Customs and Border Protection Logo
Position Title
MISSION SUPPORT SPECIALIST (FINANCE)
Agency
Customs and Border Protection
Announcement Number
USBP-SMP-11955614-DDW Opens in new window
Open Period
Monday, May 22, 2023 to Friday, May 26, 2023
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you a veteran who separated from active duty under honorable conditions AND you:
  • have a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more; OR
  • are retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more?
For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans Resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit:
  • Copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member Copy 4 indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service; AND
  • Veterans Affairs (VA) Disability award letter dated 1991 or later, or supporting documentation as listed in the SF-15.
  • For information on how to request your veterans documentation please contact the Veterans Affairs Benefits and Services at 1-800-827-1000  or online via https://iris.custhelp.va.gov/app/ask/ 
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2. (1) Are you the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is currently on Active Duty?

-OR-

(2) Are you the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who retired with a disability rating at the time of retirement of 100 percent or the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who retired or separated from the Armed Forces and has a disability rating of 100 percent from the Department of Veterans Affairs? In order to be considered under this appointment authority you must not currently be serving or have served under this authority. 

-OR-

(3) Are you the un-remarried widow or widower of a member of the Armed Forces killed while in active duty status? In order to be considered under this appointment authority you must not currently be serving or have served under this authority.

To verify your eligibility for option 1 identified above, you must submit official supporting documentation (i.e. copy of the Active Duty orders or statement of service)

To verify your eligibility for options 2 and 3 identified above, you must submit all supporting documents identified on the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15 (e.g., Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy indicating character of service) or other proof of service which includes character of service; death certificate and documentation identifying marital status at the time of death; disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, etc.). For information on how to request veterans documentation please contact the Veterans Affairs Benefits and Services at 1-800-827-1000   or online via https://iris.custhelp.va.gov/app/ask/ 

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans Resources.
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3. Are you a current federal employee who has received notice that you will be displaced from the Department of Homeland Security? If yes, confirm:
  • you occupy a position in the same local commuting area of the vacancy; AND
  • you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you were or will be separated; AND
  • you are applying to a position that does not have greater promotion potential than the position from which you will be separated; AND
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of CTAP eligibility, such as:
  • Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice, AND
  • Copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50.
For more information, review the USAJOBS Resource Center.
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4. Are you a current Federal employee with competitive status?

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Must reflect:
  • Tenure: Career or career-conditional (1 or 2)
  • Position Occupied: Competitive service (1)
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5. Are you a current or former federal employee displaced from a position in a federal agency? If yes, confirm:
  • you occupy (or have been separated from) a position located in the same local commuting area of the vacancy;
  • you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you were or will be separated; AND
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent
To verify your eligibility, you must submit supporting documentation to validate your claim of ICTAP eligibility, such as:
  • Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice, AND
  • Copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50.
For more information, review the USAJOBS Resource Center.
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6. Are you a current or former (involuntarily separated without cause within the preceding year) federal employee eligible for a status appointment under a current Interchange Agreement with the Office of Personnel Management?
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) employees of the Department of Defense
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your current or involuntary separation Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 reflecting your status.
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7. Are you eligible for non-competitive consideration under Miscellaneous Authorities? 
  • Postal Career Service Employees
  • Postal Rate Commission Employees
  • Government Accountability Office (GAO) Employees
  • Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Employees
  • Peace Corps Service or Vista Member: To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your description of service or other proof of non-competitive eligibility.
    • Were you a Peace Corps Volunteer or Vista Member who has completed your service within the past twelve months?
    • Are you a former Peace Corps volunteer or VISTA member who has completed your service within the past 36 months and are requesting an extension of your non-competitive eligibility due to your military service, enrollment as a student at an accredited institution of higher learning or another activity? If you are requesting an extension of your non-competitive eligibility, provide the necessary documentation to support your request.  
    • Are you a current or former Peace Corps employee who has completed at least 36 months of continuous service and has been separated from the Peace Corps for less than three years? 
  • Certain Former Overseas Employee: Were you employed overseas as an Appropriated Fund employee AND did you: complete 52 weeks of creditable overseas service in an appropriated fund position(s) as a family member during the time you accompanied a sponsor officially assigned to an overseas area; AND receive a fully successful or better (or equivalent) performance rating; AND return to the United States to resume residence less than 3 years ago?-To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50, and performance appraisal. For more information, review USAJOBS Former Overseas Employees resources.
  • Certain Present and Former Foreign Service Officers: Have you completed at least 1 year of continuous service immediately before separation from one or more nontemporary Foreign Service appointments; AND, your separation from a Foreign Service career-type appointment occurred in the last 3 years (individuals entitled to veterans' preference do not need to meet this 3-year requirement)? OR Have you completed at least 3 years of substantially continuous service under one or more nontemporary appointments in the Foreign Service immediately before separation from an unlimited, career-type appointment in that Service? -To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 reflecting your nontemporary status. If you are outside of the 3-year requirement but are entitled to veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service.
  • Other Miscellaneous Authorities not included above
For more information, review Miscellaneous Authorities Not Regulated By U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit:
  • The specific authority for which you are claiming; AND
  • Documentation supporting your eligibility for your claim, such as a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 reflecting your status. AND 
  • Any specific documentation noted above in the hiring authority
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8. Do you have a severe physical, psychiatric or mental disability that qualifies you for a Schedule A Disability appointment?

For more information, review USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities Resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must provide appropriate medical documentation, i.e., a letter signed by a licensed medical professional or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist stating your eligibility for a Schedule A appointment.
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9. The following question applies to current or former Federal employees.  If you are not a current or former federal employee, select No.  Applicants who claim only the Promotion Potential eligibility will not receive further consideration. 

Do you hold or have you previously held a permanent position in the Federal competitive service (or in another merit system with which OPM has an interchange agreement) with a Full Performance Level (FPL) equivalent to or higher than the FPL of the position being announced?
 
Applicants who competed for and currently hold or have previously held a permanent position with the same FPL or higher as the position being announced, may be referred for selection without competition under our agency promotion procedures.  Details and temporary promotions are not considered permanent positions.
 
To verify your eligibility as a current or former Federal civilian employee, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form that reflects:
  • career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND
  • status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1); or if with another merit system which OPM has an interchange (Position Occupied field is 2); AND
  • Full Performance Level equivalent to or higher than the grade level being announced.
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10. Reasonable Accommodations for taking the online assessments are provided on a case-by-case basis only to qualified individuals with a disability covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Do you have a disability (physical or mental) that you believe will interfere with completing the online assessments and require a Reasonable Accommodation?

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11. Are you a veteran whose latest discharge was under honorable conditions AND you:
  • served three or more years of continuous active duty service in the military (NOTE: if released shortly before completing a 3-year tour, you are considered to meet the eligibility); OR,
  • are entitled to veterans' preference?

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of service which includes character of service. For information on how to request your veterans documentation please contact the Veterans Affairs Benefits and Services at 1-800-827-1000  or online via https://iris.custhelp.va.gov/app/ask/ 
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12. Are you a veteran who separated from active duty under honorable conditions AND you:
  • recently separated (within the past 3 years); or
  • are a disabled veteran; or
  • received a campaign badge for serving on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war, or in a campaign or expedition; or
  • received an Armed Forces Service Medal or Global War on Terrorism Service Medal while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans Resources.

To verify eligibility, you must submit:
  • Copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member Copy 4 indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service; AND
  • If claiming disability preference, you must also provide a Veterans Affairs (VA) disability award letter dated 1991 or later, or supporting documentation as listed in the SF-15.
  • For information on how to request your veterans documentation please contact the Veterans Affairs Benefits and Services at 1-800-827-1000  or online via https://iris.custhelp.va.gov/app/ask/ 
Note: Eligibility under VRA is only applicable for GS-11 positions and below. 
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The following set of questions focus on how you are eligible to apply for this announcement. Eligibilities are known as the specific hiring authorities that allow you to be considered for this announcement. Applicants will only be considered for eligibilities for which they claim during the online application and provide documentation displaying their eligibility for the hiring authority. Please see the required documents section of this announcement for documentation information. For more information regarding what hiring authorities you may be eligible for, please see the following link https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/

Note, the Promotion Potential question applies to current or former Federal employees only. If you are not a current or former Federal employee, select No. Selecting No or answering this question incorrectly will not remove you from consideration. However, if you only claim the promotion potential eligibility, you will not receive further consideration for this position.
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Preferences
1. Select the lowest grade you are willing to accept for this position. (limit characters)
2. There is a time-in-grade (TIG) requirement for promotion into this position for any individual who holds or within the previous 52 weeks held a General Schedule (GS) position under nontemporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch. Have you completed 52 weeks in a position at or above the GS-7 grade level?

If you are a current federal employee or former federal employee within the past 52 weeks, submit one or more SF-50s that support your selected response below showing you meet or are exempt from time-in-grade requirements.
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3. There is a time-in-grade (TIG) requirement for promotion into this position for any individual who holds or within the previous 52 weeks held a General Schedule (GS) position under nontemporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch. Have you completed 52 weeks in a position at or above the GS-5 grade level?

If you are a current federal employee or former federal employee within the past 52 weeks, submit one or more SF-50s that support your selected response below showing you meet or are exempt from time-in-grade requirements.
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4. Are you a current political Schedule A or Schedule C Executive Branch employee or a former political Schedule A or Schedule C Executive Branch employee who held the position within the last five years applying to a competitive or non-political excepted service position under Title 5 of the United States Code or are you a current non-career Senior Executive Service (SES) Executive Branch employee or a former non-career SES Executive Branch employee who held the position within the last five years applying to a competitive or non-political excepted service position under Title 5 of the United States Code?

To verify, please submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form (SF-50) or other relevant documentation reflecting your status as a Political Appointee.
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5. 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, before completing an application for CBP employment.

If you do not meet the residency requirement as stated above 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 wavier 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

Exceptions may be granted to applicants if they can provide complete state-side coverage information required to make a suitability determination. Examples of state-side coverage information include: the state-side address of the company headquarters where the applicant's personnel file is located, the state-side address of the Professor in charge of the applicant's "Study Abroad" program, and/or the state-side addresses of anyone who worked or studied with the applicant while overseas. If selected for a position, you must provide documentation to support a request for an exception.

Do you meet the residency requirement?
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6. Are you receiving a retirement annuity from OPM based on retiring from the Federal government? If you select yes and you are selected for this position, your salary will be off-set by the amount of your retirement annuity.

To verify, please submit a copy of your retirement SF-50 with your application package.
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7. If you are a CBP employee, please enter your CBP email address in this format without any extra spaces or characters: john.a.smith@cbp.dhs.gov. If you are not a CBP employee, enter N/A. (limit characters)
8. If you are a CBP Employee, please enter your Hash ID without any additional spaces, punctuation, or letters. Example: CIC1K4L. If you are not a CBP employee, enter NA. (limit characters)
9. I have read and understand the following statement: You will be considered for the highest grade level for which you qualify for. Eligibility will be verified based on your resume and transcripts. You must have gained the work experience by the closing date of this announcement. Full-time work experience is 35 or more hours worked per week and must be clearly stated on your resume. Qualifications based on work experience will be determined by what is listed on your resume. Work experience refers to both paid and unpaid experience, such as volunteer work.

Your resume must include the following:
  • Be in English
  • Include full legal name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Complete work history (which includes job titles)
  • Detailed description of your duties (including tasks performed)
  • The dates you performed those duties (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY)
  • Hours worked per week for any position you worked that was not full time (less than 35 hours per week)
For Federal employment experience, your resume must also include:
  • Series
  • Grade level(s)
  • Salary
*Note- It is recommended that you upload your resume as a PDF instead of a Word document to ensure document quality. Ensure that your uploaded resume is not a password protected document, to include Office 365 passwords.

Do you agree to provide a resume that contains the necessary requirements listed in the instructions above?
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10. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires a USA Hire online assessment, which measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. If you are required to take the USA Hire assessment, you will be emailed a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. The USA Hire online assessment must be completed within 48 hours, following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). See the How to Apply and Next Steps within the Job Opportunity Announcement for additional details.

Do you acknowledge that you may be required to take an additional online USA Hire assessment, via an email link sent to you after completion of this application, and that failure to complete any portion of the assessment will remove your application from consideration?
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Assessment 1
The following questions will only be used to determine whether or not you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. You may wish to consult the vacancy announcement for a description of those requirements. (limit characters)
1. Which of the following best describes your experience and/or education to qualify for the GS-7 grade level? (limit characters)
2. Which of the following best describes your experience and/or education to qualify for the GS-9 grade level? (limit characters)
The following questions will be used to rate applicants who meet the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements. (limit characters)
3. Supporting staff travel.
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4. Preparing and administrating a federal program budget.
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5. Performing duties concerning the procurement of supplies for my employer (select all that apply):
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6. Using the Government Purchase Card Management System.
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7. Performing procurement duties pertaining to personal property e.g., equipment, furniture, motor vehicles etc.
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8. Procuring services on behalf of your employer.
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9. Producing and/or coordinating in order to meet information requirements:
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10. Indicate your experience reviewing bank reports and accounts to ensure payments are reconciled in accordance with current travel regulations.
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11. I have experience with, or knowledge of, analyzing historical data, current spending, future estimates and trends.
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12. Indicate your level of experience with purchasing office supplies, equipment, etc., using a government purchase card or other funding source.
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13. I have experience creating requisitions and purchase orders to ensure budget approval.
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14. Indicate your experience managing a travel card program by serving as the Local Program Coordinator for a location.
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15. Indicate your level of experience serving as the certifier and/or reviewer to fund and/or approve travel authorizations and vouchers.
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16. Which response below represents your experience monitoring the travel card program to ensure compliance with the Federal Travel Regulations and other applicable regulations and policies?
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17. I have acted as an alternate preparer to assist employees with travel card issues, travel arrangements, authorizations and vouchers.
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18. Indicate your experience ensuring only authorized personnel receive government travel cards and complete required training certifications.
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19. I have been responsible for monitoring and auditing travel transactions to ensure purchases are authorized.
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