Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. This position is in the Excepted Service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities@ https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees#excepted-service

*PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous (6 month) vacancy announcement.  Given our continuing need for top professionals in this field, we will review applications on an "as needed" basis.  

As an Assistant or Associate Professor, you will be responsible for the development and conduct educational courses and programs within the department, in particular teaching classes in Nautical Science. You will be responsible for academic mentoring of Midshipmen, carrying out research and scholarly activities and assuming a share of departmental and institutional service activities.

The Ideal Candidate for this position is a highly motivated and experienced professional who possess a Master's Degree or higher, teaching experience at an accredited institution of higher education, and industry experience in the related field to the position.

Conditions of employment

• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period (OR INSERT “trial period”) your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.  This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.

TELEWORK: This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.

TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.

LICENSURE: Applicants must have a current (not expired) U.S. Coast Guard License valid for service on United States Flag Commercial Ships as a Chief Mate, Unlimited Tonnage, or higher and a valid credential issued under the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) as amended; Federal Communications Commission (FCC) STCW endorsed for Global Maritime Distress and Safety (GMDSS) operator is required.  A current Tankerman (PIC) endorsement for Dangerous Liquids (DL) or Liquified Gas (LG) is preferred.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the Education and Specialized Experience requirements below.  You must include experience in your resume and provide supporting documentation for verification.

To qualify for a Nautical Science (Assistant Professor) position, you must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Marine Transportation or a related field and have one year of teaching experience at the college level.  Practical experience as a licensed officer or management experience in the shoreside transportation industry may be substituted for teaching experience.

To qualify for a Nautical Science (Associate Professor) position, you must have a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Marine Transportation or a related field and five years of teaching experience at the college level.  Up to five years practical experience as a licensed officer or mid-level management experience in the shoreside transportation industry may be substituted for teaching experience on a one-for-one basis.

Examples of related fields included, but are not limited to:  Logistics/Supply Chain Management, Naval Architecture, Maritime Operations and Technology, Nautical Science (Safety of Life at Sea, Terrestrial and/or Celestial Navigation, RADAR/Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA), Electronic Navigation, Seamanship, Maritime Communication, Firefighting (Marine), etc.), Marine Environmental Science (Meteorology, Oceanography, etc.).

Highly Desirable Skills:

• Sailing experience as Master, unlimited tonnage, upon oceans and/or
• Tankerman – Dangerous Liquids certification with recent commercial sailing experience and/or
• LNG and/or chemical tanker experience and/or
• Current USCG License as Master of Towing Vessels with sailing experience and/or
• Experience sailing as Master of Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) units and/or
• Sailing experience involving polar navigation and/or ice seamanship and/or
• Certification and experience as a Dynamic Positioning Officer (DPO) and/or
• Simulation-based teaching experience at a USCG-recognized simulator training facility/institution and/or
• Traditional classroom teaching experience at a USCG-recognized maritime training school or academy and/or
• Shore-side managerial experience related to ship operations, management, and/or administration and/or
• FCC GMDSS examiner license and/or
• Maritime simulation experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• Accountability: Demonstrates responsibility for personal and team performance, ensuring high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Sets clear objectives, prioritizes tasks, delegates effectively, and adheres to established control systems and rules.
• Computer Skills: Proficient in utilizing computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work efficiently.
• Customer Service: Engages with clients and customers—including midshipmen, faculty, and external stakeholders—to assess needs, provide information or assistance, resolve problems, and satisfy expectations. Committed to delivering quality products and services.
• Developing Others: Fosters the growth of others by providing ongoing feedback and creating opportunities for learning through both formal and informal methods.
• Education and Training: Possesses knowledge of teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, testing, and other instructional methods.

For all types of consideration, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked.

All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package.  If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.

All applicants must provide a resume created within USA Jobs Resume Builder. 

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week,  and position titles.  If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.  The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.  For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov//Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/

TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive credit, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.).

FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant.  DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility. For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50.  Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks’ time-in-grade requirements. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/service/SF-50/

NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility,  you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.  You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

Next steps