Supervisory Investigative Program Specialist (Polygraph Examiner)

Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who are currently working in a permanent competitive service position; (including those serving on a VRA, non-competitive 30% Disabled Veterans or Schedule A-Disability appointment); Career Transition Assistance Plan CBP employees.

CBP employees demonstrate the highest level of commitment to protect and serve the United States of America and to exemplify the CBP Core Values of Vigilance, Service to Country and Integrity. Learn more about CBP's mission, core values and careers at https://www.cbp.gov/about

Serves as a first-line supervisor and technical advisor for a staff of Investigative Program Specialists within an assigned Area of Responsibility (AOR). Responsible for planning, organizing, directing, administering, and coordinating polygraph, credibility assessment, and investigative operations and associated programs within the assigned AOR.

This position starts at a salary of $136,456.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $177,399.00 (GS-14, Step 10)

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.

The Major Duties for this position are listed below but not limited to:

• Ensuring compliance with all applicable statutes, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards governing polygraph operations, including the use and maintenance of polygraph equipment.
• Providing leadership, guidance, advice, counsel, and technical oversight to subordinate personnel regarding polygraph examinations, investigative activities, and CBP administrative matters.
• Developing performance plans, evaluating employee performance, and conducting routine coaching, counseling, and performance management activities.
• Providing management oversight and ensuring compliance during Quality Assurance reviews, inspections, and audits.

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 and/or polygraph
• 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.

Qualifications

All Polygraph Examiners hired for this position must be certified by the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) through successful completion of the Basic Federal Polygraph Training Program, or must provide proof of successful completion of an approved civilian polygraph training course.

Applicants who are not currently CBP Polygraph Examiners must submit documentation demonstrating they meet this requirement, such as:
An NCCA certificate;

• Proof of successful completion of the Basic Federal Polygraph Training Program; or
• Proof of successful completion of an approved civilian polygraph training course.

Applicants who were certified through a prior official designation of the NCCA, including the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment or the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, must submit the appropriate certificate and must also meet the specialized experience requirements listed in this announcement.

If you are unable to provide certification documentation at the time of application, you must submit transcripts to demonstrate you meet the education requirement.

Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are considered to have met this requirement.

Basic Requirements:

Applicants must meet the following basic requirements for the Investigative Program Specialist (Polygraph Examiner) position:

• Education: Possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a copy of your National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) certification. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are considered to have met this requirement.

• Investigative Experience: Possess at least two years of investigative experience with a recognized U.S. Government agency or other law enforcement agency. Your resume must clearly describe this investigative experience, or you must submit a copy of your NCCA certification. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are considered to have met this requirement.

• PDD/Polygraph Examination: Have successfully completed a Psychophysiological Detection of Deception (PDD) polygraph examination. You must provide proof of the PDD/polygraph examination in your resume or submit a copy of your NCCA certification. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are considered to have met this requirement.

• Minimum Age: Be at least 25 years of age. Age will be verified using an SF-50, DD-214, or other official government document. Do not redact your date of birth on the SF-50, DD-214, or other official government document submitted for this purpose. Do not submit a photo identification card or any other document containing a photograph. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are considered to have met this requirement.

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:

• Conducting, overseeing, and evaluating polygraph examinations and credibility assessment activities in support of personnel security, applicant screening, criminal, administrative, counterintelligence, or national security programs.
• Planning, directing, coordinating, and/or evaluating polygraph operations and related investigative activities involving complex, sensitive, and high-visibility matters.
• Providing technical guidance, policy interpretation, and operational oversight to polygraph examiners and investigative personnel.
• Reviewing polygraph reports, investigative documentation, and/or quality assurance findings to assess accuracy, completeness, and adherence to established standards.
• Advising management officials on polygraph, credibility assessment, investigative, and personnel security matters and recommending solutions to complex operational issues.

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 08/28/2026.

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 Investigative Program Specialist (Polygraph Examiner) 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

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/13034637

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.

The Federal Supervisory Assessment will be used to assess the following Supervisory competencies:

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the 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 well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this 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, releavent 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. 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, including 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.
• Psychophysiological Detection of Deception (PDD) examination: Please provide proof either by documented proof or adding the information to your current resume to include date of exam. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are exempt from this requirement.
• NCCA Certification: Individuals establishing eligibility based on certification through a prior official designation of the NCCA under the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment or Department of Defense Polygraph Institute must provide documentation as appropriate. Current CBP Polygraph Examiners are exempt from this requirement.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034637
• Your responses to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment
• 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, you 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 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.
  • Retired former federal employees must submit your retirement SF-50 and encouraged to submit your most recent annuity statement.
• 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 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.
• Special Appointing Authority: See "Additional Information" section to determine what documentation you need to submit as proof of eligibility for a Special Appointing Authority.
• Are you a veteran? If you are applying under a veteran appointing authority, you must submit documentation to support eligibility such as a DD-214 listing the character of service and either qualifying medal(s) or service period, a VA Disability Award letter dated 1991 or later, and/or supporting documentation as listed on the Standard Form 15. If you are currently serving on active duty, you must submit a written statement from the armed forces certifying your dates of service, your 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. To learn more click here.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee)
  • Agency
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment
• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

Next steps