Pilot Towboat (Dual Rate) Job in Peoria, IL

Vacancy No. CERG259330742129 Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $41.94 to $48.90 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/29/2025 Close Date 8/8/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Peoria, IL


Summary

About the Position: As a Pilot, Towboat with the Illinois Waterway Maintenance Section you will serve as a Pilot on a large (under 100 feet in length), diesel-powered twin screw towboat with a total of 1,200 hp or more. The towboat is typically engaged in a variety of operations on inland waterways of the U.S. including towing of plant and equipment.

This position is dual rated to the position of Master, Towboat, XH-5784-13, on an as needed basis as determined by management.

Duties

  • Stands watch with the responsibility for the overall operation of the vessel and safety of the plant and personnel while on watch with the Master on board.
  • Operates vessels to maneuver and secure smaller tows and individual barges around job sites to facilitate transport of personnel, equipment, supplies, and materials to and from various locations.
  • Assists with general maintenance and housekeeping duties to ensure the vessel is kept clean and organized at all times.
  • Steers the vessel from the pilothouse using pilothouse controls for proper speed and direction considering factors such as river currents, direction and velocity of wind, depth of water, size of tow, and capacity and maneuverability of the vessel.
  • Operates vessels to maneuver and secure smaller tows and individual barges around job sites to facilitate transport of personnel, equipment, supplies, and materials to and from various locations.
  • Directs the making and breaking of tows from the pilothouse or bridge.
  • Required to land vessel and/or tows in close quarters of a harbor or alongside other floating plant.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Must possess a current U.S. Coast Guard license as a Master covering the type, class, horsepower, and size of vessel to which assigned and the waters in which the boat operates.
  • Must possess a valid State motor vehicle operator's license for the class of vehicle being operated based on site specific, job related requirements, and must maintain this license.
  • Must comply with Drug Abuse Testing Program requirements. This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to applicant testing and random drug testing.
  • A medical examination is required. If selected, satisfactory completion of a medical examination is required before assignment to the position.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision.

Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of a(n) Pilot Towboat (Dual Rate) without more than normal supervision. To meet the screen out element, applicants should document experience and/or show the ability to stand a regular watch and supervise the deck crew engaged in making and breaking of tows, general housekeeping, and various deck work. Personally signals Master on watch or maintains radio contact during the making up and breaking up of tows. Work is performed under normal supervision of a work leader or journey-level employee who observes tasks in progress and upon completion to make sure they are properly performed. - Failure to meet this Screen Out Element will result in an ineligible rating.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

  • Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (Screen-out Element)
  • Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (related to mobile equipment operation)
  • Operation of Motor Vehicles
  • Reliability and Dependability as a Towboat Operator
  • Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
  • PHYSICAL EFFORT: The work of this position is sedentary in nature. Work generally involves light physical effort. Close hand and eye coordination is required when operating controls to maneuver vessel and tows in traffic and in confined areas. Extensive standing and walking may be necessary while standing watch. May carry light items such as supplies for the towboat.
  • WORKING CONDITIONS: Work is primarily performed inside in an enclosed pilothouse but also requires work outside of the pilothouse, subjecting the incumbent to varying climatic conditions. Hazards include occasional danger of falling overboard, falls on slippery decks or in climbing steep stairways, and injury from moving machinery. A life jacket is worn at all times when on deck. The incumbent is subject to hazards of heavy river traffic at night and during foggy weather. Employees are required to follow established safe working procedures. Appropriate personal protective equipment is provided to minimize or reduce hazardous conditions, and its use is mandatory.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a background investigation.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • This is a(n) Engineers and Scientist (Resources and Construction) Career Field position.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • Performs other duties as required during operation and layup periods.
  • If you are a current federal employee duty located 50 miles or more outside of the area for this recruitment, you "may" be considered for a relocation incentive. This incentive option is not applicable to new to federal government employees.
  • If you are a current federal employee who has received (and can provide a copy) of a job offer outside of federal service and plan to separate from federal service, you "may" be considered for a retention incentive. This incentive option is not applicable to new to federal government employees.
  • If you are new to federal service and meet the criteria, you "may" be considered for a recruitment incentive. This incentive option is not applicable to current federal employees.

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.

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.

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/08/2025 to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12772129).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RG-W2R905 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-ROCK ISLAND
DO NOT MAIL
Rock Island, IL 61204
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


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


© 2006-2025, exclusive of U. S. government job opportunity announcements