Mission Support Specialist (Finance)

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Big Bend Sector, Mission Readiness Operations, located in Marfa, TX. Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement for other divisions and units within the listed duty location(s).

Pay

This position starts at a salary of $74,678.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $97,087.00 (GS-11, Step 10).

GS Salary: Visit the locality pay tables by geographic area. If your geographic area is not listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions may qualify for a special pay rate depending on series, grade level, and location. Visit the special pay rate charts for details.

Responsibilities

• Formulate, develop, and execute all aspects of a budget; apply administrative concepts, laws, policies, and analytical methods to ensure compliance, provide technical direction, and address technical issues or problems and procedural requirements.
• Develop, integrate, and execute the operating budget; oversee expenditures to ensure allocations, commitments, and expenditures are projected and spent accordingly.
• Manage a travel card program by serving as a local program coordinator; serve as a certifier and/or reviewer to fund and/or approve travel authorizations and vouchers.
• Monitor overtime pay to ensure employees do not exceed congressionally mandated overtime; monitor federal pay laws to ensure usage is within established budgetary allocations and restrictions.

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 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, your conduct will be subject to ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, including conflict-of-interest statutes and CBP-specific rules.
• DHS uses E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.

Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC). For local chapter contact information, visit NBPC's website.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Coordinating and monitoring a variety of administrative projects related to budget and/or finance.
• Identifying and recommending solutions to a wide range of budget-related problems.
• Analyzing data from a variety of sources to develop trends, patterns, and estimates.
• Preparing preliminary and finished budget expenditure, payroll, overtime reports, and related documents.

Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

Education Substitution: Successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a degree from an accredited college or university, a doctoral degree, or an LL.M., if related, may substitute for the experience required at this level. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11. More information on this qualification standard is available.

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). 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 by 08/14/2026.

Background Investigation

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment 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).
• The use of non-prescribed controlled substances including experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution.

For additional information on the pre-employment process, review the Applicant Resources.

Residency

There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals must 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 but have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request 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 authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military 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 their initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may also be required to serve or complete a probationary period.

Additional Information

The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions to highlight your dedication to public service. While responses are not required and will not be scored, you are encouraged to thoughtfully address each question (200 words or less per question). You must certify that your responses are in your own words and not generated by a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI), such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

To preview the questionnaire, visit this link.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests

If you believe you have a disability covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you may request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for reasonable accommodation and supporting documentation must be received prior to starting the assessments. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. If approved, you will receive an email invitation to complete the assessments, which must be completed within 48 hours of receiving the access URL.