About this role
Job SummaryOrganizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, Threat Mitigation and Analysis Directorate, located in one of the following locations: Ashburn, VA Washington D.C. Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
QualificationsExperience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Identifying, reviewing and evaluating large volumes of sensitive, complex and classified information in support of strategic, operational or tactical operations Compiling, collating, extrapolating and exploiting information from databases, open-source reporting, various systems and databases in support of security operations. Planning, Direction, and Collection: Conducting systematic, comprehensive research and analysis of all relevant information. Contributing to the intelligence preparation of the environment in given area of responsibly, defining the operational environment, assessing its impacts on the mission and identifying and evaluating the adversarial capabilities, composition and disposition of all security threats and describing potential threat course of action of initiative, effort, and commitment towards completing assignments in a timely manner; works with minimal supervision; is motivated to achieve; demonstrates responsible behavior. 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 06/17/2026. 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. 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 well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement. Security Clearance: You may be required to obtain a TOP SECRET/SCI or higher level clearance for this position. TELEWORK: Eligible: NO-Exceptions related to telework maybe available in very limited cases. 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.
Major DutiesAs an Intelligence Research Specialist, you will represent the collective intelligence capabilities and expertise across the agency that enable coordinated and consistent operations under a unified framework when addressing current and emerging border security issues and threats. This position starts at a salary of $121,785.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $158,322.00 (GS-13, 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. Serving as a senior level analyst and/or project leader in short- and long-term planning through in-depth research and analysis regarding threats to border security. This position advising, administering, and performing analysis, evaluation, interpretation and dissemination of information and intelligence and will apply to border security operations in the following areas: counter terrorism; counter narcotics; counter human smuggling or trafficking; counter proliferation; cyber or financial crime interdiction; trade enforcement; counterintelligence; or other emerging border security issues and threats. Providing authoritative analytic direction and project-monitoring services specified in interrelated geographical and functional areas; gathering, evaluating, analyzing, and abstracting data from multiple and/or specific sources; producing finished analyses, reports, and briefings; and formulating appropriate actions with regard to problem areas, technical and administrative procedures, and policy recommendations. Defining the operational environment; assessing its impacts on the CBP mission; identifying and evaluating the adversarial capabilities, composition, and disposition of all border security threats; and describes potential threat courses of action. Using established intelligence techniques to analyze data from a variety of sources to develop targets, trends, patterns, profiles, estimates, and studies in support of CBP operational and mission success; and developing new methods, trends, techniques, concepts, and intelligence guides to resolve problems not susceptible to general intelligence methods.RequirementsYou 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.