Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens.

The Academy’s academic and leadership-development programs are rigorous and innovative and include both classroom instruction as well as experiential learning through USMMA’s renowned Sea Year program.  The Academy is part of DOT’s Maritime Administration and works closely with partners across the U.S. national-security community.

The Provost is responsible for all facets of the academic development of midshipmen, and for maintaining an educational program that motivates and prepares students to serve as exemplary leaders in the merchant marine and/or U.S. Armed Forces, including the following:

• Ensures USMMA maintains the highest level of academic quality and standards. Prioritizes the scholastic mission of the USMMA and fosters an environment that promotes academic success and a commitment to scholarship, learning, and discovery.
• Sets the strategic direction for the Sea Year training program to ensure that sea time placements required to qualify midshipmen to take the Coast Guard licensing exam prioritize midshipman safety and well-being.
• Works with other Academy senior leaders to ensure that all Academy programming fosters the development of leadership qualities among midshipmen, including strength of character, integrity, and the highest sense of honor. Deals fairly and consistently with all students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders and fosters trust by acting transparently and in full accordance with the Academy’s standards of integrity and honor.
• Ensures adherence to standards, policies, and procedures on the campus and for the Sea Year training program that maintain the Academy’s standards for SASH.
• Supports a proactive program to ensure effective communications regarding the Academy’s mission and operations to Congress, the public, and other stakeholders, including managing effective coordination with DOT and MARAD regarding all such communications.

The Provost is responsible for the following departments and offices: Department of Marine Engineering; Department of Marine Transportation; Department of Mathematics and Science; Department of Humanities; Department of Naval Science; Department of Professional Development and Career Services; Library; Institutional Assessment, Academic Center of Excellence; Academy Registrar and the American Merchant Marine Museum.

Through direction of these departments, the Provost is responsible for assuring the quality of curriculum and instruction to accomplish the following:

• Ensures that the professional licensing program meets the standards prescribed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
• Ensures that the academic program meets the standards prescribed by the accrediting associations.
• Ensures that the credentials, experience, and teaching ability of the faculty meet the requirements of the curriculum and the needs of the midshipmen.
• Ensures that the midshipmen meet the minimum performance standards prescribed by academic policies.
• Helps ensure that academic facilities and equipment are effectively and efficiently utilized to accomplish the educational objective of the Academy.
• Supports enrollment management initiatives and innovations in programs and methods of delivery that respond in a timely manner to rapidly changing environment.
• Oversees the systematic and routine assessment of all academic and student affairs programs and services to measure and plan continuous improvement.
• Helps ensure that the Academy offers an inclusive environment that celebrates and promotes understanding and respect within a diverse student body, staff, and community.
• Maintains regular communications and working relationships with the six maritime colleges, and other federal service academies, keeping them informed of current activities and working with them to achieve institutional priorities.
• Strengthens diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Academy and supports efforts to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) both on campus and during the Sea Year training program.
• Ensures effective communications with all stakeholders.

The Provost will also work closely with the USMMA, MARAD and DOT leadership to manage ongoing efforts to address operational and programmatic challenges at the Academy, including those identified in the National Academy of Public Administration’s report, “Organizational Assessment of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: A Path Forward.”

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Provide all required documents by closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Complete a one-year SES probationary period (unless already completed).
• FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Complete a Public Financial Disclosure report, OGE-278. You will need to provide the information annually.
• The applicant is required to live on Academy grounds in assigned housing and pay rent as Provost.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your five (5) page resume evidence of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity.  Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the mandatory Technical Qualification(s) and Managerial Executive Core Qualifications listed below.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Below are the descriptions of the mandatory technical qualifications for this position. Your five (5) page resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet these technical qualifications. 

1. Demonstrated executive level experience as a senior administrator at the college or university level, directing educational programs with long-range implications, including addressing budget, staffing, and technological advances to improve the education and training of students.

2. Demonstrated executive level experience establishing communications and relationships among diverse institutional entities, e.g., students, faculty, administration, and other educational institutions.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): Below are descriptions of the mandatory ECQs that are required for all SES positions. Your  five (5) page resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the 5 ECQs.

ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leadership Competencies: Creativity and Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision
ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, Team Building
ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility
ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management
ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating

FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCIES: The following competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Continual Learning, and Public Service Motivation.

Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website.

You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements and executive resumes.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A Senior Executive Service (SES) reviewing panel will evaluate your application based on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Applicants determined to be highly qualified may undergo multiple interviews.  The best qualified applicant will be asked to submit a written 10-page narrative statement addressing each of the ECQ areas (Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, Building Coalitions). If selected, your written narrative statement addressing the ECQs must be certified by an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB), unless you are a current SES executive or have successfully participated in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program. You must receive certification before you can be appointed to the position.

All applications must be completed and submitted electronically no later than midnight ET of the closing date. Final reviews will be performed after the announcement closing, and timely notice of the status of your application will be emailed to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and selecting Application Status.