General Attorney - Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in Artesia, NM or El Paso, TX. This announcement has been extended and will close on 12/09/2026

This position is with the Office of Assistant Chief Counsel located in Artesia NM, or El Paso, TX. The Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) is one of the Government's largest and oldest legal offices. OCC attorneys work on cutting-edge legal issues and provide critical advice across the CBP portfolio, including trade enforcement, search and seizure, immigration, and government ethics. They also represent the agency in labor and employment matters and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice. This position starts at a salary of $74,678.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10) with promotion potential to $163,514 (GS-14, Step 10). In this position, you will become a key member of the legal team of The Office of Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include: Developing and delivering legal training to CBP managers and employees relating to the activities and functions of CBP (i.e., disclosure of information, search and seizure, and investigations) and legal issues involving CBP employees (i.e., ethics, reasonable accommodations, whistleblower protections, Hatch Act); issues involving CBP employees (i.e., ethics, reasonable accommodations, whistleblower protections, Hatch Act); Providing legal guidance to, and legal representation of, CBP in matters relating to the activities and functions of CBP at the ports of entry (i.e., in the passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport environments) and between the ports of entry; Performing legal research and applying laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across the CBP portfolio including customs and admissibility (i.e., forced labor enforcement, collection of customs duties, taxes, and fees), border search (i.e., search of electronic devices), immigration laws (i.e., admissibility at the ports of entry), and national security and intelligence; Providing ethics guidance and representing CBP in administrative hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, administrative law judges, and arbitrators involving matters such as employee discipline, discrimination complaints, collective bargaining agreements, and broker license revocation; and Supporting the Department of Justice as agency counsel in civil and criminal actions (i.e., FOIA, tort/Bivens, asset forfeiture, immigration, penalty collection) brought in federal court by preparing litigation reports, affidavits, and other pleadings, and participating in eDiscovery, motion drafting, witness interviews, and mediation/settlement discussions.

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) 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. Travel: You will be required to travel as needed for any mandatory training, and to provide legal support to or on behalf of CBP clients or to deliver training, in various field operating locations. In addition, applicants who choose the El Paso duty station will be expected to be available to regularly travel to Artesia, New Mexico, at the government's expense, to deliver legal training at the Border Patrol Academy. Travel to Artesia may exceed 50% of the time, and it may not follow a predictable pattern. For example, attorneys may travel to Artesia for 3 weeks in one month and 1 week the following month.