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Senior Compliance Investigator

Department of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Summary

Serving within PHMSA/OHMS Field Operations (DOT), this position acts as the regional focal point for operational plans, policies, training, and program management. Reporting to the Regional Director, the incumbent aligns regional enforcement with national priorities, standardizes field activities, and ensures operational readiness. They direct Multiagency Strike Force Operations (MASFO) and provide expert guidance to protect the public from hazardous materials transportation risks.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Remote job
Yes
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$125,776 - $197,199 per year

The difference in the salary is determined by the locality pay in each location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
14
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Travel Required
50% or less - Some travel will be required.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
PHMSA.HMRG-2027-0002
Control number
891335100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

PHMSA-wide employees with competitive status only, including FAA employees eligible for competitive announcements through FAA's OPM Interchange Agreement. Positions are available in the following locations: Central Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Southwest Region: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Duties

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The Senior Compliance Investigator:

  • Serves as the Regional Coordinator for operational planning and execution. Exercises oversight and direction over regional compliance programs, ensuring the effective implementation of national policies and standardization initiatives.
  • Develops and directs Multiagency Strike Force Operations (MASFO) within the regional area of responsibility. Coordinates with Federal, state, and local partners to identify, plan, and execute high-impact enforcement operations, maximizing the utilization of assets and cross-functional cooperation.
  • Plans and executes comprehensive training programs for regional investigators to ensure
    technical proficiency and operational consistency. Serves as a liaison and provides direct training support to the National Training and Qualification Branch (NTQB) in Oklahoma City, ensuring field-level needs are integrated into national curriculum development.
  • Facilitates internal, and external meetings, ensuring clear communication of regional priorities, trends, and operational goals. Assists with report processing, quality control, and the dissemination of lessons learned to ensure regional and national alignment.
  • Plans and executes System Integrity Safety endeavors, leveraging data-driven approaches to identify and mitigate high-risk transportation trends. Utilizes Hazardous Materials Safety data systems to perform trend analysis and develops systematic approaches to address emerging safety challenges.
  • Participates in the development of national program policy and initiatives. Advises the Region Director on the operational impact of policies, identifies performance gaps, and recommends modifications to regional or national procedures.
  • Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with alliance partners, including other Federal, State, and local agencies and industry trade associations. Serves as a primary point of contact for complex compliance issues, advising management on priorities and resource allocation.

The ideal candidate for this position will have a mastery of broad and complex transportation principles and PHMSA’s compliance and enforcement programs. Extensive technical knowledge in all regulated areas, including scientific principles, test and measurement techniques, and the potential risks involved in transporting hazardous materials. Expert knowledge of transportation concepts, principles, and methodologies to serve as a primary advisor to the Director and management team. Demonstrated mastery in leading and managing complex operational activities, including the ability to plan, organize, and conduct inspections and training. Exceptional skill in communicating effectively, orally and in writing, with high-level audiences.

Requirements

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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 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.
  • TRAINING: You must successfully complete a residential 12-week formal training course including any pre- and/or post-course training requirements. Travel to and from this residential training will be paid as allowed by government travel regulations. Individuals who do not successfully complete the training academy may be separated from employment with the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration.
  • DRUG TEST: 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.
  • 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.

Please see Other information for additional instructions.

Qualifications

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

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 providing technical expertise, advice, and guidance on national and multi-region enforcement activities.
  • Experienced in field investigations and conducting operational monitoring and managerial integration of enforcement functions to ensure transportation enforcement is executed.
  • Experience with technical knowledge in hazardous materials specialties, including scientific principles, test and measurement techniques and effects of conditions normally incident to transportation of hazardous materials.
  • Experience in OHMS, PHMSA and DOT activities, policies, and regulations.

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:

  • Compliance Inspection: Knowledge of the guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with compliance inquiries, including application of compliance rules and criteria and ability to make appropriate decisions and issue citations, fines, or orders.
  • Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.
  • Oral Communication (*): Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering 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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Positions are available in the following locations:

  • Central Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
  • Southwest Region: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Due to the remote work nature of this position,  you must have access to high speed internet meeting current Agency standards from chosen work location and sign a remote work agreement.

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 is similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate(s).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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, theexperience 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).


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Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is focused on what matters most: prioritizing the safety of our transportation systems, modernizing our aging infrastructure, unleashing American innovation, and maximizing efficiency by removing bureaucratic red tape. We are looking for mission-driven professionals ready to deliver real results with discipline, urgency, and accountability to support American families, workers, and businesses.

As we usher in a Golden Age of Transportation, DOT values a results-oriented, high-performing workforce dedicated to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and a safe, collaborative environment. If you want to build big, beautiful infrastructure, scale transformative technologies, and achieve results that will serve our nation for generations to come, please consider joining the DOT family.

Did You Know? The Department of Transportation is consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government!

Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
TRANSJOBS@dot.gov
Address
DOT, PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMIN
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States

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