Mission Support Specialist

About the role

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Boston Field Office, Area Port of Boston located in Boston, MA. Additional selections may be made to include other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above. 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: You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Helping to determine the most effective and efficient approach to meet customer requirements. Assisting with identifying ways to improve or enhance current services and ensuring that such services meet management's business objectives. Assessing situations that are complicated by conflicting and/or incomplete data, requiring general problem solving to isolate issues. Assisting with reconciling conflicting incomplete information and helping to identify and extract additional pertinent information required. Defining issues or problems in terms that are compatible with appropriate laws, policies, or regulations. 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: Providing guidance and technical advice in a variety of mission support functional areas for a Port of Entry. Determining the most effective technical approaches to the problem using standard regulations and procedures. Analyzing results and recommending changes including those to current processes and/or long-standing policies to ensure the efficient and effective productivity of the administrative operations in different areas of the organization. Determines the most effective and efficient approach to meet customer requirements Education Substitution: GS-9: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or a L.L.B. or J.D. for the experience required at the GS-9 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 two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours. You are required to submit proof of your claim. GS-11: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or L.L.M for the experience required 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. You are required to submit proof of your claim. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade level and may be computed by first determining your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining your 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 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.) More information on this qualification standard is located here. 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 05/29/2026. The Office of Perso