Supervisory Paralegal Specialist

Organizational

Location:

The positions are with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, within one of the following office locations:
Miami Field Office, located in Miami, FL. New York Field Office, located in Queens, NY.

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‑13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Initiating, reviewing and/or adjudicating seizures, penalties, prior disclosures, immigration carrier fines, and/or claims for liquidated damages through resolution.
• Evaluating all evidence, facts, and circumstances relating to cases and making determinations and recommendations as appropriate within the requirements of the mitigation guidelines, policies, laws and regulations, and violators' participation in partnership programs.
• Reviewing and making determinations as to the presence of probable cause and/or the acceptability of evidence.
• Formulating concise, written responses to official correspondence which include a summary of the arguments, analysis, and the conclusions of law supporting the decision.
• Developing and providing guidance, training, and feedback to CBP and ICE/HSI field personnel regarding seizures, penalties, fines and/or liquidated damages case processing.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps) 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 01/15/2026.

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…