Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who are currently working in a permanent competitive service position; Career Transition Assistance Plan CBP employees.

This position is ideal for an expert Air Interdiction Agent looking for an opportunity to serve in a supervisory capacity, participating with higher-level officials in administering, managing, and planning the agency's aviation program, where the work requires the application of pilot and law enforcement knowledge and skills.

This position starts at a salary of $145,278.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $188,867.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

Typical work responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing aviation enforcement operations at a strategic level to support national security and border protection objectives.
• Overseeing the planning, execution, and evaluation of aerial surveillance and interdiction missions, ensuring alignment with agency priorities and policies.
• Providing strategic direction to subordinate managers and enforcement personnel, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and adherence to operational standards.
• Acting as senior liaisons between DHS and other federal, state, and local agencies, fostering inter agency collaboration and coordinating joint enforcement efforts to address transnational threats. Serve as key advisors to senior leadership, providing expert analysis on criminal trends, intelligence data, and aviation enforcement strategies.
• Contributing to the formulation and implementation of aviation enforcement policies, procedures, and safety protocols at the organizational level. Overseeing personnel management, including recruitment, training, performance evaluations, and professional development initiatives, to maintain a highly skilled and motivated workforce.
• Ensuring compliance with federal aviation regulations, agency directives, and safety standards, conducting regular audits and inspections to maintain operational effectiveness.

The Bellingham Air and Marine Branch (BAMB) has possibly the largest areas of responsibility (AOR) within AMO and is responsible for seven states:
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Alaska. This includes 3,537 miles of the shared U.S.-Canadian border and over one million square miles of land. The Bellingham Air and Marine Branch has marine units located in Bellingham and Port Angeles, Washington and air units located in Great Falls, Montana and Spokane, Washington.

BAMB conducts air and marine operations that include border enforcement, investigative surveillance, maritime detection, and interdiction and land border support. The Bellingham Air and Marine Branch also partners with federal, state, and local counterparts to address a wide range of homeland security concerns within its area of responsibility. BAMB employs Skypro operations Teams in the 8 state AOR which expands Branch operations requiring a high level of engagement and oversight from the chain of command.

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
• 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.
• Financial Disclosure is required.
• Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.
• Motor Vehicle Operation: You must possess the ability to operate a Government Owned Vehicle. A valid, non-restricted driver's license is required.
• Mobility Agreement: Selectee(s) will be subject to a mobility agreement.
• Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): You must be readily accessible to work on an unscheduled basis in excess of a 40-hour work week and will receive extra compensation.
• Uniform: You are required to wear an officially approved uniform while in duty status.
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC): You must have successfully completed relevant Federal law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) prior to entry into this position. Entry-level training for Air and Marine Agents, Border Patrol Agents and Criminal Investigators meets this requirement.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 1. A current FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with the following ratings: airplane, single engine and multi-engine land and instrument; OR rotorcraft helicopter and instrument. Appropriate U.S. military ratings may be substituted. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot Certificate are also acceptable (e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate).
• 2. A current FAA Class II Medical Certificate is acceptable for applicants who currently occupy Customs and Border Protection Air Interdiction Agent positions. For initial entry or re-entry into the occupation, a current FAA Class II Medical Certificate is acceptable for application purposes; however you MUST have a Class I by the time of your interview.
• 3. A documented log reflecting a minimum of 1500 hours total flight time, 75 hours instrument, 75 hours night, and 250 hours pilot-in-command.

Mandatory Prerequisite for Secondary Administrative LEO Retirement Covered Position: This position has been identified as Administrative, that is, an executive, managerial, technical, semiprofessional, or professional position for which experience in a primary/rigorous law enforcement or firefighting position, or equivalent experience outside of the Federal government is a mandatory prerequisite, as defined by 5 CFR 831.902 (CSRS) and 5 CFR 842.802 (FERS). [Note: if you currently serve in a permanent Secondary LEO Retirement covered position, you are exempt from this mandatory prerequisite.

Medical/physical: Successful candidates must meet the medical standards and physical requirements for the position. Any medical or psychiatric condition that could affect the ability of the individual to safely and efficiently perform the functions of the position may result in medical disqualification. Medical standards and physical requirements may include, but are not limited to, vision, hearing, and lifting requirements. Determinations are made on a case-by case basis.

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:

• Directing complex aviation law enforcement operations with interregional/international.
• Developing and deploying innovative and effective aviation enforcement strategies.
• Devising new aviation enforcement techniques.
• Planning and conducting aviation enforcement activities with extensive jurisdictional problems.
• Serving as an expert on coordinating and overseeing aviation enforcement efforts.
• Conducting independent studies to resolve controversial issues related to aviation enforcement.

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 03/03/2026.

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

Polygraph Examination: The Supervisory CBP Air Interdiction Agent position is a polygraph-required position. If you are not a current CBP employee in a law enforcement position, you may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. Please see Polygraph Examination.

Polygraph Reciprocity: CBP may accept the results of a prior federal polygraph exam in lieu of a CBP polygraph exam. You will receive information to request reciprocity in your Background Investigation Package.

Polygraph Waiver: Certain veterans may be eligible to obtain a polygraph waiver. You will receive information to request a waiver in your Background Investigation Package.

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.

Qualified U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) candidates will be ranked on the basis of the scores received on your Air and Marine Promotional Assessment. Competitive applicants must have a valid test score when the announcement opens, or we cannot consider you for this position. Alternate Staffing (Non-Competitive) Candidates need not have a current, valid test score.Your application record will remain in a pending status until after the announcement closes, at which time we will upload test scores. If you have completed the assessment questionnaire and have uploaded all required documents for this announcement, there is nothing further you need to do at this time.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12890532

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using an assessment questionnaire.

This self-assessment will be used to assess the following competencies or KSAs:

• Knowledge of an experienced law enforcement officer needed to deal with criminal enforcement activities peculiar to the Department or its organizational component.
• Knowledge of investigative techniques, methods, functions, operations and procedures in order to supervise law enforcement activities that gather evidence for criminal prosecution.
• Skill in the performance of enforcement and investigative activities, including the investigation, detention, and apprehension for violators of DHS and related laws.
• Ability to operate/fly fixed and/or rotary wing aircraft.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP eligible. View information about CTAP eligibilityon OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement. To be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position.

• 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. *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. Note: 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/12890532
• Are you a current or former federal employee? ALL CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST SUBMIT THE MOST RECENT COPY OF THEIR SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing competitive status: Tenure 1 or 2 in Block 24 and Position Occupied 1 in Block 34. Additionally, applicants should also submit a SF-50 reflecting the highest grade held on a permanent basis in the competitive service or the full performance level of your current position, whichever is higher, AND an SF-50 to support having met the time-in-grade requirement of having served 52 weeks at the grade level (or equivalent) below the grade level(s) for this position. Current CBP Employees are encouraged, but not required, to submit an SF-50(s) for CBP experience; however, additional SF-50(s) are required when using federal experience outside of CBP to receive credit towards the requirements above. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)? 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.
• 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.
• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

Next steps