Mission Support Assistant

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Tucson Field Office. Vacancies are located in the following areas: Douglas, AZ (6 vacancies), Nogales, AZ (1 vacancy), and Tucson, AZ (1 vacancy). Additional selections may be made beyond the specified vacancies.

About the Role

This position provides substantive administrative support to managers and staff within the assigned organization. You will perform a variety of general clerical duties in support of various specialty areas.

Duties

• Assisting in preparing press releases and planning for public affairs campaigns, e.g., arranging meeting space and drafting handouts.
• Assisting with administrative requirements for reprogramming and transferring funds between accounts and offices serviced.
• Coordinating and monitoring the organization's property management and space utilization programs.
• Assisting with onboarding processes.
• Preparing, following, and assisting with changes in protocols, and sending composed taskers for higher-graded employees and supervisory personnel.

Requirements

• 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 provided).
• 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.
• Your conduct will be subject to government ethics standards and criminal conflict of interest statutes.
• DHS uses E-Verify to confirm eligibility to work in the United States.

This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

Qualifications

Experience:

You qualify for the GS-05 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Providing routine clerical support to the organization.
• Disseminating information material to various target audiences.
• Ensuring receipt of all items ordered, verifying payments for vouchers and invoices.
• Assisting with the annual physical inventory of nonexpendable property and equipment.
• Using various software packages, such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, desktop publishing, etc., to produce, store, and retrieve information and presentations.

You qualify for the GS-06 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Assisting in preparing press releases and planning for public affairs campaigns, e.g., arranging meeting space and drafting handouts.
• Assisting in preparing budget requests by compiling data and preparing justification statements based on information provided by senior Mission Support Specialists.
• Entering data into database programs and generating various management reports.
• Maintaining the organization's personnel files and records.
• Assisting users in the organization with software, hardware, and automation problems.

Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet these requirements, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

Education Substitution:

You qualify for the GS-05 grade level if you have successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university.

• One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

Combining Education and Experience:

Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements at grades GS-5 and below. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

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.

Pay

This position starts at a salary of $40,736.00 (GS-05, Step 1) to $59,031.00 (GS-06, Step 10) with promotion potential to $65,599.00 (GS-7 Step 10). Salary 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.

For locality pay tables by geographic area, visit OPM's locality pay tables. If your geographic area is not listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions may fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level, and location of the position. Visit special pay rate charts for more information.

Additional Information

• The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions to highlight your dedication to public service. Responses are optional and not scored but should be 200 words or less per question.
• You must complete all required steps in the application process, including an online assessment. The assessment measures critical general competencies required for the job.
• Background Investigation: All applicants must undergo a thorough background investigation. Questions will cover felony criminal convictions, use of illegal drugs, and use of non-prescribed controlled substances.
• Residency: Applicants not currently employed by CBP must have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates for at least three of the last five years. Exceptions may apply for those working for the U.S. Government, participating in study abroad programs, or supporting the U.S. government in other capacities.
• Probationary Period: All new federal employees must serve a one-year probationary period.