Summary

Grocery Department Managers plan, direct, and supervise work in a commissary's grocery department. This may include a small warehouse or repositioning area, a separate receiving area, and/or contract shelf stocking. Grocery Department Managers exercise tact and diplomacy when interacting with commissary patrons and vendors.

Read the entire announcement before starting the application process.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Current competitive service DeCA employees with career or career-conditional status. This establishes a list of applicants to fill vacancies as they occur in the 3 months after the announcement closes.

Duties

Supervising department employees, assigning work, and balancing workload.
Ensuring ordering, receiving, stocking, pricing, selling, and subsistence supplies are properly maintained.
Ensuring that end-cap displays, special product promotions, and patron savings programs are properly set up, and displayed.
Inspecting all commissary store equipment, reporting required maintenance to proper section for resolution.
Managing the Not-In-Stock (NIS) listing and working with appropriate personnel to correct deficiencies.
Inspecting shelf merchandise for product deterioration, spoilage, or deficiency.
Managing the merchandising operation for the store.
Working with the commissary Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE) on contractor performance.
Enforcing all safety rules and regulations.

Work conditions:

Most of the work is performed in the store display area which is well lighted and maintained at a comfortable temperature.
When working in the storage or receiving area, may be exposed to hot or cold weather, or damp and drafty conditions.
May be exposed to differences in temperature when storing or obtaining items from chill or frozen storage rooms.
There is a danger of minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes, bruises, and slipping on wet floors.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered with or exempt from Selective Service.
Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as required.
Must be able to obtain and maintain security clearance eligibility based on an appropriate background investigation.
May be subject to a probationary/trial period.
May be subject to one year supervisory probationary period.
Must meet the physical requirements listed in the Qualifications section.
Must sign a Mobility Agreement upon accepting a job offer from HR.
Direct deposit of pay is required.

Qualifications

You must meet qualifications and requirements by the announcement closing date.

Your resume (and/or transcript if necessary) must clearly show that you meet the qualifications (i.e., specialized experience and/or education requirements) for the grade level(s) for which you are applying.

At the GS-8, 9, 10 and 11 grade levels, you can meet the minimum qualifications through specialized experience, education, or a combination of the two. To calculate the combination, divide your total months of specialized experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. If they total 100%, you meet the minimum qualifications through a combination of specialized experience and education.

Specialized experience is written to the lowest equivalent grade level that meets the minimum experience requirement. What does this mean to applicants? Example: An applicant has one year of specialized experience at the GS-8 grade level and wants to apply for a GS-9. The GS-9 requires specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7. Since the applicant has specialized experience at a higher grade (i.e., GS-8) than is required (i.e., GS-7), the applicant may apply for the GS-9.

Specialized experience is demonstrated knowledge of retail procurement and distribution methods; principles, procedures, and techniques of retail food merchandising and retail food store management, and developments in commercial retail food store items, equipment, and practices. Examples of creditable qualifying specialized experience include:

Managing a commissary store, supermarket, or similar type of commercial retail food store.
Managing a department in a retail food store.
Planning, standardizing, or controlling operations in an assigned group of retail food stores.
Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards for use in a retail food store.
Providing technical advice on merchandising and operational matters pertaining to grocery, meats, and produce supplies, as well as front-end operations.

You will receive credit for all relevant qualifying experience (paid and unpaid), including volunteer work done through National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Education used to qualify for this position, in whole or in part, must have equipped you with the knowledge and ability to perform the work of the position, as evidenced by on-the-job-training in food retail management or an internship or practicum in food retail management. Transcripts are required if relying on education to qualify. See Required Documents for more information.

Qualifications
For GS-8: (A) one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level OR (B) one and one-half years of graduate level education with major study in business administration, public administration, agricultural economics (food industry management), or other fields related to the position, OR (C) a combination of specialized experience and education.

For GS-9: (A) one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level OR (B) master's or equivalent degree, or two full years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D. (if related) with major study in business administration, public administration, agricultural economics (food industry management), or other fields related to the position, OR (C) a combination of specialized experience and education.

For GS-10: (A) one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-8 grade level OR (B) two and one-half years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to such a degree with major study in business administration, public administration, agricultural economics (food industry management), or other fields related to the position, OR (C) a combination of specialized experience and education.

For GS-11: (A) one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level, OR (B) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. (if related) with major study in business administration, public administration, agricultural economics (food industry management), or other fields related to the position, OR (C) a combination of specialized experience and education.

Physical requirements: (1) Lift products weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted and occasionally over 40 pounds with assistance. (2) Stand, stoop, kneel, bend, and climb for prolonged periods. You will attest to your ability to perform these physical requirements in the Questionnaire.

You must also meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the announcement close date.

Time-in-grade applies to the promotion of current and former federal employees who hold or have held a permanent GS position in either the competitive or excepted service in the previous 52 weeks. Your application package must contain proof you meet this requirement. See Required Documents for more information.

For GS-8: You must have 52 weeks of Federal service at or equivalent to GS-6.
For GS-9: You must have 52 weeks of Federal service at or equivalent to GS-7.
For GS-10: You must have 52 weeks of Federal service at or equivalent to GS-8.
For GS-11: You must have 52 weeks of Federal service at or equivalent to GS-9.

Time after competitive appointment. Current federal civilian employees must have completed at least 90 days of federal civilian service since being selected for a non-temporary appointment from a competitive examination register of eligibles (an announcement opened to the public) or under a direct hire authority.

As part of the online application process, you will respond to a series of questions designed to evaluate your possession of these competencies:

Commissary Operations
Customer Service
Merchandising
Safety Procedures
Supervision

Overtime: Occasional
Bargaining Unit Status: Not covered
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
Obligated Position: If obligated, you occupying the position is subject to the former incumbent returning. If the former incumbent does not return to the position, your occupancy may become permanent. Tentative job offers identify if the position you are offered is obligated.
Those retired under CSRS or FERS considered: No. DoD criteria not met.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives Offered: None

Education

Foreign education may be qualifying if a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign education programs has deemed the foreign education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program or a U.S. accredited college or university has given full credit for the foreign courses. See Required Documents for more information.

When relying on foreign education, submit transcripts and a copy of the equivalency evaluation results letter with a course by course listing. Documents must be in English or include an English translation. The hiring employer for this position does not evaluate degrees from foreign colleges or universities.

Unofficial transcripts from U.S. Department of Education accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions listing your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned are acceptable for the application process. If selected, official transcripts are required before a firm job offer is made. A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable.

Additional information

Executive Order 12564 requires a federal workplace to be free of illegal drugs and prohibits the use of illegal drugs both on and off duty by federal employees. As a reminder, marijuana is still classified as an illegal drug by the Federal government and is prohibited for use by Federal employees even if such use is legal in the state where the Federal employee resides and/or works. The Defense Commissary Agency is a Drug-Free Federal Workplace where the use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated and may result in penalties up to and including removal from Federal service.

This position is part of the Commissary Career Program (CCP).
In accordance with the CCP Manual and under certain circumstances, DeCA employees accepting a downgrade (i.e., change to lower grade) into this position may be entitled to pay retention.
Applicants with financial difficulty are not automatically removed from consideration.
Selectees are required to complete an online onboarding process.
If PCS is authorized and you PCS'd at government expense within the past 12 months, additional government funded PCS may not be authorized; however, you may choose to pay your own moving expenses.
Most civilian PCS entitlements are now taxable. The Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) reimburses eligible employees for additional Federal, State, and local income taxes incurred because of receiving taxable travel income. More information is available at Civilian Relocation/PCS Tax Changes.
For positions in overseas environments: Working and living in a foreign area can offer adventure and travel opportunities. Initial overseas tour lengths vary from 12 to 36 months, depending on location, and are limited to a total of 5 continuous years. You may also be eligible for various foreign area allowances like COLA and home leave. If selected for a position, you will receive information specific to the location for which you are selected.

The following may result in a rating of ineligible. Ineligible applicants receive no consideration.

Not selecting an eligibility.
Submitting an incomplete application package may result in your not being considered for this position. Your resume must reflect that you are either Part-Time with the number of hours listed, Full Time, or 40 hours per week as your work schedule. If you fail to provide this information in your resume, your resume will be considered as incomplete.
Submitting encrypted documents or uploading Adobe portfolio documents.
Submitting any document that contains a photo or image of you.
Including social media links, inappropriate material/content, classified or government sensitive information, or personal information such as age, gender, race, religion, or social security number on your resume.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or questionnaire responses.
Deliberately attempting to falsify your application information, such as copying portions of this announcement into your resume.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

HR reviews your resume and supporting documents to determine if you meet the qualifications and requirements, and to determine if you meet the eligibility/eligibilities you selected. Your questionnaire score is a preliminary measure of how well your background matches the competencies. If you submit multiple resumes, the last one received is used for this evaluation and sent to the hiring manager if you are referred for selection consideration.

Appointment Eligibility Criteria. You choose how you wish to be considered for this position by selecting one or more of the eligibilities listed in the Assessment Questionnaire and providing the supporting documents for the selected eligibility/eligibilities. Documents required to prove you can be considered for the selected eligibility/eligibilities are listed within the eligibility description.

HR does not select or change your eligibility/eligibilities for you, regardless of the supporting documents you submit. You are considered ONLY for the eligibility or eligibilities you select and for which you provide all required supporting documents. You will not be considered if you do not select an eligibility. If you have questions about which eligibility/eligibilities apply to you, contact the HR POC listed on this announcement.

Selections are subject to restrictions of the DoD referral system for displaced employees.

Required Documents

Resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? Page margins should be 0.5 inches, font styles must be legible, and consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.

Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the Qualifications section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We do not assume you have the necessary experience to successfully perform in this job regardless of your employment history or academic career.

At a minimum, your resume MUST contain your name, address, and contact information, and the following for each listed job experience: Job title; Pay Plan, Series and grade, if it is a federal civilian position; Employer's name and address; Employment beginning and ending dates (Month/Year); and Description of duties performed. Part-Time employment MUST include work hours for each job entry.

Transcripts. Required when using education to meet qualifications or when education is required.

Questionnaire. Preview at https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12847505.

SF 50 Notification of Personnel Action. To obtain copies of your SF 50s, all current Department of Defense (DoD) employees can access MyBiz, employees receiving HR servicing from DLA can access eOPF and former civilian employees can request a copy from the National Archives.

All DeCA employees, regardless of location or human resources provider, submit the following:.

A copy of your most recent SF 50 showing your current position title, pay plan-series-grade, tenure and position occupied and
When applying for a promotion (higher grade than you currently hold), you must also submit an SF 50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements. Examples of appropriate SF50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old. You may need to submit more than one SF 50 to show you meet this requirement.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Your complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 01/11/2026.

You are responsible for verifying your application package is complete, accurate, and submitted timely. As uploaded documents may take one or more hours to clear the virus scan, plan accordingly to ensure your application process is complete and your application package is submitted by the specified closing date and time.

To begin, click Apply to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your resume, required documents, and/or other supporting documents. You need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply or create an account before applying. You will be taken to an online application. Follow all prompts and complete the online application, verify you've included all required and supporting documentation, and submit your application. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application is found at the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To receive consideration, you must complete all steps of the application process.

You can verify your application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, selecting the Application Status link, and then selecting the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page displays your application status, the documents received and processed, and your questionnaire responses.

Agency contact information

DECA 1144 Team

Phone: 614-692-9215
Fax: 215-516-6082
Email: DECA-1144CCP@dla.mil

Address: DECA HQ
1300 Eisenhower Street
Fort Lee, VA 23801
US

Next steps

Notices post to your USAJOBS account and are emailed to you. You can expect to receive a notice when you complete the application process, when your referral status is determined, when your selection status is determined and then a final notice of decision approximately 180 days after this announcement closes.

If a vacancy for the location(s) you selected does not occur within 90 days after this announcement closes, you may not receive a qualifications status or referral status notice.

The hiring manager may choose to conduct interviews and may conduct telephone interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants. Someone from the hiring agency (i.e., DeCA) will contact you if the hiring manager decides to interview you.

Should you receive a tentative job offer, be aware such offers are automatically withdrawn if you fail to (1) record an acceptance or declination by the response date provided in the offer notice and/or (2) meet any pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to a scheduled appointment. If you receive a job offer, use a computer to submit your response rather than a mobile/cell phone.

Additional locations

Kodiak, AK

Fort Rucker, AL

Gunter AFB, AL

Maxwell AFB, AL

Redstone Arsenal, AL

Little Rock AFB, AR

Davis Monthan AFB, AZ

Fort Huachuca, AZ

Luke AFB, AZ

MCAS

Yuma, AZ

Barstow, CA

Beale AFB, CA

Camp Pendleton, CA

China Lake, CA

Edwards AFB, CA

El Centro, CA

Los Angeles AFB

El Segundo, CA

Fort Irwin, CA

Fort Ord, CA

Imperial Beach, CA

Lemoore, CA

March AFB, CA

Miramar MCAS

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA

McClellan, CA

Moffett Field, CA

North Island NAS

Naval Air Station San Diego, CA

Port Hueneme, CA

San Diego County, CA

Travis AFB, CA

Twentynine Palms, CA

Vandenberg AFB, CA

Air Force Academy, CO

Buckley AFB, CO

Fort Carson, CO

Peterson AFB, CO

New London

Groton Submarine Base, CT

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC

Dover AFB, DE

Eglin AFB, FL

Hurlburt Field, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Key West, FL

MacDill AFB, FL

Mayport, FL

Whiting Field NAS

Milton, FL

Patrick AFB, FL

Pensacola, FL

Tyndall AFB, FL

Albany, GA

Fort Moore

Fort Benning, GA

Fort Gordon, GA

Fort Stewart, GA

Hunter AFB, GA

Kings Bay, GA

Moody AFB, GA

Robins AFB, GA

Agat, GU

Andersen Air Base, GU

Orote

Santa Rita, GU

Hickam AFB, HI

Kaneohe Bay

Kaneohe, HI

Pearl Harbor, HI

Schofield Barracks, HI

Mountain Home AFB, ID

Great Lakes, IL

Rock Island County, IL

Scott AFB, IL

Harrison Village

Fort Ben Harrison, IN

Fort Leavenworth, KS

Fort Riley, KS

McConnell AFB, KS

Fort Campbell, KY

Fort Knox, KY

Barksdale AFB, LA

Fort Polk, LA

New Orleans, LA

Hanscom AFB, MA

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Andrews AFB, MD

Annapolis, MD

Fort Detrick, MD

Fort Meade, MD

Patuxent River, MD

Forest Glen

Silver Spring, MD

Bangor, ME

Selfridge ANG Base, MI

Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Belton

Richards-Gebaur AFB, MO

Whiteman AFB, MO

Columbus AFB, MS

Gulfport, MS

Keesler AFB, MS

Meridian, MS

Malmstrom AFB, MT

Camp Lejeune, NC

Cherry Point, NC

Fort Bragg North/South

Fort Bragg, NC

New River MCAS

Jacksonville, NC

Seymour Johnson AFB, NC

Grand Forks AFB, ND

Minot AFB, ND

Offutt AFB, NE

Portsmouth NSY NH/ME

Portsmouth, NH

Lakehurst, NJ

McGuire AFB, NJ

Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Cannon AFB, NM

Holloman AFB, NM

Kirtland AFB, NM

White Sands Missile Range, NM

Fallon, NV

Nellis AFB, NV

Watertown

Fort Drum, NY

Fort Hamilton, NY

Mitchell AFB, NY

Saratoga Springs, NY

West Point, NY

Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

Altus AFB, OK

Fort Sill, OK

Tinker AFB, OK

Vance AFB, OK

Carlisle Barracks, PA

Pittsburgh Area

Moon, PA

Tobyhanna, PA

Fort Buchanan, PR

Newport, RI

Charleston AFB, SC

Fort Jackson, SC

Charleston NWS

Goose Creek, SC

Parris Island, SC

Shaw AFB, SC

Ellsworth AFB, SD

Arnold AFB, TN

Memphis, TN

Millington, TN

Corpus Christi, TX

Dyess AFB, TX

Fort Bliss, TX

Fort Hood I/II

Fort Hood, TX

Fort Sam Houston, TX

Fort Worth, TX

Goodfellow AFB, TX

Lackland AFB, TX

Laughlin AFB, TX

Randolph AFB, TX

Sheppard AFB, TX

Hill AFB, UT

Dahlgren, VA

Fort Belvoir, VA

Fort Eustis, VA

Fort Lee, VA

Fort Myer, VA

Langley AFB, VA

Little Creek Amphibious Base, VA

Norfolk, VA

Portsmouth NNSY

Portsmouth, VA

Quantico, VA

Oceana NAS

Virginia Beach, VA

Bangor, WA

Bremerton, WA

Fairchild AFB, WA

Fort Lewis

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

Smokey Point

Marysville, WA

McChord AFB, WA

Whidbey Island

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA

Fort McCoy, WI

FE Warren AFB

Warren AFB, WY

Chievres, Belgium

Cairo, Egypt

Ansbach, Germany

Baumholder, Germany

Garmisch, Germany

Grafenwohr, Germany

Hohenfels, Germany

Kaiserslautern, Germany

Ramstein, Germany

Spangdahlem, Germany

Stuttgart, Germany

Vilseck, Germany

Vogelweh Army Installation, Germany

Wiesbaden, Germany

Aviano, Italy

Livorno, Italy

Naples, Italy

Sigonella Sicily, Italy

Vicenza, Italy

Atsugi Naval Air Facility, Japan

Camp Courtney Okinawa, Japan

Camp Foster, Japan

Camp Kinser, Japan

Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station, Japan

Kadena Air Base Okinawa, Japan

Misawa AFB, Japan

Sagamihara, Japan

Hario

Sasebo, Japan

Yokosuka, Japan

Yokota Air Base, Japan

Brunssum, Netherlands

Schinnen, Netherlands

Lajes (azores), Portugal

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Camp Humphreys, South Korea

Osan, South Korea

Seoul, South Korea

TAEGU, South Korea

Uijongbu, South Korea

Yongsan, South Korea

Rota, Spain

Ankara, Turkey

Incirlik, Turkey

Izmir, Turkey

Alconbury, United Kingdom

Croughton, United Kingdom

Lakenheath, United Kingdom

Menwith Hill, United Kingdom

Grocery Department Manager Job