CBP Agriculture Specialist (Biological Threat Ops Specialist)

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Los Angeles Field Office in Long Beach, CA.

This is a Reassignment Opportunity Bulletin: You must be currently serving or have previously served as a fulltime permanent GS-11 and GS-12 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and are currently serving or have served in the (0401) series within the last five years to qualify under this Bulletin. If you hold or have previously held the GS-0401-13 level or higher and are willing to take a change to lower grade, you will also be considered for this position. If you are not a current GS-0401, and you are selected, you will have to meet the following medical/physical standards: Physical and Environmental Conditions: The work environment includes offices, aircraft operation areas, airline passenger and cargo areas, and marine docks. Periods of outdoor work may be required in snow, rain, or extreme heat. Occasional periods of outdoor work may be required in remote areas with no modern comfort facilities. The work may involve the use of toxic chemicals, pesticides and fumigants. Protective clothing may be required such as hard hats, gloves, goggles, hearing protection, and respirators. Medical Requirements: Following a tentative job offer, candidates must undergo and successfully complete a medical screening process. Individuals must be medically and physically capable of performing the essential job functions and duties of the position safely and efficiently without endangering the health and safety of the individual, others, or national security. For more information regarding the medical screening process and requirements, check out our video and visit our website. This position starts at a salary of $87,061.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $135,657.00 (GS-12, Step 10). In this CBP Agriculture Specialist (Biological Threat Operations Specialist) position you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals inspecting agricultural products to protect the U.S. homeland, enforce federal U.S. laws, and efficiently facilitate legitimate trade and travel. Typical work assignments include: Collecting and evaluating raw data on agriculture and biological terrorism. Researching and analyzing sensitive security information. Preparing and disseminating reports that identify tactical intelligence regarding possible agriculture bioterrorism trends or suspected activities. Developing, planning, and coordinating tactical operations in participation with other Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Preparing reports to supervisory and management officials on such activities.

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 and/or polygraph 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. This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below: The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or if applicable For employees who are detailed or temporarily promoted for more than 1 year to another duty location, the detailed or temporary duty location is considered to be the duty location of record for commuting area purposes. For employees detailed or temporarily promoted for less than one year, the permanent duty location is considered the duty location of record for commuting area purposes.

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position. All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement in order to be considered for this position. Eligibility will be verified based on your submitted transcripts and resume. More information on this requirement can be found in the CBP Agriculture Specialist Qualification Aid and in the OPM Qualification Standards. Basic Requirement for the CBP Agriculture Specialis: 1. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, animal science, plant science, pest management, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR 2. Combination of education and experience: Completed at least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) in a qualifying field of study, as shown above, PLUS qualifying experience or additional education. To determine if you meet the combination, you must divide the months of qualifying experience by 48; next, divide the number of undergraduate semester hours by 120 (or 180 for undergraduate quarter hours) and the two percentages must total at least 100%.