Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Career Transition Assistance Plan DHS employees, Reemployment Priority List, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Federal Employees.

In this position you will provide regional support to the workforce and leadership through behavioral health prevention and other various incident responses, consultations, and training. Topics may include leadership development, organizational behavior management, employee engagement and resilience. In this role, you will fortify CBP's workforce and leadership by collaborating with all CBP offices, CBP employees, supervisors, and other partners by addressing challenges, opportunities, and programs for the CBP workforce.

This position starts at a salary of $125,776.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

In this Clinical Psychologist (Operational Psychologist) position you will provide strategic oversight and support. Typical work assignments include:

• Planning, designing, developing, and conducting indirect assessment and other analyses to assess individual employee, manager and system variables pertaining to employee engagement, resilience, and wellness. Analyses are used to make recommendations to leaders and Program Offices using evidence-based solutions.
• Developing and implementing agency programs and procedures through the application of behavioral and social science theories, methods, and techniques.
• Advising, coordinating, and supporting others' implementation of multiple programs including but not limited to Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention; Domestic Violence, Substance Misuse, and Suicide.
• Researching the interaction amongst groups concerning motivation, morale, group problem solving, and the effects of social stress and similar matters. Facilitating focus groups, interviews, strategic action planning with CBP's Workforce Care, CBP Program Offices and Resilience Program Leadership, internal and external key stakeholders in the assessment and improvement of CBP programs.
• Supporting proactive risk management initiatives such as insider threat, behavioral risk assessments, recidivism and similar analyses and predictions to increase the safety of CBP and its workforce.

The following are possible locations that this position can be filled. Examples are not all-inclusive.

• Caribbean Region: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
• East Central Region: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Western Pennsylvania
• Gulf Region: Houston/Galveston, TX; Alabama; Louisiana; Jacksonville/Tallahassee, FL (FL panhandle)
• Headquarters Region: Washington, DC; West Virginia; Maryland; Virginia
• Lowcountry Region: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
• Mid-Atlantic Region: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
• New England Region: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
• South Florida Region: Miami, FL; Tampa, FL
• West Central Region: Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri
• Arizona Region: Tucson, AZ; Phoenix, AZ
• Central Cali / Rocky Mountains Region: San Francisco, CA; Sacramento, CA; Utah; Colorado; Montana; Wyoming
• Eastern Plains Region: Minneapolis, MN; North Dakota; South Dakota; Nebraska
• Laredo / Del Rio Region: Laredo, TX; Del Rio, TX; Eagle Pass, TX
• Los Angeles / Las Vegas Region: Los Angeles, CA; Long Beach, CA; Las Vegas, NV
• Pacific Northwest Region: Seattle, WA; Blaine, WA; Spokane, WA; Alaska
• Rio Grande Valley Region: McAllen, TX; Corpus Christ, TX
• San Diego / Hawaii Region: San Diego, CA; Hawaii

Salary: Salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or cost of living expenses of the duty location upon selection.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
• Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below)
• All pre-employment processes will be conducted in English
• You may be required to pass a background investigation.
• CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
• As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link.
• DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
• Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts showing coursework completion at the time of your application.

You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above AND possess one year of specialized experience as described below.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Applying behavioral, clinical, and organizational psychology to develop and implement programs, tools, and resources that are relevant and practical for employees and management to use in response to organizational needs;
• Consulting with leaders to advise on strategic, operational, and tactical approaches to organizational problems using evidence-based design to devise workable solutions and action plans;
• Managing projects in the areas of programs, training, practices, and metrics that boost organizational health and cohesion, leaders' capabilities, and employee engagement, resilience, and wellness via best-practices; and
• Conducting training and teaching skills to leaders and employees in the areas of behavioral health and wellness/resilience and organizational behavior management.

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 by 06/17/2026.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

1. Best Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPF's and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to ensure you meet the minimum qualification(s). Your resume must support that you meet both specialized experience requirements described in the qualifications section and are proficient in the skills/competencies. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using a Structured Resume Review process.
Your final rating will be based on a Structured Resume Review conducted by Subject Matter Experts (SME). This Structured Resume Review requires that candidates resume must demonstrate the competencies noted below:

• Technical Competence
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving

Failure to demonstrate sufficient detail in the body of your resume may impact your final rating. Please note you are not required to provide specific narrative responses to the skills and competencies described in this section. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be contacted for an interview.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is considered scientific/professional. Other 10 point preference eligibles and veterans with 5 point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibilityon OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described within this announcement. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

• Your resume: A resume describing your job-related qualifications is required and will be used for the purpose of reviewing your qualifications and determining what training, if any, would be required when placed. A resume in English is required. It must contain your full legal name, phone number, relevant work history including a detailed description of your duties, the dates you performed those duties (MM/DD/YY), your hours worked per week, job title, as well as series, grade, and salary (if applicable). For additional required items, see the link above. 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. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12952785
• Your transcripts: All applicants are required to submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable at this time; however, official copies will be required prior to entrance on duty) or a list of coursework with hours completed provided from the institution. If you are a current CBP employee within the position series announced, transcripts will not be required at the time of application; however, education will be verified if you are selected and you may be required to submit transcripts at that time. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials. Note: If submitting documentation of an evaluation, transcripts are still required. For a listing of some accrediting agencies, please see https://www.accreditation.info/education-quality/usa-recognition.html. See https://www.accreditation.info/education-quality/usa-recognition.html for more information.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP), Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), or the Reemployment Priority List (RPL)? You must submit a separation notice; your most recent SF-50 (noting your current position, grade level and duty location); a copy of your most recent performance rating; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; or a Military Department of National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456; or RPL registration documentation.
• Are you a veteran? To apply veterans' preference you must submit proof of eligibility as appropriate for your preference type:
  • Five Point Preference: DD 214 listing the character of service and either qualifying medal(s) or service period.
  • Ten Point Preference: DD 214 showing character of service and supporting documentation as listed on the Standard Form 15 (application for 10 Point Veterans' Preference). Submitting an SF-15 with your application is encouraged. Veterans with a service-connected disability must also submit a VA Disability Award letter dated 1991 or later, OR supporting documentation as listed in the SF-15.
  • If you are currently serving on active duty, you must submit a written statement from the armed forces certifying your dates of service, rank, expected character of service, and anticipated date of separation. If you apply with a written statement at this stage, your preference will be verified by a DD 214 upon separation from the military.
  • View more veterans' information.
• Are you a current or former federal employee? If yes, it is recommended that you submit a copy of your SF-50(s) (Notification of Personnel Action) to support your experience. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions. Retired former federal employees are required to submit your retirement SF-50 and encouraged to submit your most recent annuity statement.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your initial and termination SF-50s.

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