About This Position
This position is located in the Department of Physical Education and Athletics, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education, licensing and specialized experience requirements. To qualify for a Sports Specialist (Athletic Trainer) you must possess: One academic year of experience as a collegiate-level Athletic Trainer supporting various sports; OR One academic year of high school-level (or higher) teaching experience mentoring student athletic trainers OR instructing students in CPR certification Current certification from the Board of Certification (BOC) for the Athletic Trainer, and in good standing. CPR certified by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
Highly Desirable: Master's Degree in an appropriate discipline. College level teaching experience. At least three or more years of demonstrated experience in athletic training with contact sports, college service and teaching.
CPR certified instructor by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. 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: Education and Training - Knowledge of teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, testing, and other instructional methods. Leadership - Influence, motivate, and challenge others; adapt leadership styles to a variety of situations.
Oral Communications - Express information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); make clear and convincing oral presentations; listen to others, attend to nonverbal cues, and respond appropriately. 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.
Major Duties
As a Sports Specialist (Athletic Trainer), you will: Serve as an Assistant Athletic Trainer in the Department of Athletics. Teaching Physical Education courses in First Aid, CPR, and Advanced medical techniques. Other duties as assigned by the Director of Physical Education & Athletics.
The ideal candidate must be highly motivated and experienced professional who work to support the Mission of the USMMA. The candidate must be capable of adjusting to various work environments, physical demands, and schedules. The candidate must be able to work well within the structure of the physical education and Athletics Department team and must be positive contributor.
Conditions of Employment
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. 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. CERTIFICATIONS: Applicants must possess a current certification from the Board of Certification (BOC) for the Athletic Trainer and be in good standing AND a CPR certification by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
NOTE: This is an Excepted Service appointment with an Initial Term Not-to-Exceed 13 months; however, each year with a satisfactory performance appraisal, the appointment may be extended for an additional year.
Education
Minimum Education Requirement: The educational requirement for this Sports Specialist position includes a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to the duties of the position.
NOTE: Applicants who do not possess a Bachelor's Degree in a field closely related to the duties required for the position may substitute a Bachelor's Degree in a unrelated field if they also possess significant professional training and specialized experience that is closely related to the duties of the position at a level of complexity and responsibility equivalent to those performed in the position.
How You Will Be Evaluated
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.
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, [email protected]. 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.
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: [email protected]
Required Documents
RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including 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.
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. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education. VETERANS: If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation. 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.). 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.
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