Summary Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of International Affairs, Washington D.C. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. Responsibilities In this International Relations Specialist (IRS) position you will be responsible for conducting analyses of the geopolitical risk factors that impact legitimate flows of people and goods in relation to U.S. trade and security goals in the respective region(s), and for developing and managing related technical assistant and capacity building programs. Additionally, the IRS will serve as a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) subject matter expert and liaison with the U.S. inter-agency for the assigned region(s) and an agency representative on policy discussions impacting the CBP mission and regional objectives. This position starts at a salary of $84,601.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $131,826.00 (GS-12, Step 10) with promotion potential to $156,755 (GS-13 Step 10). Major Duties Collaborating with federal interagency partners to assess the economic potential, diplomatic capabilities, and border security of the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)"; developing plans for international trade and travel, enhanced border security for the U.S. and host nation. Promoting outreach activities and programs with the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)" to strengthen diplomatic ties with the U.S by recommending, planning, and coordinating engagements with U.S. government representatives, leaders, and congressional members. Developing proposals and recommendations for future development and outreach activities with the assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)"; and supporting the assigned country, region, or organization in assessing the effectiveness of economic, diplomatic and border security initiatives and recommending courses of action for improvement. Participating in assigned country, region, or organization in an assigned area of responsibility (AOR)" development and providing input on sensitive and controversial issues; collaborating with assigned country, region, or organizations representatives to formalize strategic plans to facilitate and substantially enhance trade, diplomacy and border security between the host nation and the U.S. To learn more about CBP's Office of International Affairs, please visit https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/international-initiatives or visit us on X/Twitter: @CBPIntlAffairs Requirements Conditions of Employment 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) 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. Local Commuting Area: 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. Qualifications Basic Requirements Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, in one or more of the social sciences, or in the humanities, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. OR Experience: four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs. Evaluation of Experience Qualifying experience that provided an intimate knowledge of a foreign country or geographic area may have been gained through residence, study, teaching, business or commercial activities, military service, newspaper work, military or civil government activities, missionary or inter-national relief work, or other experience in foreign countries. It may also have been gained through teaching college-level courses in international relations or problems associated with a specific foreign geographic area. To qualify for positions at grades GS-12 and above on the basis of experience, this experience must have included either (a) responsibility for the direction and coordination of research, analysis, or other professional work in one or more of the fields listed in A above, or (b) specialized professional work involving a high level of difficulty and responsibility in one or more of these fields. 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: Assisting in developing new ways to deploy strategic outreach plans with host countries. Attending meetings, planning conferences, seminars, and participating in activities and policies that are related to international interest such as trade and travel. Communicating international outreach strategies, activities, and developments with senior members, host countries, and other federal and state agencies. Education Substitution, GS-11: Please see the education section of this job announcement on how to qualify based on education. Combining Experience and Education: Please see the education section of this job announcement on how to qualify based on education and experience. You qualify for the GS-12 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 analyzing the geopolitical risk factors that impact legitimate flows of people and goods in relations to United States trade and security goals. Collaborating with other U.S government agencies and foreign counterparts on developing plans to enhance trade, diplomacy and security cooperation. Providing briefings, and decision memos to higher level management, Commissioners and other foreign high-ranking officials on diplomatic, political and economic developments and initiatives. 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 02/24/2025. 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, review the following links: Background investigation and the e-QIP process. 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 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 his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period. Education Education Substitution, GS-11: You may substitute a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M. for experience at the GS-11 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours. Combining Experience and Education: 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%. Additional Information Security Clearance: Must obtain and maintain a SECRET national security clearance because of regular access to classified information. Travel: You may be required to travel up to 25% of the time. Worldwide Deployment: You may be subjected to extended TDY or worldwide deployments during crisis situations, to perform mission essential functions, as determined by management. Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.