Supervisory International Relations Specialist

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of International Affairs, located in Washington, DC.

This recruitment may be used to fill Branch Chief vacancies in multiple directorates within INA.

Qualifications:

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement.

Basic Requirements

1. Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods.

   OR

2. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, in one or more of the social sciences, or in the humanities, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

   OR

3. Experience: four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs.

Evaluation of Experience

Qualifying experience that provided an intimate knowledge of a foreign country or geographic area may have been gained through residence, study, teaching, business or commercial activities, military service, newspaper work, military or civil government activities, missionary or inter-national relief work, or other experience in foreign countries. It may also have been gained through teaching college-level courses in international relations or problems associated with a specific foreign geographic area.

To qualify for positions at grades GS-12 and above on the basis of experience, this experience must have included either (a) responsibility for the direction and coordination of research, analysis, or other professional work in one or more of the fields listed in A above, or (b) specialized professional work involving a high level of difficulty and responsibility in one or more of these fields.

Along with the basic requirement listed above you must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience described below to qualify based on experience.

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:

• Negotiating, strengthening, and exchanging information to enhance cooperation and agreement when developing bilateral international instruments such as Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements and Mutual Recognition Arrangements
• Participating in international and interagency planning conferences where U.S. and host country views are presented and discussed.
• Briefing senior leadership and various congressional staff on outreach strategies, activities, and developments.
• Advancing CBP policies and international initiatives in different fora with intergovernmental and non-governmental entities, as well as the greater trade community and regularly developing and promoting international standards and best practices.
• Working with host country representatives to formalize strategic plans to facilitate and substantially enhance trade, diplomacy and border security between the host nation and the U.S.

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 04/27/2026.

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.

Responsibilities:

The Supervisory International Relations Specialist (IRS) is responsible for conducting analyses of the geopolitical risk factors that impact legitimate flows of people and goods in relation to U.S. trade and security goals in the respective region(s), developing and managing related technical assistant and capacity building programs, and performing the full range of supervisory duties as Branch Chief.

This position starts at a salary of $143,913.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $187,093.00 (GS-14, Step 10).

• Working with various federal interagency partners in order to assess the economic potential, diplomatic capabilities, and border security issues of the host country; and developing plans for international trade and travel, as well as, for enhanced internal security for both the U.S. and the host nation.
• Assisting the host country in developing border security, contingency/crisis action strategic plans and assessments, which may be used to develop trade and security agreements between the host country and the U.S.
• Briefing the Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection; the Assistant Commissioner, International Affairs, high-ranking CBP senior officials; and various congressional delegations on the assigned host country's outreach strategies, activities and developments.
• Participating in the host country's strategy team meetings and taking the lead on opportunities to address sensitive and controversial issues while discussing the impact of problems deriving from economics or political issues which might adversely affect the Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Defense mission in the region of the host country.
• Performing the full range of supervisory duties over a team of International Relations Specialist (IRS) and CBP International Officers (CBPIO) who conduct analyses on international relations topics and provide INA with information on events, programs, and activities from a host country in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR).

To learn more about CBP's Office of International Affairs, please visit https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/international-initiatives or visit us on X/Twitter: @CBPIntlAffairs.

Salary : $143,913