,590 (GS-11 Step 10). While serving as a Public Information Specialist, your duties will include: Responding to and answering sensitive and complex inquiries, comments, and concerns received by telephone, web, or via email, from a variety of sources, including non-governmental agencies, which may involve issues pertaining to CBP programs and policies on issues such as trade, travel, tariffs, quotas, duties, and duty exemptions; Conducting independent research and maintaining resource files according to subject matter to keep abreast of CBP activities, policies, procedures, and program changes to prepare answers to complex questions not contained in the answer database and ensure complete and accurate information is provided to the public; Reporting incidences of incorrect information to information manager, and alerts managers to problems which are identified as a result of perceived trends in public comments and questions; Establishing and maintaining resource files according to subject matter to keep abreast of CBP activities, policies, procedures, and program changes to ensure complete and accurate information is provided to the public; Responding to all requests for informational literature from individual travelers, travel organizations and business firms regarding CBP procedures and regulations, keeping in mind classified information as well as the Freedom of Information Act. 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. 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.

Requirements

Qualifications

GS-7 Experience: You qualify for the GS-7 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Reporting incidents of incorrect information and alerting managers of problems; Providing complete and accurate information to the public; and Answering routine inquiries, comments, and complaints GS-9 Experience: You qualify for the GS-9 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Maintaining resource files to keep abreast of activities, policies, procedures, and program changes; Disseminating accurate and timely information; and Responding to all inquiries and complaints or directing them to the appropriate office for action; 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. GS-7 Education Substitution: Successful completion of one year of full-time graduate education from an accredited college or university may substitute for the experience required at this level. This education must demonstrate 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. OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) may also substitute for the experience required. It is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average (i.e., GPA 3.0 or higher of a possible 4.0, excluding pass/fail credits. Pass/fail credits cannot be more than 10% of total credits), or (3) honor society membership. Review Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) to see if you qualify under this provision. Please see www.opm.gov for additional information. GS-9 Education Substitution: Successful completion of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in an accredited college or university, or a J.D. or LL.B. degree may be substituted for experience at the GS-9 grade level. Such education must demonstrate the skills needed to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 36 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 2 years of full-time study requirement. Combining Education and Experience: Appropriate combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience also may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-7 and GS-9 grade levels. To combine your education and experience, you must convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages. The combined total of your percentage of education and experience must equal at least 100% in order to qualify. If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, divide the number of graduate semester hours by 18. To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, you must divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages of education and experience. 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 04/12/2024. 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, review the following links: Background investigation and the e-QIP process. 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.

Contacts

• Address Office of the Commissioner Please read entire announcement Please apply online Washington, DC 20229 US
• Name: CBP Hiring Center
• Phone: 952-857-2932
• Email: [email protected]