What are the responsibilities and job description for the Telecommunications Specialist position at Office of Information and Technology?
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Information and Technology, Field Support Directorate Northwest Central, Southwest Region, located in:
Education Substitution: Education Substitution requirements for the GS-09 and GS-11 grade levels are located in the education section of this announcement.
Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. More information on this qualification standard is located here.
You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 06/10/2026.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
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:
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 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.
Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement. Further selections may also be made for additional organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
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.
The open period for this job opportunity announcement may be extended to allow for a sufficient applicant pool.
GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.
In this Telecommunications Specialist position, you will become a key member of Homeland Security professionals by coordinating and conducting performance measurements on new and advanced wireless telecommunication equipment and techniques. Typical work assignments include:
- 3 - Havre, MT
- 1 - Nogales, AZ
- 1 - El Paso, TX
- 1 - Douglas, AZ
Qualifications:
Experience: You qualify for the GS-9 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:- Assisting with the installation of new standardized telecommunications equipment
- Assisting with training to users on telecommunications systems and services
- Configuring and maintaining telecommunication networks and applications.
- Assisting with designs, development, monitoring, coordination, and completion of technical evaluations on voice communications systems
- Maintaining telecommunication system performance through use of established tools and instructions
- Installing, configuring, troubleshooting, repairing, maintaining and operational testing of telecommunications systems including, but not limited to: voice communications, telecommunications, stationary and mobile video and radar surveillance systems, microwave systems, fiber optic equipment, wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), switched equipment, intrusion detection and access control systems
- Assisting with the installation of permanent and temporary tower related equipment, ie Antennas, transmission lines, emergency generators, RF/Wireline and AC polyphaser (lightening protection) grounding rods and other peripheral site equipment as required
- Monitoring and alerting telecommunication managers regarding deterioration in system performance
Education Substitution: Education Substitution requirements for the GS-09 and GS-11 grade levels are located in the education section of this announcement.
Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. More information on this qualification standard is located here.
You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 06/10/2026.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
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
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 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.
Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement. Further selections may also be made for additional organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
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.
The open period for this job opportunity announcement may be extended to allow for a sufficient applicant pool.
Responsibilities:
Joining the Customs and Border Protection Office of Information and Technology will allow you to use your communication skills to design, develop, and monitor voice, data, and video surveillance systems. This position starts at a salary of $61,722.00 (GS-09, Step 1) to $97,081.00 (GS-11, Step 10) with promotion potential to $116,362.00 (GS-12 Step 10).GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.
In this Telecommunications Specialist position, you will become a key member of Homeland Security professionals by coordinating and conducting performance measurements on new and advanced wireless telecommunication equipment and techniques. Typical work assignments include:
- Installing, troubleshooting, repairing, redesigning, and maintaining telecommunications systems.
- Configuring and maintaining telecommunication networks and applications, such as intrusion detection systems, land, mobile radio communication, and video surveillance.
- Resolving telecommunication equipment failure and unsatisfactory performance problems.
- Providing recommendations and proposals on new and advance equipment and techniques based on performance capabilities, limitations, and cost.
Salary : $61,722