Customs and Border Protection Officer
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Positions
Series and Grade
GS-1895- 5/7
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
The primary focus of the Customs and Border Protection Officer (CBP Officer) is to detect and prevent terrorists and weapons of mass destruction from entering the United States, while facilitating the orderly flow of legitimate trade and travelers. This requires enforcing laws related to revenue and trade, seizure of contraband, interdiction of agricultural pests and diseases, and admissibility of persons. CBP Officers perform the full range of inspection, passenger and cargo analysis, examination and law enforcement activities relating to the arrival and departure of persons, merchandise and conveyances at the ports of entry. (See Additional Resources below for the Self-Assessment to determine if this position may be a good fit for you).
Duty Location:
Customs and Border Protection ports of entry throughout the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
Requirements:
Pre-employment requirements consist of a video-based structured interview, a thorough background investigation, medical examination, fitness test and drug test. (See Additional Resources below for exam preparation material).
Conditions:
Customs and Border Protection Officers must be willing to work at any of the ports of entry in the geographic area covered by an announcement. They must be willing to work overtime and/or shift work (sometimes under arduous conditions), qualify regularly with and carry firearms, and are subject tot random drug tests.
Training:
New hires must successfully pass an 18-week training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center near Brunswick, Georgia. Officers are trained in basic law enforcement skills, including Anti-Terrorism, Detection of Contraband, Interviewing, Cross-cultural Communications, Firearms Handling and Qualification, etc.. Candidates selected for duty locations requiring Spanish may receive an additional 6 weeks of Spanish Language training. While in training, they will receive full pay and benefits.
Competencies:
The following table delineates the competency model for CBP Officer, Agriculture Specialist, and Border Patrol Agent Entry Level through Journey Level positions. For a list of TSA OLC courses relevant to each competency see Additional Resources below.
Entry through Journey -Level Critical Competencies
| Competency | Associated Skills |
| Thinking Skills | |
| Reasoning | |
| Decision Making | |
| Problem Solving | |
| Judgement | |
| Learning | |
| Reading | |
| Personal Characteristics | |
| Conscientiousness | |
| Integrity/Honesty | |
| Emotional Maturity | |
| Cooperativeness/Sensitivity to the Needs of Others | |
| Self-Presentation | |
| Flexibility | |
| Interacting with Others | |
| Writing | |
| Oral Communication/Listening | |
| Leadership | |
| Teaching Others | |
| Negotiating | |
| Work Management Skills | |
| Technology Application | |
| Organizational and Community Awareness | |
| Managing and Organizing Information | |
| Self-Management | |
| Managing Resources | |
| Managing Human Resources | |
| Planning and Evaluating | |
| Physical and Psychomotor Skills | |
| Eye-Hand Coordination | |
| Physical Strength and Agility | |
| Stamina |
Additional Resources:
Customs and Border Protection Self-Assessment Tool (PDF, 24KB)
Preparation Manual for CBP Officer and Agriculture Specialist (PDF, 411KB)
OLC Courses for:
Thinking Skills competency (PDF, 53KB)
Personal Characteristics competency (PDF, 87KB)
Interacting with Others competency (PDF, 80KB)
Work Management Skills competency (PDF, 128KB)
Physical and Psychomotor Skills competency (PDF, 28KB)
- Visit USAJOBS to see if this position is open and view other CBP positions.
