Clarification from the agency

FRA Modal - wide employees with competitive status only, including FAA employees eligible for competitive announcements through FAA's OPM Interchange Agreement.

As a Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist (Track), you will:

• Plan and assign work to employees and establish priorities. Develop ways to improve the quality and/or quantity of work produced.
• Provide technical advice and guidance on track standards and practices to Railroad Safety Inspectors assigned to the district to promote uniform understanding and application of laws, rules, and regulations. Keep their inspectors informed on the latest changes and new developments in track regulations and new legislation affecting the railroad industry. The Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist directs and guides Railroad Safety Inspectors in the examination of various railroad records and reports to monitor compliance with applicable regulations and laws.
• Review and evaluate the technical work of employees. Review inspector’s violations and inspection reports for correctness and completeness and determines if the information contained in their reports is sufficient for successful prosecution if the report is submitted to Chief Council’s Office. Review complaint investigation reports, waiver reports, and accident reports for accuracy, completeness, and conformity to FRA policies and procedures. Furnish information to higher headquarters representatives on these technical reports.
• Provide leadership to inspectors for achieving the objectives of the Track Division’s Inspection Plan. Give guidance, as needed, on obtaining and analyzing safety database statistics used to develop and update the Plan and on completing Plan action items, such as task force inspections and focused safety activities.

The ideal candidate for this position is a mission-focused senior-level professional who has experience providing guidance, interpretation, and enforcement of Federal Railroad Administration regulations and procedures concerning railroad track safety standards, and roadway workplace safety for railroads located within a specific territory, with excellent leadership skills.

Conditions of employment

• Must meet specialized experience stated in Qualifications section.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will 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.
• 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: 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.
• DRIVER'S LICENSE: All Railroad Safety Inspectors are required to possess a valid state drivers license at all times while employed by the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) in order to perform the duties of their positions.
• DRUG TESTING:Tentatively selected candidates are required to undergo urinalysis in accordance with DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace", which includes testing for marijuana. Marijuana is legal in some states, however it’s still illegal at the federal level. 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.

Qualifications

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

To be qualified for a Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist (Track), the Qualifications Standards states you MUST have demonstrated knowledge in the following areas:

• Knowledge of the railroad industry, including economic and operating considerations and equipment.
• Knowledge of the general safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry.
• Knowledge of railroad accident investigation techniques.
• Skill in written and oral communication.
• Knowledge of railroad track system construction, maintenance, testing, or inspection techniques.
• Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of various track system configurations.
• Knowledge of Federal railroad track safety standards.

In addition, to qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience conducting special investigations (including accident investigations) involving Railroad Track and Railroad Workplace Safety.
• Experience analyzing information obtained during the conducting of inspections to ensure compliance with track safety standards. 
• Experience preparing technical reports, narratives, and/or correspondence pertaining to railroad track safety inspections and/or investigations.

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. Accident Investigation - Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.
2. Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
3. Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
4. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
5. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

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.

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 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 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 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).