Supervisory Paralegal Specialist

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Area Port of San Francisco,

This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position. Joining the Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations will allow you to use your expertise to perform and supervise administrative and operational work of the Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures program. Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen Homeland Security by performing paralegal activities such as reviewing and finalizing claims, preparing cases, and participating in the work of a paralegal team.

This position starts at a salary of $133,060.00 (GS-13, Step 1) to $172,980.00 (GS-13, Step 10).

In this Supervisory Paralegal Specialist position, you will become a key member of a team of Homeland Security professionals responsible for the initiation and/or adjudication of civil liabilities arising from seizures, penalties, prior disclosures, immigration carrier fines, and claims for liquidated damages. Typical work assignments include:

• Supervising the day-to-day operations of a Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures (FPF) office service area and processes the adjudication of all liquidated damages, penalty, and seizure cases.
• Reviewing and processing all cases within their area of authority through final adjudication and solution and ensuring that all cases are legally sufficient in order to establish the violation, as well as that case files contain the correct supporting documentation.
• Developing and evaluating all evidence, facts, and circumstances relating to cases and makes determinations, decisions, and recommendations within the requirements of the laws and regulations.
• Having the authority to cancel any cases where it is determined that no violation exists or that certain types of cases are DE MINIMIS as defined by written policies of CBP.
• Making the final determination as to whether prior disclosures are valid pursuant to relevant Title 19 authority.

Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:

• Reviewing and adjudicating seizures, penalties, prior disclosures, immigration carrier fines, and claims for liquidated damages through to resolution.
• Evaluating all evidence, facts, and circumstances relating to cases and makes determinations and recommendations as appropriate within the requirements of the mitigation guidelines, policies, laws and regulations, and violators' participation in partnership programs.
• Reviewing and making determinations as to the presence of probable cause and/or the acceptability of evidence.
• Formulating concise, written responses to official correspondence*which include a summary of the arguments, analysis, and the conclusions of law supporting the decision.
• Developing and providing guidance, training, and feedback regarding seizures, penalties, fines and liquidated damages case processing.

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.

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 by 06/16/2026.

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.

The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. To preview the questionnaire please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12976980

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an assessment. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12976980.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990, as amended, that would interfere with completing the assessment, you are able to request a Reasonable Accommodation prior to the online questionnaire and Logical Reasoning Test. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.