Marine Transportation Specialist - MARAD Fellows Program Job

Vacancy No. MARAD.HQ-2024-0097 Department Maritime Administration
Salary $39,576.00 to $97,034.00 Grade 05 to 09
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/5/2024 Close Date 12/5/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Oakland, CAWashington, DCBeaumont, TXNorfolk, VA


Summary

This position is established to provide a fellows program for graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, State Maritime Academies, and other institutions of higher learning.  Work is performed either in Headquarters or in one of the field-level Area Divisions (Atlantic, Gulf, or Pacific).

Duties

As a Marine Transportation Specialist, you will:

  • Participate in formal classroom instruction and/or on-the-job training necessary to develop the principles, concepts, work processes, regulations, and reference materials fundamental to various aspects of the maritime industry.
  • Receive On-the-job training assignments and skill development which provide a practical understanding of the organization, programs, policies, and objectives of the agency.
  • Assist in making contract awards for commercial ship berthing by developing technical requirements and evaluating.
  • Provide entry level support in all aspects of vessel operations, including oversight of vessel operational performance, marine cargo handling, safety of navigation, and regulatory, class, and contract compliance.
  • Utilize written, oral and IT communion tools and skill to develop reports and analysis of vessels operations.

The ideal candidate possesses knowledge, experience or interest and willingness to learn about the marine industry and understanding of maritime commerce, organizations, programs, theories of management, principles of organization, and administrative procedures.

NOTE: Any U.S. Citizen that is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy who has a service obligation for their education; OR a graduate of the California Maritime Academy, Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Maine Maritime Academy, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, State University of New York Maritime College, or the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and is required to meet a service obligation under the Student Incentive Payment (SIP) program. http://www.marad.dot.gov/education/maritime-academies/

Requirements

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:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • 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.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework.  The number of telework days approved 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.
  • You must complete annual reporting requirements to MARAD.
  • You must maintain USCG Merchant Mariner Credentials.
  • You must obtain and maintain a Transportation Workers Identification (TWIC) credential.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or specialized experience requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-05 on Experience:

  • Experience with program and project management related to ship berthing.

To qualify for GS-05 on Education:  4 years above high school specialized experience. You can also qualify based on a combination of education and experience.

To qualify for the GS-07 on Experience, you must have: 

  • Experience assisting in the development of technical requirements for long-term leases of property for ship berthing.

There is no education substitute specialized experience.

To qualify for the GS-09 on Experience, you must have: 

  • Experience assisting in the development of technical requirements for long-term leases of property for ship berthing.
  • Experience assisting in the implementation of policies for a program or organization.

There is no education substitute specialized 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:

  • Transportation- Knowledge of the principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including costs and limits.
  • Technical Credibility- Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.
  • Compliance- Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
  • Oral Communication- Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience, nature of the information ( for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues and responds appropriately. 
  • Written Communication- Writes in clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

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

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, or other fields related to the position. OR

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided a general knowledge and under-standing of traffic or transportation programs or operations.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of the transportation function(s) of the position to be filled.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Benefits

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.

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.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your resume MUST contain specific information used to make a qualification determination that includes 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.  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. 

ALL of the following documents are required per the Maritime Administration Fellows Policy:  

  • A copy of your Bachelor's degree transcript from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), or one of the six State Maritime Academies (SMAs), that was received within the last 3 years; 
  • A recommendation from the Academy or, if employed after graduation, your employer; 
  • Three (3) personal references; 
  • A copy of your Merchant Mariner Credential; and
  • A copy of your commissioning as an officer in a uniformed service of the United States or a letter of waiver signed by the Maritime Administrator.

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.).

VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility.  It need not be official.

  • If you are applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).
  • If you are claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability.  An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
  • If you are applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.

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.

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents:  

  • your most recent performance appraisal,
  • the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
  • your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.

Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

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.

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

You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.

  • To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
  • Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
  • You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/

If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at:  Transjobs@dot.gov

Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
TRANSJOBS@dot.gov
Address
DOT, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application.  You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com. (Select "My USAJOBS" and click "Applications"). 

Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date.

If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.