Federal

Supervisory Transportation Operations Specialist (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees)

Maritime Administration ยท Department of Transportation
๐Ÿ“ Washington, District of Columbia GS-14 $143,913 - $187,093/yr
Posted: Jul 7, 2026 Deadline: Jul 20, 2026 (Closes in 12 days)

About This Position

This position is in the Division of Sealift Operations and Emergency Response, Office of Ship Operations, Office of Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Sealift, Office of the Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift, Maritime Administration (MARAD).

This position provides analytical and technical support for the Division Chief in maintaining processes relating to policies for administering the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) program and the Ready Reserve Force (RRF).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirements.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). Please check the Education section for other ways to meet the IOR for this series. IOR for Marine Transportation positions, specialized experience (for positions above GS-5), includes the following: For positions other than Marine Transportation, experience in maintaining, retailing, purchasing, or procurement of automotive, rail, air, bus, or other transportation equipment or services, or in the operation of a commercial transportation facility or terminal.

This experience must have demonstrated knowledge of fleet operations; familiarity with Federal, State, and municipal regulations governing the use of transportation vehicles; and the maintenance of inventories and cost computations. To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Experience developing ship operating costs, such as statements of work, conducting cost estimates, reviewing technical proposals, reviewing contractor service quality, and processing contractor invoices for payment. 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: Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.

Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Organizational Awareness - Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization. Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance. Security Clearance - Knowledge of the laws, regulations, and guidelines related to securing information, including the requirements for protecting classified information. 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: Click here All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Major Duties

As a Supervisory Transportation Operations Specialist, you will: Develop long-term leases of property for ship berthing by providing technical requirements and supporting negotiations. Supervise subordinate personnel in the development of technical requirements, acquisition of layberth services, processing of invoices, and budget formulation. Prepare high level correspondence and reports on budget plans, cost accounting, and program efficiency and generate point papers and fleet operating procedures in support of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) and Ready Reserve Force (RRF) layberthing operations.

Prepare detailed program briefings for internal and external stakeholders to keep all informed of NDRF/RRF layberthing status, capabilities, requirements, costs, and other programmatic issues. Attend high level meetings and discussions (unclassified and classified) with DOD entities, component commands, shipping companies, and other sealift stakeholders pertaining to the NDRF/RRF, DOD contingencies and exercises, studies and other programmatic requirements. The ideal candidate for this postion will have extensive experience in every stage of the contracting process from requirements determination through award.

The candidate will have experience serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative administering service contracts and planning and executing annual budgets. The candidate will have experience delegating work to subordinates, presenting information both orally and in writing, and writing reports and evaluations.

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR Level I) CERTIFICATION: MUST be attained within 18 months of hiring date to remain in this position. 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. DRUG TEST: This position has been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.

SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed). PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). 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.

DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Education

This series has an Individual Occupation Reqirement (IOR): Individual Occupational Requirements Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, nautical science, marine affairs, marine engineering, marine transportation, or other fields related to the position. For Marine Transportation Specialist positions, education obtained in a Federal, State, or other accredited Merchant Marine Academy is qualifying. (Check the Qualifications section for other ways to meet the IOR for this series)

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. All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.

Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.

Applicants passing โ€œPhase Iโ€ will move on to the โ€œPhase IIโ€ of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

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 ยง 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R ยง 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 (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.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and forwarded to the selecting official in consideration of your application. To receive credit, 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. performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.). VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility.

If applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy). If claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.

If applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act. FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility.

For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50. Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks' time-in-grade requirements. https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/service/sf-50 NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc.

For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments. 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 USAJobs 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Supervisory Transportation Operations Specialist (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees) position at Maritime Administration?
The salary range for this position is $143,913 - $187,093/yr. This is a GS-14 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Supervisory Transportation Operations Specialist (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees) job located?
This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
This series has an Individual Occupation Reqirement (IOR): Individual Occupational Requirements Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, nautical science, marine affairs, marine engineering, marine transportation, or other fields related to the position. For Marine Transportation Specialist positions, education obtained in a Federal, State, or other accredited Merchant Marine Academy is qualifying. (Check the Qualifications section for other ways to meet the IOR for this series)
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Jul 20, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Secret clearance is required.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.