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Associate Director (Transportation Operations Center) - P

Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in the Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response (S-60), Office of the Secretary (OST). S-60 manages the Department of Transportation's (DOT) preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery efforts to natural disasters or man-made events/incidents. The Transportation Operations Center (TOC) serves the mission critical role to monitor, assess, and report on real-time transportation events, disruptions, and security incidents across all transportation sectors.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/02/2025 to 05/12/2025
Salary
$167,603 to - $195,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Some travel is required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes - The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OST.IER-2025-0011
Control number
836334900

Duties

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The Associate Director (Transportation Operations Center):

  • Leads a large, complex 24-hour Federal operations center that serves as the Department’s hub for emergency response efforts related to the Nation’s transportation system’s infrastructure.
  • Directs highly complex technical and administrative program activities that involve managing and overseeing the information and assessments of the threats, attacks, and damages from emergencies and disasters related to the transportation system’s infrastructure.
  • Overseeing all data and information coming into the TOC, including information provided by the Department’s Operating Administrations (OAs) reports from industry, information from other Federal departments and agencies, the media, and other sources.
  • Responsible for the management of the TOC facility, readiness, maintenance, operability, communications, and capabilities to accomplish DOT’s roles and responsibilities. Oversee all data and information coming into the TOC including information provided by the DOT Operating Administrations, reports from industry, information from other Federal agencies, the media, and other sources.
  • Supervise the TOC staff analysis of raw data received from these sources to validate and determine the impact incidents and events have on transportation, the economy, and DOT’s mission. This includes information at all classification levels.
  • Make recommendations to the S-60 leadership about whom to notify, from the level of the Emergency Coordinator for the affected OAs, to the immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation.
  • Oversees monthly testing of classified communications in accordance with federal requirement.
  • Supervise performance management, welfare, morale, and professional development of the staff and contract support assigned to the TOC. TOC staff members receive training and education in operational processes and procedures, analytical techniques, writing skills, and oral communications. Coaches, reviews, and evaluates projects TOC staff members undertake in support of their service in the TOC.
  • Oversee all information and documents disseminated by the TOC. This includes review of all situation reports and executive summaries concerning the status of transportation during various emergencies, threats, and disasters; and the development of special reports on emerging situations.
  • Serve as Information System owner for the TOC at both normal and continuity of operations sites. Serve as lead spokesperson for DOT information reports with the Department of Homeland Security and other inter-governmental forums and organizations, providing an intermodal common operation picture on the “status of the transportation infrastructure.”

The ideal candidate for this position is a motivated individual with experience leading in operation center environment who can manage and coordinate the departmental-level preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery efforts to natural disasters and/or man-made events/incidents and is adept at technical writing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
  • You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • 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.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • TOP SECRET/SCI: This position requires a Top-Secret/SCI clearance. You must possess a current or reinstatable Top Secret/SCI clearance.
  • 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.
  • DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

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

To qualify for the Grade 15, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

  • Experience leading teams in a complex, 24-Hour/7-day week/365-day, Operations Center environment.
  • Experience overseeing an Operations Center staff and developing briefings products reflecting impacts to the status of the transportation infrastructure and sector.
  • Experience providing verbal and written briefings to senior executive leadership on topics related to emergencies, threats, disasters, and other emerging situations that may require answering ad-hoc questions.

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:

  1. Manages and Organizes Information - Identifies a need; gathers, organizes, and maintains information; determines its importance and accuracy, and communicates it by a variety of methods.
  2. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
  3. Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
  4. Partnering - Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

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, 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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. 

To compete with U.S. Citizens:  If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified which is based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference that have provided supporting documents will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The top-rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position.

To compete with other competitive status government employees: If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be scored based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. The top-rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

All applicants:  Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. 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, your application may be updated on your behalf or you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. The Automated Staffing Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating.


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