Lead Transportation Program Specialist

Summary This position serves as a Lead Transportation Program Specialist under the leadership of a Regional Director. You will be responsible for a myriad of programmatic activities, which may include leading planning (transportation and environmental), program development, project development, and pre-award FTA grant activities and programs. Duties

As a Lead Transportation Program Specialist, you will:

• Communicate organizational goals and objectives, and assign and distribute workload among team members.
• Coach team members on problem-solving methods and work practices.
• Manage a portfolio of work to support programmatic assignments and responsibilities.
• Monitor and report on the progress of work.
• Represent the team with management for resource allocation and decision-making.

The ideal candidate for this position is a professional who functions independently and demonstrates leadership in team environments. The ideal candidate has strong analytical, strategic planning and communication skills. Experience in the oversight and analysis of transportation policy, programs, and/or procedures is desirable. You must be resilient in working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

Qualifications

Individual Occupational Requirement: Applicant must meet the IOR requirements along with the specialized experience for this announcement.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of the transportation function(s) of the position to be filled.

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 coordinating and leading a team or group of individuals by communicating assignments, projects, and due dates; overseeing team activities to ensure quality of all work products and timely delivery of services; solving program issues in collaboration with others; and acting as a liaison between the team and management.
• Experience with transportation processes, program and project development and delivery; pre-award grant development and management; and compliance with federal requirements, regulations and policies.
• Experience with transportation planning and environmental review processes for transportation projects in compliance with all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies.
• Experience drafting correspondence, memoranda, briefing papers, policy documents and standard operating procedures for leadership.

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:

• Leadership: Organizes work, sets priorities, and identifies short- and long-term goals and the strategies to achieve them; communicates work assignments, projects and problems to be solved; coordinates with internal and external stakeholders; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; and monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
• Program and Project Development: Knowledge of the processes, requirements and regulations for the implementation and completion of grant and project development activities.
• Planning: Knowledge of federal transportation planning and environmental review processes and requirements.
• Oral and Written Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively and clarifies information as needed. 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.

Requirements

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.
• 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: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

How you will be evaluated DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE: Please be clear and specific when describing your experience, as HR evaluates applications strictly on the facts provided and will not make assumptions. To receive full credit, your narrative responses must be written in paragraph format and explicitly match your resume. Begin each response by listing the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full- or part-time status, average weekly hours, and federal series/grade (if applicable). Within the body of the paragraph, clearly describe your specific duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes. HR will cross-check these details against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every claim and timeframe, the experience will not be considered for credit, which may result in an ineligible determination.

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 “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” 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. How to apply To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents no later than 11:59 (EST) by the closing date of the announcement.

Note: Uploading documents to USAJobs does not automatically attach them to this application. You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified.

• 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 Other 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.