Customs and Border Protection Logo
Position Title
MISSION SUPPORT SPECIALIST (FRONT OFFICE)
Agency
Customs and Border Protection
Announcement Number
USBP-IMP-12736241-CLK Opens in new window
Open Period
Thursday, May 15, 2025 to Wednesday, May 21, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
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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1. Are you a current or former U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee (CBP) employee who received notice that you are a surplus employee or will be displaced from CBP?  If yes, confirm:
  • You occupy a position located in the same local commuting area of the vacancy, if you are a former CBP employee your former position of record is 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, AND
  • Documentation of a successful performance review
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2. Are you a current U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee in a permanent competitive service position?  To determine your permanent competitive service status, refer to the Tenure and Position Occupied fields of your most current SF-50 as referenced below.  

To support your response, it is recommended that you submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form (SF) 50 reflecting that you currently hold a permanent competitive service position:
  • Tenure:  Career or career-conditional (1 or 2 in block 24)
  • Position Occupied:  Competitive service (1 in block 34)
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3. Instruction: As a CBP employee, answering this question incorrectly will not remove you from consideration.  However, if you only claim promotion potential eligibility, you will not receive further consideration for this position. 

As a current CBP employee, have you held a permanent position with CBP or in the Federal competitive service (or in a merit system with which OPM has an interchange agreement) with the promotion potential or equivalent of the position noted in the announcement?  Please indicate your response below.  

Promotion potential (also known as full performance level or FPL) means the highest level/grade that can be achieved in the career ladder progression of the position that is held on a permanent basis. Details and Temporary Promotions are not creditable towards meeting these requirements. You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate that you meet promotion potential. Recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).  SF-50s should reflect:
  • Career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2 in Block 24); AND
  • Status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1 in Block 34); or if with another merit system which OPM has an interchange (Position Occupied field is 2 in Block 34); AND
  • Promotion Potential is equivalent to or higher than the grade level being announced.  This would be in the remarks section of your initial appointment SF-50 or the SF-50 of the highest grade held.
Examples: 
  • You currently hold a GS-09 position with promotion potential to the GS-12.  The progression is GS-09, GS-11, and GS-12.  You hold a position with the promotion potential of a GS-12.
  • Your current position is a GS-12. You are temporarily promoted to a GS-13 position. The temporary promotion is not a permanent position, and your promotion potential is your current position of GS-12.
  • Your current position is a GS-12. You previously held a GS-13 position on a permanent basis.  GS-13 is considered the highest promotion potential you have held.
Further guidance on how to read your SF-50 can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Reading your SF-50 to determine your service and appointment type.

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4. 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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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-9 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. 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)
6. 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)
7. This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below:
  • The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or
  • The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or if applicable
  • For employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted (for less than 1 year) to another duty location, the permanent duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.
  • For employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted (for more than 1 year) to another duty location, the detailed or temporary duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.
Do you meet the local commuting area requirement?
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8. 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 question 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-09 grade level? (limit characters)
2. Which of the following best describes your experience and/or education to qualify for the GS-11 grade level? (limit characters)
The following questions will be used to rate applicants who meet the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements. (limit characters)
3. Select the choice which best describes your ability to perform administrative duties (i.e., budget, inventory, property, fleet, human resources, workers' compensation,
payroll, travel) in your organization.
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4. Select the option that best describes your experience interpreting and applying organizational directives and guidelines related to
communications, administration, personnel management, and facilities.
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5. Select the choice which best describes your ability to provide timely and effective customer service in a work setting.
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6. Select the option that best describes your experience responding to questions on the telephone and routing messages to the appropriate
person.
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7. Select the option that best describes your experience receiving and greeting visitors and routing them to the appropriate person.
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8. Select the option that best describes your experience developing tracking/filing systems for incoming and outgoing documents.
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9. Select the option that best describes your experience processing mail.
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10. Select the option that best describes your experience coordinating and tracking internal and external action items.
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11. Select the option that best describes your experience interfacing with vendors and organizations
outside of your agency.
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12. Select the choice that best describes your level of skill in using Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to develop and maintain various reports.
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13. Select the choice which best describes your ability to work and interact with others.
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14. Select the option that best describes your experience procuring supplies and equipment for an organization.
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15. Do you have experience serving as a purchase card holder?
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16. Do you have experience reconciling monthly purchase statements?
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17. Do you have experience conducting property or financial management using SAP or other electronic databases/data management systems?
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18. Select the option that best describes your experience providing support for budget processes.
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19. Select the option that best describes your experience monitoring allocations, expenditures, and/or funding transfers throughout the fiscal year
to ensure funds are spent appropriately.
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20. Select the choice which best describes your ability to maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders while providing advice and
guidance.
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21. Select the choice which best describes your ability to plan and organize work.
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22. Select the choice which best describes your ability to analyze facts and identify solutions.
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23. Select the choice which best describes your skill in presenting information to all levels of management and employees.
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