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 (Department of Homeland Security).

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

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What You’ll Do

Confidential Client is hiring entry-level Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPO) to join their federal law enforcement team protecting the nation’s borders and facilitating lawful trade and travel. In this role you will:

• Enforce customs, immigration, and agriculture laws and regulations.
• Conduct physical and document inspections of people, conveyances, and merchandise.
• Determine admissibility of individuals seeking entry into the United States.
• Detect and prevent smuggling, illicit activity, and the movement of prohibited goods.
• Use observational, investigative, and interviewing techniques to evaluate facts and resolve issues.
• Work with colleagues and partner agencies to coordinate operations and support mission objectives.
• Complete required training, certifications, and ongoing professional development.

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Qualifications

You must meet federal requirements for this position; minimum qualifications vary by grade level (GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, etc.). Typical qualifications include:

• Citizenship: You must be a U.S. citizen.
• Residency: Primary U.S. residency for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Age: Candidates must generally be referred for selection before their 40th birthday, with exceptions for certain prior federal law enforcement service or veterans’ preference.
• Education / Experience for GS-5 (examples — select one):
  • Minimum three (3) years full-time general work experience demonstrating ability to interact with people and learn/apply a body of facts; OR
  • A bachelor’s degree (4-year); OR
  • Combination of education and general work experience (evaluated from resume and transcripts).
• Education / Experience for GS-7 (examples — select one):
  • One (1) year of specialized full-time work experience equivalent to the next lower grade that involves inspections, evaluating documentation, applying laws/regulations, and making determinations that could lead to arrests or seizures; OR
  • Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement or one full year of graduate-level education; OR
  • Combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education.
• Prior law enforcement or military law enforcement experience may qualify candidates at higher grade levels (e.g., GS-9); consult the official job opportunity announcement for details.
• You will be required to successfully complete pre-academy orientation and the CBPO training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and any additional language training required by certain duty locations.
• Additional requirements (background investigation, medical and fitness standards, drug screening) will apply.

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Compensation & Benefits

• Annual base salary for newly appointed CBPOs varies by grade and duty location (GS-5 through GS-7 ranges quoted in the source materials): $41,863 - $112,415 per year (locality pay varies by duty station).
• Recruitment incentives: Newly appointed officers at select mission-critical locations may be offered recruitment incentives (up to $15,000 per year for defined service contracts; contract duration varies by location and program).
• Overtime potential: A fully trained CBPO may be eligible for significant overtime (source citations indicate potential additional income up to approximately $45,000 depending on duty assignment and overtime availability).
• Federal benefits: Health, dental, life insurance options; generous annual and sick leave; participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); federal retirement benefits and other standard federal employee programs.

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Duty Locations & Incentives

This hiring effort supports mission-critical duty locations across multiple states and territories. Candidates will be asked to provide duty-location preferences; available locations and incentive eligibility are determined by operational needs. Examples of location clusters that have been included in prior recruitments include (not exhaustive): Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and others. Incentive amounts, service-commitment terms, and whether a location is eligible for an incentive depend on current program rules and operational needs.

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Training & Career Progression

• You will complete a paid pre-academy orientation at your home port followed by an intensive training program (CBPO Field Operations Academy) at FLETC covering law enforcement fundamentals, immigration law, firearms, cargo and baggage examination, physical fitness, and other core skills.
• Career-ladder opportunities exist (GS-5 → GS-7 → GS-9 → GS-11 → GS-12) with eligibility for promotion after successful completion of required time-in-grade and performance milestones; promotions are at the discretion of the agency.

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Candidate Notes & Legal Requirements

• Veterans’ preference and excepted service hiring authorities (e.g., VRA) may apply; check eligibility rules in the official announcement.
• Final selection is contingent on successful completion of: background investigation, medical/fitness exams, drug screening, and any other legally required pre-employment checks.
• This posting follows federal hiring rules and applicable state employment laws for the duty location.

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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.