Mission Support Specialist

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Detroit Field Office, located in Detroit, MI.

Duties

This position will allow you to use your expertise in administration to provide advisory and technical services in a variety of mission support functional areas. Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to protect the homeland by analyzing and refining existing work methods and developing new methods and procedures. This position starts at a salary of $68,081.00 (GS-09, Step 1) to $107,090.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $128,350 (GS-12 Step 10). In this Mission Support Specialist position, you will strengthen the Department's ability to protect the homeland by becoming a valuable member of a team of administrative professionals. Typical work assignments include: Providing advice in an administrative specialty area(s) Participating in and making contributions to decisions in assigned program areas Applying administration program concepts, laws, policies, practices, and analytical/diagnostic methods and techniques to address technical issues or problems Providing advisory and technical services on organizational functions and work practices Developing reports and correspondence to convey findings and recommendations 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.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Assisting with planning to gather and interpret information and data for problems, issues, and unusual circumstances. Assisting with identifying ways to improve or enhance current services and to ensure that such services meet management's business objectives. Assisting with reconciling conflicting incomplete information. Helping to identify and extract additional pertinent information required. Defining issues or problems in terms that are compatible with appropriate laws, policies, or regulations. You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Assessing situations that are complicated by conflicting and/or incomplete data, requiring general problem solving to isolate issues. Helping to determine the most effective and efficient approach to meet customer requirements. Participating in analyzing the effects of changes in law and regulations as they pertain to management services. Weighing pertinent facts in formulating a legal and/or factually supportable position. 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-09 Education Substitution: Successful completion of two or more years of full-time graduate education, a Master's (or higher) degree, or an LL.B. or J.D that demonstrates the skills necessary to do the work may substitute for the experience required at the GS-9 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours. You are required to submit proof of your claim. GS-11 Education Substitution: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. that demonstrates the skills necessary to do the work may substitute for the experience required at the GS-11 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours. You are required to submit proof of your claim. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified, and may be computed by first determining your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. More information on this qualification standard is located here. 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 10/02/2026. 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 authori