What Is a Mission Support Specialist and How to Become One

Mission support specialists are administrative support professionals. They are usually employed by the federal government, most often in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration departments. In this role, your job duties include evaluating current administrative processes and recommending ways to improve them to make them more efficient. You also oversee all aspects of office management, such as budgeting for and ordering office materials and other necessary supplies, providing support services to senior administrators and office staff, and organizing and filing documentation. Some mission support specialists are responsible for training new administrative employees.

Mission support specialist positions almost always refer to jobs with the United States government—particularly with immigration and border enforcement—so the requirements are similar to those for other federal employees. The primary qualifications are being a U.S. citizen who has lived in the country for at least three of the last five years and obtaining the required security clearance. Outside of that, you may only need one year of relevant experience in an office environment. Additional qualifications for starting a career as a mission support specialist include knowledge of federal travel requirements, the ability to multitask in a time-sensitive environment, and experience coordinating the logistics for groups of people.