Summary This position is located in the Department of Waterfront Activities, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD). This position is established to ensure the safe, effective, and efficient management and supervision of Midshipmen. As second in command of the ship, you will be accountable to the Master for all matters pertaining to management, operation, care, safety, and physical condition of deck operations and keep the Master informed in those areas. Duties
The First Officer:
- Serves as the ship’s safety offer, training officer, damage control officer, vessel security officer, oil spoil coordinator and (as required) gas free engineer.
- Prior to sailing, inspects the ship to ascertain there are not structural defects and that hatchers, side ports, cargo gear, cargo, and equipment are secured properly.
- Exercises responsibility for training of all Midshipmen in their duties during replenishment or mission operations, and for the compilation and submission of all required departmental training reports.
- Has responsibility for ensuring that station bills are properly prepared and posted, fire detection systems are maintained, firefighting an lifesaving appliances are in good condition, damage control book is properly maintained.
- Supervises all Deck Department personnel, maintains the physical condition of the ship, navigational equipment and supplies, safety equipment, condition of weather decks and interior spaces, etc.
- Is responsible for managing personnel berthing assignments, administering the midshipmen watch officer and cadet duty watch program, financial management, ABS and USCG inspections.
The ideal candidate for this position should possess the knowledge in performing as the second in command of a vessel with full accountability to the Master for all matters pertaining to management, operation, care, safety, and physical condition of deck operations.
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 00, you must have experience equal or equivalent to:
- Experience in navigation and bridge watch keeping equipment, methods and techniques and ship handling practices and knowledge of shipboard and security programs including lifesaving and firefighting equipment, methods and techniques.
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:
- Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.
- Education and Training: Knowledge of teaching, training, research, making presentations, lecturing, testing, and other instructional methods.
- Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
- Teaches Others: Helps others learn; identifies training needs; provides constructive reinforcement; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.
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.
- LICENSE REQUIREMENT: The duties and responsibility of this position require the employee to attain and maintain a United States Coast Guard (USCG) License as Mate on board vessels of 1600 Gross Tons or more and Standards of Training Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) certification.
- SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed).
- 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: 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).
Please see other information for additional instructions. How you will be evaluated DESCRIBING 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.
Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for non-competitive reassignment for this position must indicate interest and must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, served at the same grade or higher, or held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.
All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases to 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 PM (EST) on 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 DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTING: 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/alcohol testing, you will also be subject to Random Drug/Alcohol Testing"
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
CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL APPLICANTS: Submit SF-50 documentation proving your highest competitive grade, federal eligibility, and 52-week time-in-grade requirement. To pass HR validation, it’s recommended to combine and upload these into a single PDF:
- Start Date: The SF-50 showing when you were originally appointed or promoted to the qualifying grade.
- End Date: An SF-50 dated at least 52 weeks later (e.g., a Within-Grade Increase, promotion, or subsequent action) to prove a sequential 52-week period.
Warning on Incomplete Documentation: Do not submit an award or current-year annual pay adjustment SF-50 by itself. These do not prove your original entry date or grade. If your documents fail to conclusively prove a full 52-week history, you will be rated Ineligible.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
