Intelligence Research Specialist

Full Job Description

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S.

Customs and Border Protection, Office of Intelligence, National Border Security Intelligence Center Directorate, Pacific Northwest Regional Intelligence Center, located in Blaine Washington.

Additional selections may be made to include other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Experience: 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: Serving as a senior reviewer of an intelligence organization to evaluate, discuss, test, and validate intelligence research reports, and intelligence collection programs, plans.

Recognizing intelligence requirements based on existing reporting and providing evaluations on current information to improve future intelligence collection or reporting.

Extrapolating, compiling, and processing information from raw intelligence, open source, law enforcement and intelligence community systems and databases.

Conducting special research studies and providing comprehensive assessments of broad, complex, or highly sensitive issues.

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 02/13/2026.

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. Major Duties:

This position starts at a salary of $119,630.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $155,521.00 (GS-13, Step 10).

In this Intelligence Research Specialist position you will be providing the CBP Intelligence Enterprise and operational stakeholders with intelligence products that inform and enhance their ability to make strategic, operational of tactical decisions in support of CBP operations directed at threats to border security.

Typical work assignments include: Providing the CBP IE and operational stakeholders with intelligence products that inform and enhance their ability to make strategic, operational, and tactical decisions in support of CBP operations directed at threats to border security Administering and performing analysis, evaluation, interpretation and dissemination of information and intelligence.

This information and intelligence 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 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 Ensuring that all intelligence activities align with CBP priority intelligence requirements Developing new intelligence processes and methods to support leadership threat prioritization Applying subject matter expertise in assigned functional, geographic and/or threat portfolios to ensure timely and accurate analysis and intelligence data derived is integrated into ongoing operations Compiling, collating, extrapolating, and exploiting both unclassified and classified sources of information and reporting Compiling, collating, extrapolating, and exploiting information from a variety of sources, using new and creative methodology for unusual problems, which do not appear to be susceptible to treatment by accepted methods