Supervisory Paralegal Specialist

U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 106,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, New Orleans Field Office/Area Port of Memphis, TN, invites applications for a Paralegal Specialist.

You will supervise day-to-day FP&F operations, review and finalize claims, and participate in the work of a paralegal team. Salary starts at $106,437 (GS-13, Step 1) up to $138,370 (GS-13, Step 10), with locality pay and special pay rates as applicable.

Qualifications

• 1 year of specialized experience at GS-13 level, performing final decision letters, referral packages, and litigation requests.
• Experience evaluating evidence and making determinations within mitigation guidelines, policies, laws and regulations.
• Ability to train staff, assign work, and develop performance standards.

Responsibilities

• Supervise day-to-day FP&F office operations and adjudicate liquidated damages, penalties, and seizures.
• Review and process cases within authority through final adjudication and ensure supporting documentation is complete.
• Make final determinations on validity of disclosures and on cases deemed de minimis by policy.
• Receive and analyze legal arguments in petitions and appeals to determine grounds for relief.

Job description

Please see announcement on USAJOBS for available locations.

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, New Orleans Field Office/Area Port of Memphis, TN. Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Duties

Joining the Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations will allow you to use your expertise to perform and supervise administrative and operational work of the Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures program. Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen Homeland Security by performing paralegal activities such as reviewing and finalizing claims, preparing cases, and participating in the work of a paralegal team. This position starts at a salary of $106,437.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $138,370.00 (GS-13, 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. Major duties for this position include but are not limited to: Supervising the day-to-day operations of a Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures (FPF) office service area and processes the adjudication of all liquidated damages, penalty, and seizure cases. Reviewing and processing all cases within their area of authority through final adjudication and solution and ensuring that all cases are legally sufficient in order to establish the violation, as well as that case files contain the correct supporting documentation. Having the authority to cancel any cases where it is determined that no violation exists or that certain types of cases are DE MINIMIS as defined by written policies of CBP. Making the final determination as to whether prior disclosures are valid pursuant to relevant Title 19 authority. Receiving and analyzing legal arguments in petitions and appeals to original decisions/supplemental petitions and determines whether grounds for additional relief are present.

Requiremennts

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 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. Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Preparing final decision letters, referral packages, and litigation requests by documenting findings of fact, conclusions of law, penalty assessments, and case recommendations for review Evaluating all evidence, facts, and circumstances relating to cases and makes determinations and recommendations as appropriate within the requirements of the mitigation guidelines, policies, laws and regulations, and violators' participation in partnership programs Reviewing and making determinations as to the presence of probable cause and/or the acceptability of evidence and/or acceptability of evidence Providing training and guidance to staff by assigning work based on priorities and employee capabilities, developing performance standards, evaluating performance, identifying training needs, resolving employee concerns, and recommending personnel actions Conducting legal and factual research, perform Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures casework involving the initiation, review, adjudication, or recommendation of decisions on seizure, penalty, forfeiture, and liquidated damages under related laws and regulations. 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 09/25/2026. 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