Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

• Prepare track inspection reports identifying necessary corrective action and conduct follow up inspections as appropriate.
• Completes and signs track inspection records.
• Investigates railroad accidents and derailments to determine cause.
• Perform common preventive maintenance and repair duties on standard gauge railroad track, on various railroad equipment, and appurtenances.
• Assist in the replacement of worn rails, angle bars, switch stands, points, frogs, tongue and mate switches, cross ties, and switch ties.
• Recognize the full range of railway defects, to determine the probable cause of those deficiencies

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Incumbent is subject to periodic and random urinalysis drug testing.
• Pre-appointment and annual physical required.
• Incumbent must obtain a valid commercial driver's license - class A within 2 years of employment.
• The business travel requirement is 35%.
• The incumbent is required to maintain current Army Railroad Track Certification IAW AR 420-72.
• The incumbent must be able to operate and perform driver maintenance on 1/2 ton to Class A motor vehicle, and motor maintenance cars in hauling materials, personnel, and equipment to work site.
• The incumbent must be able to operate rail mounted hydraulic equipment.
• The incumbent must complete Department of the Army Railroad Safety Course and pass exam within 30 days; and attend refresher annually.
• This position is inclement weather essential; 90% of work is performed outside in all weather conditions, which includes extreme weather conditions.
• Subject to be called to Terminal in case of derailment.
• Moderate to heavy lifting up to 80 lbs. is required.

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.

• 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 an Railroad Repairer (Motor Vehicle Operator) without more than normal supervision. Must have the ability to perform common preventive maintenance and repair duties on standard gauge railroad track, on various railroad equipment, and appurtenances. I assist in the replacement of worn rails, angle bars, switch stands, points, frogs, tongue and mate switches, cross ties, and switch ties. I can recognize the full range of railway defects, to determine the probable cause of those deficiencies. I work 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.

• Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision
• Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading)
• Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Dexterity and Safety
• Work Practices (Including Keeping Things Neat, Clean, and in Order)

• Physical Effort: Railroad repairers perform extremely strenuous work for long periods. For example, they frequently lift and carry tools and equipment weighing over 36 kilograms (80 pounds) or exert comparable effort in moving and positioning railroad track components. Their work involves frequent or continuous bending, reaching, pushing, kneeling, lifting, and similar body and limb movement.
• Working Conditions: Railroad repairers typically work outside, often in seasonal temperature and weather extremes and are subject to the following conditions: loud machinery noises; possible burns from hot equipment; fumes from creosote, insect sprays, and smoke; falls from hazardous footing; dirt, cuts, and grease or oil; insect bites; and possible injuries from handling equipment. They may wear protective gloves, hard-toe shoes, safety glasses, and similar protective devices, some of which may be uncomfortable and worn for long periods.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of 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. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

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.

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 must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• 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 additional information, to include formatting tips, 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.

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