Mission Support Specialist

Full Job Description

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

Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, International Operations and Advisory Directorate, International Field Office, Preclearance located in Toronto, Canada.

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

Experience: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess 1 (one) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations carried out by administrative or professional personnel, or substantive administrative support functions (i.e., internal activities or functions such as supply, budget, procurement, or personnel which serve to facilitate line or program operations).

Planning, scheduling, and conducting projects and studies to evaluate and recommend ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work operations in a program or support setting.

Developing new or modified work methods, organizational structures, records and files, management processes, staffing patterns, procedures for administering program services, guidelines and procedures, and automating work processes for the conduct of administrative support functions or program operations.

Analyzing and making recommendations concerning the centralization or decentralization of operations.

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-11: You may substitute a Ph.D.

or an equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M. for experience 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 study.

If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 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 specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's 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 an applicant 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 03/13/2026.

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 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.

Tour of Duty: The employee will serve a two (2) year initial tour, with an opportunity for the Employee to apply for two (2), two (2) year extensions.

As an exception to this general rule, tour duration is subject to the host country and the Department of State.

At the end of the reassignment, you will be returned to a position at the same level as this Preclearance position.

At the discretion of management, the assignment may be extended for additional periods, up to a maximum of six years.

You may be returned at any time to your former position or to a different position of equivalent grade as this Preclearance position.

Employees who have not served 2 years at a domestic duty station, subsequent to their initial overseas tour of duty, should not be considered for a second tour of duty in any foreign assignment.

NOTICE: THE TWO YEAR RETURN SERVICE PERIOD REQUIREMENT IS WAIVED FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY.

Applicants who have NOT completed the required 2 year return service period after an overseas tour will be considered.

Return Rights: No more than one hundred and fifty (150) calendar days before the end of tour, but not less than ninety (90) calendar days prior to the end of the initial tour, as well as the conclusion of any extensions, employees are expected to formally request, through a fully completed Notice of Intent (NOI), express intent to return to the United States.

Please refer to Article 40 Section 6 of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement for additional information with regards to Extension Request and Return Procedures.

Annual Leave Accumulation: Employees assigned to Preclearance ports may carry over 360 hours of annual leave to the next leave year (as opposed to 240 hours).

Home Leave: In addition to annual leave, you will earn five, ten, or fifteen days home leave on each two year assignment depending on your foreign post assignment and the post differential rate.

This leave is granted to you when you have your Preclearance assignment extended for another tour and is to be used between tours.

The Government pays your per diem and transportation expenses from your post of duty in a Preclearance station to your former official residence in the United States.

In addition, it also pays for the transportation expenses of your dependents who accompany you on home leave to your residence in the United States. Major Duties:

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Preclearance.

The position provides guidance and technical advice in a variety of mission support functional areas for a Field Office.

The position will serve outside the United States supporting an overseas OFO Field Office. This position starts at a salary of $63,795.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $82,938.00 (GS-11, Step 10).

Salary above excludes COLA. Please see here for specific COLA Rates.

Major Duties for a Mission Support Specialist include: Conducting detailed planning to gather and interpret information and data for complex problems, issues, and unusual circumstances.

Determining the most effective and efficient approach to meet customer requirements.

Identifying ways to improve or enhance current services and to ensure that such services meet management's business objectives.

Assessing situations that are complicated by conflicting and/or incomplete data, requiring general problem solving to isolate issues.

Identifying and clarifying problems and order to propose 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.