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, Legal (Federal Law Enforcement).

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

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About the Role

Confidential Client is hiring entry-level Border Patrol Agents (BPA) at GL‑5 / GL‑7 grade levels for full-time federal law enforcement careers. This is a mission-driven, career-ladder role requiring academy training and the ability to perform patrol, surveillance, and enforcement duties along the border and at supporting stations.

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What You’ll Do

• Detect, question, and inspect people and documents to enforce immigration and customs laws.
• Conduct surveillance (including night operations using infrared equipment) and covert observation to deter and interdict smuggling and unlawful entry.
• Perform tracks and physical-evidence interpretation to identify illegal entry or contraband.
• Conduct farm, building, traffic, city, and transportation checks; patrol boundaries and waterways using vehicles, horses, vessels, ATVs, snowmobiles, and motorcycles.
• Work as part of a team in varied operational environments; enforce arrests and exercise judgment consistent with federal law enforcement responsibilities.

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Compensation & Benefits

• Annual base salary range for newly appointed BPAs (GL‑5 / GL‑7): $51,632 – $92,912 per year.
• Eligible for comprehensive federal benefits including health, dental, retirement (Thrift Savings Plan), and generous annual and sick leave.
• Recruitment incentive: up to $20,000 (first $10,000 after academy completion; additional $10,000 for accepting prioritized locations).
• Retention incentive: may qualify for up to $40,000 distributed over the first four years.
• Potential locality and pay differentials; a fully trained BPA may be eligible for up to an additional 25% locality pay per applicable statutes.
• Career-ladder progression: GL‑5 → GL‑7 → GL‑9 → GS‑11 → GS‑12 with promotion eligibility after required service at each grade.

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Minimum Qualifications

You may qualify at GL‑5 if you meet one of the following:

• One (1) year of general work experience demonstrating decision-making, composure under stress, ability to learn regulations and methods, and information-gathering through questioning and examination; OR
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of education and general work experience (evaluated from your resume and transcripts).

You may qualify at GL‑7 if you meet one of the following:

• One (1) year of specialized work experience showing ability to: exercise sound judgment in firearms use, deal courteously and tactfully in law enforcement matters, analyze information rapidly and make prompt decisions (examples: criminal enforcement, corrections, security, military police); OR
• A bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement or one year of relevant graduate-level study; OR
• A combination of specialized experience and education (evaluated from your resume and transcripts).

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Preferred Qualifications

• Prior public-safety, security, military police, or law enforcement experience.
• Spanish language proficiency or demonstrated ability to learn; academy training provides Spanish instruction.
• Comfortable operating in remote or austere field locations and using a range of transport and surveillance assets.

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Other Requirements & Important Notices

• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Residency: Must have had primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Candidates must be referred before reaching their 40th birthday per applicable federal LEO retirement provisions. (There are exceptions for certain prior federal law enforcement service and for Veterans’ Preference eligibles.)
• Formal training: Appointees will attend approximately six months of intensive instruction at the Border Patrol Academy (Artesia, NM) covering law, operations, driving, physical techniques, firearms, and language training.
• Duty assignments: Offers may include duty at the Southwest Border and prioritized locations. Relocation may be required; duty assignment is based on operational needs and may not match initial preferences.
• Safety-sensitive duties and background checks apply; selection involves review of resume, supporting documents, and entrance testing.

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Recruiter Notes

Careertakes recruits on behalf of Confidential Client using best-practice third-party sourcing. Applicants may be considered for multiple matched opportunities on the Careertakes platform. We recommend submitting a clear resume and (if applicable) transcripts to document education substitutions or specialized experience.

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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.