STAFF ASSISTANT

U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Chula Vista (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the San Diego Sector, Mission Readiness Operations Division, located in Chula Vista, CA, seeks qualified candidates for GS-07/GS-09 level roles. Responsibilities include research, coordination, analyzing programs impacting operations, and preparing written reports.

Prior liaison and issue-resolution experience is valuable. Eligibility requires documentation showing education or experience substitutions per OPM rules.

Qualifications

• Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet qualification requirements.
• Education substitution options are described for GS-07 and GS-09 levels.
• Combining Education and Experience to total 100% is required where applicable.

Skills

Research and coordination

Program analysis

Report writing

Liaison and troubleshooting

Education

Graduate education substitution (1 year)

SAA for GS-07 (Bachelor's with high GPA)

Master's degree or two years of graduate education / JD or LL.B.

Job description

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector, Mission Readiness Operations Division, Logistics & Operations Support Branch, located in Chula Vista, CA.

Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-07 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Independently carrying out non-routine work activities requiring research and coordination or reports.
• Analyzing projects and programs that have an impact on operations.
• Preparing written reports based on analysis and research of data.
• Serving as a liaison and troubleshooting for manager to meet deadlines.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Providing administrative guidance and assistance to subordinate organizations by answering questions about financial and organizational-oriented procedures.
• Maintaining information regarding issues and problems under the jurisdiction of the manager.
• Conducting research on projects to gather all available data and complete analysis of the date to ensure all relevant facts are presented, developing options and recommendations.
• Obtaining advance knowledge of management's position(s) regarding matters relevant to labor and employee relations.

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.

Education Substitution:

GS-07: Successful completion of one year of full-time graduate education from an accredited college or university may substitute for the experience required at this level. This education must demonstrate the skills necessary to do this job. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) may also substitute for the experience required at this level. SAA is defined as a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, having a class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society. Please see www.cbp.gov for additional information.

GS-09: A Master's degree, two full years of graduate education, a J.D. or an LL.B. degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for experience required at this level. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours.

Combining Education and Experience: To combine your education and experience, you must convert each to a percentage, and then add the percentages. The combined total of your percentage of education and experience must equal at least 100% in order to qualify. If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, divide the number of graduate semester hours by 18. To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, you must divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages of education and experience. The two percentages must total at least 100%.

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 09/02/2026.

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