About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Federal law enforcement (Customs and Border Protection).

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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Overview

Confidential Client is hiring full-time, entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL-5/GL-7 grade levels to join federal law enforcement operations in and around Orchards, WA. This is a career-track role with structured training, promotional steps, and significant recruitment/retention incentives.

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Compensation & Benefits

• Annual base pay for newly appointed BPAs varies by grade: GL-5 / GL-7 — $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Estimated pay for this posting: $73,724 per year (estimate).
• Recruitment incentives up to $20,000 (partial payment on successful Academy completion and for accepting prioritized locations).
• Retention incentives up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years.
• Federal benefits package including medical, dental, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), generous leave, and other standard federal employment benefits.

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Duty Locations & Assignment Notes

• Roles may include assignments at mission-critical and prioritized locations. Some duty assignments may require relocation and can include Southwest Border areas.
• Locality pay and duty station may affect final compensation. Fully trained BPAs may be eligible for up to an additional 25% of base pay under applicable pay rules.
• Career-ladder progression: GL-5 → GL-7 → GL-9 → GS-11 → GS-12; promotions occur automatically after successful completion of required time-in-grade.

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What You’ll Do (Typical Duties)

• Detect, question, and inspect people and possessions to determine citizenship or violations of immigration and customs laws.
• Prevent and apprehend undocumented entrants and smugglers; maintain covert and overt surveillance operations (night operations may use infrared scopes).
• Interpret and follow physical evidence (tracks, marks) of illegal entry and contraband smuggling.
• Conduct farm checks, building checks, traffic stops, city patrols, and transportation inspections.
• Patrol international boundaries and coastal waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, off-road vehicles, ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and other government assets.

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Qualifications

You may qualify at GL-5 with one of the following:

• One year of general work experience demonstrating responsibility, sound decision-making under stress, ability to learn regulations and techniques, and information-gathering through questioning and observation; OR
• A bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of general work experience and college coursework (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

You may qualify at GL-7 with one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience showing ability to: exercise sound judgment in firearm use; interact courteously and tactfully in law enforcement contexts; rapidly analyze information and make prompt decisions (experience may come from criminal code enforcement, corrections, security, military, or related fields); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement (GPA or honors) OR one year of relevant graduate-level education in fields such as criminal justice, homeland security, forensic technology, or related areas; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated from resume and transcripts).

Note: Candidates with prior law enforcement or military law enforcement experience may qualify for higher-grade BPA announcements (GL-9 / GS-11).

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Other Requirements

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Must have primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age restriction: Candidates must be referred before their 40th birthday under certain federal law enforcement retirement statutes, unless exempt due to prior federal civilian LEO service or Veterans' Preference eligibility.
• Spanish language proficiency is valuable; training to improve Spanish proficiency is provided at the Academy.
• Successful candidates will attend approximately six months of intensive training at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) covering immigration and nationality laws, driver training, physical techniques, firearms, and USBP-specific operations.

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Why Join

• Meaningful federal law enforcement career with clear advancement pathways.
• Competitive pay and generous incentives for recruitment and retention.
• Comprehensive federal benefits and job stability.
• Hands-on training and opportunities to serve in a mission-focused team.

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How Applicants Are Evaluated

• Candidates are screened on experience, education, and supporting documents (resume, transcripts).
• Selection factors include demonstrated judgment, decision-making in stressful environments, law-enforcement-related skills, and successful performance on the BPA entrance exam.
• Final hiring decisions are made by human hiring officials.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.