Senior Program Advisor

Please see announcement on USAJOBS for available locations.

Summary
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Information and Technology, Enterprise Infrastructure and Operations Directorate. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 50 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

Duties
As a Program Manager, you will work with professional peers throughout headquarters and field operational facilities across CBP. You will exercise professional judgment, technical expertise, initiative, and executive leadership while directing, coordinating, molding, and representing CBP's programs and initiatives. Major duties of this position include:

• Assisting senior leadership by planning, evaluating, integrating, and coordinating training initiatives and programs throughout CBP.
• Coordinating and implementing of basic, advanced, and in-service training programs for CBP personnel that are consistent with overall CBP and Office of Information and Technology (OIT) direction and resources.
• Reviewing all programs for effectiveness and ensuring that trends are identified and presented in concert with the urgency dictated by the condition and determines programs that require closer review and evaluation along providing Office of Information and Technology (OIT) perspective on all CBP operational programs.
• Identifying operating problems, conflicting priorities, program deficiencies, and potential problem areas along with directing the development of corrective or preventive measures to obtain desired results and assuring that new technical and managerial plans and programs are coordinated within the chain of command.

Requirements
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. 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. Financial Disclosure is required. Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications
Experience: You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Authored and implemented agency-wide policies and strategic plans for complex mission-support portfolios, delivering executive briefings that drove enterprise or national decisions.
• Established and chaired enterprise governance and change-management mechanisms, built KPI-based maturity frameworks, led audits and corrective actions, and optimized multi-line budgets and resources.
• Negotiated and finalized interagency and industry agreements and stakeholder engagement strategies to integrate disparate capabilities, resolve high-visibility issues, and secure outcomes on controversial or precedent-setting initiatives.
  NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. 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 05/15/2026.
  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.
  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
Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional Information
Security Clearance: You may be required to obtain a Secret or higher level clearance for this position. Leadership Training: All newly appointed GS-15s are required to complete mandatory training. The training will be scheduled by the Office of Training and Development within the first 90 days of appointment. The duration of the training will include 5 weeks of in residence training in Harpers Ferry, WV. Note: This training may be waived if previously completed. 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, contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Customs & Border Protection (CBP): Securing America's Borders
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS. Discover a challenging and rewarding career with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the sole organization responsible for securing the nation's borders. At CBP, we:

• Secure and enforce trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws
• Screen passengers, vehicles, and shipments entering our country
• Seize illegal narcotics, vehicles, and agricultural products and prohibited goods.
• Prevent unauthorized entry into the country
• Rescue individuals who fall into dangerous conditions traversing our border
  CBP employees demonstrate the highest level of commitment to protect and serve the United States of America and to exemplify the CBP Core Values of Vigilance, Service to Country and Integrity.