Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Human Resources Management, Retirement and Benefits Branch, in one of the following locations:

• Bloomington, MN
• Washington, D.C.
• Indianapolis, IN

Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

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Joining Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will allow you to utilize your expertise in human resources in the administration of the Federal employee benefits and retirement programs. This position starts at a salary of $50,460.00 (GS-07, Step 1) to $80,243.00 (GS-09, Step 10) with promotion potential to $116,362 (GS-12 Step 10).

GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position.Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts.

Typical Work assignments include:

• Serving as an HR specialist in employee benefits, working on retirement and benefit rules and regulations, and reviewing previous retirement system determinations in accordance with the Federal Erroneous Corrections Coverage Act (FERCCA).
• Counseling management, employees, and beneficiaries on program coverage, options, variances in coverage, and advantages and disadvantages of benefits.
• Providing advisory and counseling services for various types of retirement, including voluntary, disability, involuntary/discontinued, deferred, and retirement under general and special provisions for law enforcement and CBP officers.
• Ensuring employees have been notified of the determination and given the information necessary to make appropriate decisions regarding their retirement coverage.
• Explaining benefit and/or entitlement eligibility requirements for such benefits as the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) and Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) to employees, supervisors, and human resources staff.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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. Please review further details via the following link.
• DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.
• Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

Experience : You qualify for the GS-07 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Assisting in reviewing benefits and retirement documents.
• Counseling employees about their federal benefits using a wide range of HR rules and regulations.
• Providing guidance to human resources staff regarding retirement and benefits processing and procedures.

Experience : You qualify for the GS-09 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Applying Human Resources methods and principles to assist with resolving moderately complex problems.
• Interpreting initial benefits and/ or entitlements on eligibility requirement for such benefits as the Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) and Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) to employees, supervisors and human resources staff.
• Assisting with the development and training for management and employees.

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.

Education Substitution for GS-07:

• Successful completion of one full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university may substitute for experience required at this level. This education must demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise 1 year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours.

OR

• Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): You may substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-07 grade level. You must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a scale, class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision, or membership in a national scholastic honor society. Please see for additional information.

Education Substitution for GS-09:

• Successful completion of a master's or equivalent degree, or two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, from an accredited college or university, may be substituted for experience at the GS-09 grade level. Such education must demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work. Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours.

Combining Education and Experience:

• To combine your education and experience, you must convert each to a percentage, and then add the percentages. The combined total of your percentage of education and experience must equal at least 100% in order to qualify. If your education is currently described in quarter hours, convert the quarter hours into semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by the fraction 2/3. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, divide the number of graduate semester hours in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level, by 18 ((1 year of graduate study = 18 semester hours). To determine your percentage of qualifying experience, you must divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by the required number of months of experience. Add your percentages of education and experience. The two percentages must total at least 100%. More information on this qualification standard is located here.

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 07/24/2026.

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 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.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement.

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Continued from the Required Documents Section

• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards. Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). Additionally, if you are a former federal employee, and have been separated from Federal service for over 52 weeks, it is recommended that you submit your most recent rating of record (performance appraisal) when applying.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here .

Additional Hiring and Special Appointing Authorities: See "THIS JOB IS OPEN TO" section above for what additional Appointing Authorities may apply. Veterans, military spouses, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and people 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 and to understand what documentation would be required with your application, please click on the appropriate link below. You must provide documentation supporting your eligibility prior to the closing date of this announcement. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact the CBP Hiring Center via the contact information listed at the end of this job opportunity announcement.

• Veterans
• Military spouses Effective until December 31, 2028, any spouse of a member on active duty may be eligible
• Individuals with Disabilities The proof of disability documentation must specify that you are eligible to apply using Schedule A. It does NOT need to detail your specific disability, medical history or need for accommodation. For more information visit this link .
• Peace Corps and VISTA
• Land Management Hiring Flexibility Act : The following documents are required at the time of application: SF-50s to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility requirements and the most recent performance rating signed by your supervisor or a statement from your supervisor documenting acceptable performance.
• O ther miscellaneous hiring authorities

Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied.

Continued in the Benefits Section

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Continued from the Additional Information Section

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, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Please upload your resume under the "Resume" document type. Any other relevant supporting documents should be uploaded under their appropriate document types as mentioned above. Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Do notsubmit documents as a PDF Portfolios.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.