STAFF ASSISTANT

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Blaine Sector, Sector Headquarters located in Blaine, WA. Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement. Further selections may also be made for additional organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Duties

In this position, you will provide administrative and clerical support to an office supervisor or senior manager, helping ensure the smooth operation of the immediate office and its subordinate organization. Your work will improve organizational and program efficiency and effectiveness by supporting workflow, resource management, and solutions to routine operational issues. This position starts at a salary of $56,715.00 (GS-7, Step 1) to $90,190.00 (GS-9, 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. As a Staff Assistant, you will be responsible for providing administrative, clerical, and program-support services that enable the manager and office to operate effectively. Typical duties will include: Managing the manager's schedule, correspondence, travel, meetings, conferences, and related arrangements. Screening calls and visitors, addressing nontechnical inquiries, and routing technical matters to the appropriate staff or office. Coordinating administrative projects, researching and analyzing information, developing recommendations, and preparing comprehensive reports and briefings. Monitoring administrative functions and transactions, analyzing operational trends, identifying potential shortfalls, and recommending solutions. Preparing and reviewing letters, memoranda, reports, charts, briefing materials, and talking points to ensure clarity, accuracy, and timely completion.

Qualifications

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: Independently researching, coordinating, and completing non-routine administrative assignments, including developing reports, responses, or other written products; Analyzing projects, programs, or operational processes by gathering and reviewing data from multiple sources to identify issues, trends, or improvement opportunities; Preparing written reports that summarize research and analysis, present relevant facts, and provide options or recommendations to support management decisions; Applying administrative procedures and established methods to resolve operational problems and support office or program activities; Coordinating with internal staff and stakeholders to obtain, verify, and organize information needed to complete assignments within established deadlines. 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: Analyzing, reviewing, and evaluating established administrative procedures to assess effectiveness and efficiency, and developing or modifying procedures to address new, changed, or specialized operational needs; Independently completing non-routine administrative assignments requiring research, coordination, and preparation of reports or responses in support of an office's programs, priorities, and management objectives; Analyzing projects or programs by gathering data from multiple sources, evaluating relevant facts, developing options and recommendations, and preparing comprehensive reports for management review; Preparing written analytical reports that clearly present options, anticipated benefits and costs, supporting facts, and recommended courses of action for management decision-making; Coordinating administrative projects or work efforts with organizational stakeholders to obtain and verify information, resolve issues, and ensure timely completion of assigned actions. 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. Education Substitution: GS-7: Graduate Education. 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- GS-7: A bachelor's degree with 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: A Master's degree, two full years of graduate education, a J.D. or an LL.B. degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for experience required at this level. 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. 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 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. 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 by 10/27/2026. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigat