Transportation Specialist - DIRECT HIRE Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. FHWA.HSA-2025-0003 Department Federal Highway Administration
Salary $117,962.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 13 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/19/2024 Close Date 1/6/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

Serves as a subject matter expert and advisor to Office of Safety leadership in identifying, developing, and delivering safety programs and resources to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The incumbent provides technical support and technology transfer, develops, and interprets standards, regulations, policy, procedures, and guidelines to integrate safety effectively into the national highway program. The incumbent will also assist with strategic planning and partnerships.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

As a Transportation Specialist, you will:

  • Serve as a recognized expert in providing technical and policy assistance to FHWA field offices, State and local agencies, and other internal and external customers to implement Safety Programs for all levels of government and ensure that their specific needs are met in implementing highway safety programs.
  • Identify, plan, and implement broad new national program initiatives based on new or revised legislation, regulation and policy and leads the development and implementation of programs for outreach and public information to promote highway safety programs through FHWA field offices, States and local agencies and tribal governments, including marketing applications of improved and innovative safety methods and practices.
  • Lead interagency initiatives and coordinates and assists in leading national initiatives to improve the quality and availability of highway safety information for State and local agencies and tribal governments, and the public. Serve as a technical expert to public and private organizations to promote and coordinate highway safety initiatives. Plan and conduct briefings and regional and national meetings for FHWA, State, and local safety professionals and other highway safety-related organizations.
  • Coordinate and partner with other Federal, State, and local agencies and professional organizations and serves on intra-agency task forces with partners such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), ITS America, American Public Works Association (APWA), the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the National Association of County Engineers (NACE), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the National Safety Council (NSC) and others, in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to improve and implement highway safety programs.

The ideal candidate has experience managing national level safety programs, demonstrates a considerable understanding of key approaches and strategies to advance safety (i.e., the Safe System Approach), exhibits success in outreach and establishing connections with stakeholders to expand reach and help achieve (safety) goals, is current on roadway safety policies and best practices, and is forward thinking, creative and innovative in their approach to programming and projects. The candidate must have excellent communication skills, particularly writing and public speaking/presentation skills, the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, and show an aptitude for collaboration, teamwork, and building relationships.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
  • TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
  • 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.

Qualifications

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 qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 and it must include:

  • Experience coordinating with Federal, State, or local agencies in the development and implementation of standards, policies, and procedures to improve and implement highway safety programs.
  • Experience providing advice and/or technical assistance to State, local, or Federal practitioners or to the private sector on issues dealing with transportation safety, (i.e., highway infrastructure safety).

To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13 and it must include:

  • Experience coordinating with Federal, State, or local agencies in the development and implementation of standards, policies, and procedures to improve and implement highway safety programs.
  • Experience providing advice and/or technical assistance to State, local, or Federal practitioners or to the private sector on issues dealing with transportation safety, (i.e., highway infrastructure safety).
  • Experience managing projects, overseeing contract tasks and/or leading formal or informal teams to meet programmatic goals.

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. Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including costs and limits.
  2. Partnering - Develop networks and builds alliances; collaborate across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.
  3. Oral Communication - Make clear and convincing oral presentations. Listen effectively; clarify information as needed.
  4. Written Communication - Write 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.

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.

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

PLEASE NOTE: The candidate must have approach to programming and projects. The candidate must have excellent communication skills, particularly writing and public speaking/presentation skills, the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, and show an aptitude for collaboration, teamwork, and building relationships.

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. 

All applicants:  For this announcement, applicants may be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements.  Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications may be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked.  Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply.

Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. 


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

RESUME: – 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.  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. Formatted resumes may be uploaded later in the application process. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to

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 80) 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.

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
Address
DOT, FEDERAL HIGHWAY 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

You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications".  Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist may evaluate your application. If evaluated, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.  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.


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