Summary U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP): Securing America's Borders CBP Agriculture Specialists safeguard American agriculture by preventing the introduction of harmful plant pests, foreign animal diseases, potential agricultural bioterrorism, and dangerous pests that threaten the health and safety of U.S. agriculture. This is done through the inspection of vessels, vehicles, and baggage for restricted materials and assessing the agricultural risk of entry into the United States. Responsibilities Being a CBP Agriculture Specialist makes you a valuable member of CBP. Typical assignments include: Serve as a consultant in the areas of inspection, analysis, intelligence gathering, examination, and law enforcement activities regarding the importation of agricultural/commercial commodities and conveyances at ports of entry Apply laws and regulations when determining the admissibility of agriculture commodities while preventing the introduction of harmful pests, diseases, and potential agro-terrorism into the United States Participate in special enforcement, targeting or analysis teams charged with collecting and analyzing information and identifying high-risk targets Plan and conduct remedial actions such as treating, disinfecting, and decontaminating prohibited commodities, conveyances, contaminants or agricultural materials Want to speak to an actual Officer or Agent? Click here to contact one of our recruiters! They are ready to assist you from application to your start date. Salary: Selections from this announcement will be at the GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9 grade levels with promotion potential to GS-11 and GS-12. Promotions are not guaranteed and are at the discretion of the agency. Your pay will be determined after you successfully complete all pre-employment processes. Pay rates are based on the 2025 OPM Salary Tables - these tables do not take into consideration any potential overtime earnings, recruitment incentives, location incentives or yearly cost of living increases. Duty Locations: You will be asked to select your preferred location for one of the following mission critical locations: Douglas, San Luis, AZ; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Newark, NJ; El Paso, Hidalgo, TX. NOTE: The above preference locations are expected to have vacancies available in the future, however, if the duty locations do not have vacancies at the time of your final offer, you may be offered a duty location in another geographic location within the United States. Locations offered at the time of your final offer are based on operational and mission requirements, and critical agency hiring needs for entry level Agriculture Specialists as determined by the CBP Office of Field Operations. If you accept the duty location of San Francisco, you may be eligible to receive an additional 25% of your salary each year for the first 3 years of employment in addition to any overtime pay. These incentives only apply to new federal employees and are dependent upon the availability of funds. Duty location offering 25% recruitment incentive: San Francisco, CA If you accept San Francisco, California as your location you will be eligible for the Special Salary Rate based on the San Francisco Special Salary Rate Table Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position. Probationary Period: You must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of your initial permanent federal appointment. Formal Training: You will be required to complete a paid pre-academy orientation for approximately 2 weeks at your home port. You will then attend a 59-day training program conducted at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) located in Glynco, GA. This training consists of determining the admissibility of agriculture commodities, preventing introduction of harmful pests/diseases, etc. For more information, please visit CBP Field Operations Academy. Successful completion of the academy is required for this position. Uniforms: This position requires you to wear an officially-approved uniform while in a duty status. Residency Requirement: CBP has a residency requirement that applies to all applicants not currently employed by CBP. You are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates as (as declared under international law) for at least three (3) of the last five (5) years, before completing an application for CBP employment. If you do not meet the residency requirement as stated above and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two (2) of the last five (5) years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency wavier 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 of a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. Government Working as a contractor employee, a volunteer, a consultant or an intern for the U.S. Government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university If selected for a position, you must provide documentation to support a request for an exception to the residency requirement. Driver's License: You must possess the ability to operate a Government Owned Vehicle. A valid driver's license is required. Any legal restrictions on a driver's license are not acceptable. More requirements for this position are listed in the Additional Information section below. Qualifications All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement in order to be considered for this position. Eligibility will be verified based on your submitted transcripts and resume. More information on this requirement can be found in the CBP Agriculture Specialist Qualification Aid and in the OPM Qualification Standards Basic Requirement for the CBP Agriculture Specialist: 1. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in biological sciences, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR 2. Combination of Education and Experience: Completed at least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) in a qualifying field of study, as shown above, PLUS qualifying experience or additional education. To determine if you meet the combination, divide the months of qualifying experience by 48; divide the number of completed undergraduate semester hours by 120 (or 180 for undergraduate quarter hours); add the two percentages; the total must equal 100% or more. GS-5 Grade Level: To qualify at the GS-5 grade level, you must meet the Basic Requirement above. GS-7 Grade Level: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, to qualify for the GS-7 applicants must also possess one of the following: One year of graduate-level education (equivalent to 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) from an accredited college or university leading to a Master's degree in a qualifying field of study; OR A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (i.e., GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 scale), from an accredited college or university that includes 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours in a qualifying field of study; OR One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level that includes: effectively dealing with individuals or groups of persons in a courteous / tactful manner in connections with agricultural matters; researching information for reports and providing information to others; analyzing information rapidly and making prompt decisions; enforcing regulations while inspecting vessels, vehicles, aircraft and/or baggage for the presence of restricted plant materials, pests or diseases; and reviewing and analyzing passengers or commodity documents to assess the agricultural risk of their entry into the United States; OR A combination of graduate-level education which includes a qualifying field of study from an accredited college or university AND specialized work experience. Divide the months of qualifying experience by 12; divide the number of completed graduate semester hours by 18 (or 27 for graduate quarter hours); add the two percentages; the total must equal 100% or more. GS-9 Grade Level: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, to qualify for the GS-9 applicants must also possess one of the following: A Master's degree or 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education from an accredited college or university that includes a major in a qualifying field of study; OR One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that includes: coordinating, planning, and executing inspection assignments, and investigating violations; compiling data, logs, and preparing reports in connection with agricultural matters and inspection operations; conducting and overseeing treatments such as disinfection, sterilization, and decontamination treatments; OR A combination of graduate-level education in a qualifying field of study, beyond the first 18 semester hours, from an accredited college or university AND specialized work experience listed above. Divide the months of qualifying experience by 12; for education count only completed courses after the first 18 semester hours, then divide the remaining number of completed graduate semester hours by 18; add the two percentages; the total must equal 100% or more. Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer 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, and 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. Education This position falls under the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences series which requires all applicants to meet a Basic Requirement. You can review the Basic Requirement - Individual Occupational Requirement and the OPM Qualification Standards for more information. See the Qualifications section for more information on the Basic Requirement. Additional Information Background Investigation: 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 more information visit the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: The Background Investigation. Medical Requirements: Following a tentative job offer, candidates must undergo and successfully complete a medical screening process. Individuals must be medically and physically capable of performing the essential job functions and duties of the position safely and efficiently without endangering the health and safety of the individual, others, or national security. For more information visit CBP's Medical Exam Process Drug Testing Requirements: Employees are subject to drug testing in compliance with the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Program. You must complete a drug test as a condition of employment. For more information, visit our Drug Testing FAQs and the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: The Drug Test. Interview Process: You will be required to pass a structured interview. For more information, please see the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: Structured Interview Polygraph Examination: You may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. Please see Polygraph Examination. Bargaining Unit: This position is covered under the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). For more information, please visit https://www.nteu.org/who-we-are/what-we-do After you successfully complete all the pre-employment steps, you will be at the final offer step. For more information on the final offer, please see the Hiring Process Deep Dive Video: The Final Offer. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to ensuring that all of our employees act in a manner that embodies the Department's Mission Statement: With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland and our values. 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 here. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): To be considered, you must submit the documents listed in the Required Documents section. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.