CUSTOMS LIQUIDATOR (DRAWBACK)
What you'd do
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Houston Field Office, Petroleum, Natural Gas & Minerals (PNGM) Center of Excellence and Expertise, located in Rosemont, Illinois, Newark, New Jersey and Houston, Texas. Additional selections may be made to include other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
Major duties
The selection will be made, and oversight of this position will be maintained by the Field Office below, but the physical location of this position will remain in the duty location chosen. This position starts at a salary of $50,460.00 (GS-7, Step 1) to $80,243.00 (GS-9, Step 10) with promotion potential to $116,362 (GS-12 Step 10). Salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and will be adjusted to meet the locality pay of the duty location upon selection. GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position. Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts. In this position, you will strengthen the Department's ability to perform homeland security functions by becoming a valuable member of a team of commercial, inspection, entry, liquidation, and Customs Officer employees. Typical duties include: Responding to basic, repetitive questions regarding reporting requirements, and calculation methods. Participating in the review of company records on-site to establish if goods meet eligibility requirements, and to verify the adequacy of a company's drawback system. Examining the manufacturing process, and various records to determine eligible quantities of goods, to trace imported merchandise through to exportation, to ensure use complies with applicable laws and regulations, and, for unused merchandise claims, to ensure imported goods are neither used in the United States nor commercially interchangeable. Tracing documentation to ensure a clear record exists from importation through manufacture to exportation.
What you need to qualify
Experience: You qualify for the GS-07 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Analyzing customs documents Manufacturing records, export documentation, and accounting records Applying customs laws, regulations, and procedures Interpreting customs requirements Determining of rates of duty, classification of merchandise, and entry requirements You qualify for the GS09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Reviewing and making decisions on drawback claims of average difficulty and complexity Reviewing company records to establish if goods meet eligibility requirements Verifying the adequacy of a company's drawback system Presenting assigned portions of seminars and other outreach efforts to explain drawback eligibility and requirements 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. Education Substitution: GS-7: You may substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-7 level. You must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society. OR GS-7: You may substitute the successful completion of one year of fulltime graduate education for the experience required at the GS-7 level. This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work of the position. 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. Education Substitution: GS-9: You may substitute a Master's degree or 2 full years of graduate education in a qualifying field or a J.D or L.L.B. degree for experience required at the GS-9 grade level. Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours. Combining Experience and Education: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) 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 07/15/2026. 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 on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers 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. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP eligible. View information about CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement. To be considered well qualified under CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position.
Before you apply
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