Executive Director, Admissibility and Passenger Programs

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security; within U.S. Customs and Border Protection; in the Office of Field Operations (OFO); Washington, D.C. For more information about U.S. Customs and Border Protection, please visit https://www.cbp.gov/about.

Duties

As Executive Director, Admissibility and Passenger Programs, you will be responsible for overseeing admissibility requirements and passenger program policy at all land, sea, and air ports-of-entry. You will administer programs associated with the protection of the U.S. borders through the identification and interception of those individuals who threaten the security of our Nation, while providing the entry of legitimate travelers. You will oversee all program activities and processes relating to the operations of Admissibility and Passenger Programs within the Office of Field Operations (OFO). You will provide policy and direction in the screening and admission of people applying to enter the United States through established land, sea, and air ports of entry. You will be responsible for coordinating the operational activities and program issues relative to the movement of individuals at the U.S. borders. You will provide direction in the development and implementation of delivery methods and means necessary to support the appropriate balance between securing our Nation's borders against terrorism and the facilitation of travel across the U.S. borders. You will develop programs that promote the ongoing integration, development, coordination, and implementation of program inspection areas into OFO. You will serve as the principal point-of-contact to a wide variety of travel and transportation interests, other government agencies active at ports-of-entry, and numerous foreign governments that wish to coordinate with or learn from CBP border control activities. You will implement policies, programs, and procedures and assure their consistent and equitable application within Admissibility and Passenger Programs. You will administer and oversee resource allocation and expenditures. You will meet with and brief high-level officials, including the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Executive Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations, subordinate senior managers, other Federal agencies, representatives within and outside the Department of Homeland Security, state and local government officials, private industry, and the general public. For an overview of the diverse responsibilities CBP carries out within the Government, visit our website at cbp.gov.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen. 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. You will be required to carry a firearm and maintain firearm proficiency. Subject to a 1-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed). Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on. You may be required to obtain and maintain a security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal. CBP may authorize a relocation incentive (not to exceed 25% of basic pay) for an eligible selectee. A service agreement will be required. CBP may choose to pay your relocation expenses in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations. Veterans' preference is not applicable to the SES. Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders. Individuals selected for SES positions may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines, and may be required to sign a Reassignment Rights and Obligation Agreement. There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents: Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information).

Qualifications and evaluation

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) listed above. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position. The selected individual's application will be forwarded to the OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. For more information regarding the SES, go to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/. 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 the performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/index.cfm Employment Information Resources - Resource Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx) U.S. Customs and Border Protection: is an equal employment employer. Selection for positions will be based solely on merit. provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Education

There is no education requirement for this position. You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments and experience. Your resume will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB before an appointment can occur.

Benefits

Review DHS benefits.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete this application and submit any required documents specified in the Required Documents section and submit by 11:59 PM ET on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select and upload your résumé and/or other required documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the "Include Personal Information" section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and uploaded, (i.e., resume and other required documents) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail. Due to security processes, mail delivery takes approximately 2-3 weeks to process at which time the vacancy announcement will be closed, and no further consideration will be given to additional application packages. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please use the contact information below. Your application materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 10/05/2026. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account and check your applicant profile dashboard, which will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

Required documents

A complete application includes the items described below. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants. Vacancy announcement number EXSER/26-13057237-CBP Full name, e-mail and mailing addresses, and day and evening telephone numbers Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the U.S. Department of Education website. Information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: Job title (include series and grade if Federal job) Duties and accomplishments Employer's name and address Supervisor's name and phone number Starting and ending dates of employment (month and year) Salary Note: The Federal Government does not deny employment to individuals who are currently or who have been unemployed, nor does it deny employment to individuals who have had financial difficulties through no fault of their own. To review a sample resume and resume writing tips for executive positions, please visit our website: https://www.cbp.gov/careers/professional/ses 2. VACANCY QUESTION/ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES: Responses are automatically submitted through USA Jobs when you apply to this vacancy. 3. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Applicants are required to submit all applicable supporting documentation: SF-50: CURRENT OR FORMER SES MEMBERS: Must provide your specific SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), which documents conversion or appointment to your formal SES position, and an SF-50 showing current career SES status or career SES reinstatement eligibility. CURRENT FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE: Must provide a copy of your SF-50 or equivalent personnel action form reflecting you are a current Federal Civil Service employee. NOTE: An SF-50 that does not indicate grade, pay band or level will not be accepted. SESCDP: SES CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (SESCDP) GRADUATES: Must provide verification of your successful completion of an OPM-approved SESCDP and OPM SES QRB certification. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Most recent performance evaluation. NOTE: IF SELECTED, a Structured Interview will be used to certify the candidate by an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB). If you are currently serving in a career SES appointment or are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, you WILL NOT need to participate in a Structured Interview. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Extraneous materials, such as narratives addressing the ECQs and award certificates, will not be considered.

Additional information

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 seeks to preserve jobs for those who are legally entitled to them: American citizens and aliens who are authorized to work in our country. This law requires employees to provide a document or documents that establish identity and employment eligibility. Enhanced Customs and Border Protection Officer (CBPO) Retirement (applies to the ES-1895 job series): This position is covered by the Enhanced CBPO Retirement provisions under Public Law 110-161, Division E, Section 535 as a 'Secondary' covered position is defined as: a Supervisory Customs and Border Protection Officer or administrative position (e.g., managerial, technical, professional) with the Department of Homeland Security for which experience in a 'Primary' CBPO position is mandatory prerequisite. A primary CBPO position is a frontline, rigorous Customs and Border Protection Officer, GS-1895, or heritage position(s) Customs Inspector, GS-1890, Immigration Inspector, GS-1816, and Canine Enforcement Officer, GS-1801. An employee must have performed the primary CBPO position for a consecutive period of at least 3 years and transferred directly to the secondary CBPO defined position without a break of more than 3 days to be eligible for the enhanced CBPO Retirement Coverage under Public Law 110-161, Division E, Section 535. Candidates for this position must have had prior service that would include one of the above series. Law Enforcement Retirement: This position will carry secondary law enforcement coverage as provided in 5 U.S.C. 8336(c), and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d), for eligible law enforcement employees. Employees who reach age 57 with at least 20 years of creditable service under law enforcement provisions are subject to mandatory separation from this position. Federal employees who currently work in a primary/rigorous law enforcement position and do not have a break in service of more than three days are eligible to continue coverage in a secondary position. Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition [TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 922(G)(9)]. A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is generally defined under the statute as any offense involving the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by the victim's current or former domestic partner, parent, or guardian. The term "convicted", as defined in the statute, excludes any person whose conviction has been expunged, set-aside, or pardoned or any person whose civil rights have been restored unless the pardon, expungement or restoration of civil rights expressly prohibits the possession of firearms or ammunition. Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the meaning of the referenced statute are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. False or fraudulent information provided by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment (TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 1001). Firearms Requirement: You must carry a firearm, maintain firearm proficiency, and meet all firearm qualification requirements under the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996.