Railroad Safety Inspector - DIRECT HIRE Job in Location Negotiable After Selection

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To be qualified for a Railroad Safety Inspector, the Qualifications Standards state you MUST have demonstrated knowledge in the following areas:

• Railroad industry, including economic and operating considerations and equipment.
• General safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry.
• Railroad accident investigation techniques.
• Skill in written an oral communication.

In addition, applicants for inspector positions must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the specialization for which application is made to the degree required by the position. Only those elements required by the position to be filled, as identified below, will be used in evaluating candidates' specialized experience.

Hazardous Materials:

• Practical knowledge of the typical reactions of different hazardous commodities to various environmental conditions and of safe procedures for containing or controlling fires, leaks, or explosions of these materials;
• Knowledge of the construction, testing, and retesting of containers used to ship hazardous materials by rail; and
• Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards governing the shipment of hazardous materials by rail, including containerization, loading, handling, documentation, and placarding.

Track:

• Knowledge of railroad track system construction, maintenance, testing, or inspection techniques;
• Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of various track system configurations; and
• Knowledge of Federal railroad track safety standards.

Signals and Train Control:

• Knowledge of the design, installation, maintenance, testing, or inspection of signal and train control systems and their capabilities and limitations;
• Knowledge of applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to railroad signaling and train control systems; and
• Knowledge of locomotive braking systems and their relationship to and interface with train control or automatic train stop systems and braking distances.

Operating Practices:

• Knowledge of railroad operating practices, rules, and procedures, especially as they relate to safety issues; and
• Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards relating to railroad operations and requirements in such areas as hours of service, accident reporting, blue signal protection of workers, rear end markers, radio communication, railroad employee qualifications, and railroad employee testing.

Motive Power and Equipment:

• Knowledge of the design, maintenance, or inspection of various types of locomotive and freight cars currently in use and their capabilities and limitations;
• Knowledge of the installation, maintenance, or testing of railroad safety appliances and power brakes, their capabilities and limitations; and
• Knowledge of the applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to inspection and testing of locomotives, freight cars, safety appliances, and power brakes.

To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

Hazardous Materials:

• Experience inspecting the containers and handling procedures of hazardous materials at various rail facilities, including intermodal, shipper/consignee and tank car manufacturing facilities.
• Experience investigating and reporting on collisions, derailments, releases of hazardous materials and accidents or incidents with serious injury.

Track:

• Experience ensuring railroad compliance with federal regulations by auditing railroad inspections activities, conducting focused inspections, assessing safety complaints, and performing accident investigations.
• Experience producing track inspection and violation reports that describe defective track conditions, narrative accident / incident reports and present safety related information to federal and state stakeholders.

Signals and Train Control:

• Experience with locomotive braking systems and their relationship to and interface with train control or automatic train stop systems and braking distances.

Operating Practices:

• Experience investigating serious railroad accidents, incidents and complaints and generating reports based on the data and analysis performed during the investigation.
• Experience examining carrier records to ensure employees are in compliance with all appropriate Federal rules and regulations, including, but not limited to alcohol and drug regulations; locomotive engineer certification, operating rules, etc.

Grade Crossing:

• Experience with managing programs to improve Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention.
• Experience with investigative techniques used in a grade crossing and trespass accidents.
• Experience writing and presenting information pertaining grade crossing safety and trespass prevention programs.

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:

1. Accident Investigation - Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.
2. Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
3. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
4. Interpersonal Skills - Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.
5. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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.

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.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

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.

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 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 USA Jobs 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.

Phone

000-000-0000

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

TRANSJOBS@dot.gov

Address

DOT, FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States