This position is located in the Department of Waterfront Operations and Training, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Mission Statement: To educate and graduate leaders of exemplary character who are inspired to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States as licensed Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the Armed Forces.
Summary
This position is located in the Department of Waterfront Operations and Training, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD).
Mission Statement: To educate and graduate leaders of exemplary character who are inspired to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States as licensed Merchant Marine Officers and commissioned officers in the Armed Forces.
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.
As a Director of Waterfront Operations and Training, you will:
Coordinate, supervise and instruct all of students involved in afloat training programs both as curricular and extra-curricular activities, experience preferably from a college/university campus.
Exercise responsibility for the overall planning, operation, maintenance, and repair of all waterfront support facilities, including all piers, floats, slips and vessel berthing areas, as well as all related shore-side training, administration, storage, maintenance and repair facilities, including Yocum Sailing Center and Prosser Boathouse.
Manage the oversight of all aspects of the Academy’s curricular, extra-curricular and recreational sailing and small craft training programs, including program development, preparation of training publications and curricula, certification standards, testing and certification procedures, establishing standard operating procedures, accident investigation, risk assessment and management, recruiting and training volunteers, and identifying and assisting in the recruitment of qualified candidates for admission.
Oversee all safety and security efforts involving waterfront personnel, facilities, and vessels. These include protecting Academy personnel and property from damage during hurricanes and other severe weather; working with government and local rescue agencies to coordinate emergency search and rescue operations in waters adjunct to the Academy; and coordinating watch standing and security programs with the Commandant of Midshipman and the Head, Department of public Safety.
Plan and coordinate the Waterfront portion of the Indoctrination Program and coordinate all Midshipman waterfront-related training program with the Commandant of Midshipman.
The ideal candidate for this position is a highly motivated middle to senior level professional possessing integrity, stamina, and ingenuity, and capable of adjusting to various work environments, physical demands, and schedules. The individual must be customer service oriented, with unique skills to coordinate with internal and external stakeholders and provide program direction and guidance to all concerning reporting procedures, confidentiality, training, safety tips and resources, preferably on a college/university campus. Experience gained in a college or university campus environment is preferred.
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:
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.
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. See other information for additional instructions.
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 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 managing waterfront operations and facility programs, including resource allocation and safety compliance.
Experience directing afloat training programs, including curriculum execution and extracurricular instructional activities.
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:
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.
Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.
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
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.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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 experiencewill 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).
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
RESUME:In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that is used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week). If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS / INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, you may submit recent performance appraisals and incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months. To receive due consideration during the evaluation process, your performance appraisal must show the official rating of record and be signed by a supervisor. If an appraisal is unavailable, you must submit a statement explaining why (do not submit a performance plan). Qualifying incentive documentation includes superior performance, special act or achievement awards, and quality step increases. All submitted documentation will be forwarded to the selecting official to support your application.
VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility.
If applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).
If claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
If applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) and provide all of the following documents:
your most recent performance appraisal,
the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
IMPORTANT: Submit all required resume details and documents by the closing date. Verify that all files have successfully transferred before submitting. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified.
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.
DOT, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Next steps
You may check your application status by logging into USAJOBS.GOV. (Select "My USAJOBS" and click "Applications"). Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date. Qualified candidates will be assigned a category, not including points that may be assigned for veterans' preference. If the vacancy is advertised under status, your application will be scored on a scale between 70 - 100. The most highly qualified candidates are then referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. If the vacancy was advertised under category rating, then the appropriate veteran's preference will be applied. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
RESUME:In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that is used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week). If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS / INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, you may submit recent performance appraisals and incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months. To receive due consideration during the evaluation process, your performance appraisal must show the official rating of record and be signed by a supervisor. If an appraisal is unavailable, you must submit a statement explaining why (do not submit a performance plan). Qualifying incentive documentation includes superior performance, special act or achievement awards, and quality step increases. All submitted documentation will be forwarded to the selecting official to support your application.
VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility.
If applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).
If claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
If applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) and provide all of the following documents:
your most recent performance appraisal,
the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
IMPORTANT: Submit all required resume details and documents by the closing date. Verify that all files have successfully transferred before submitting. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified.
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.
DOT, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Next steps
You may check your application status by logging into USAJOBS.GOV. (Select "My USAJOBS" and click "Applications"). Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date. Qualified candidates will be assigned a category, not including points that may be assigned for veterans' preference. If the vacancy is advertised under status, your application will be scored on a scale between 70 - 100. The most highly qualified candidates are then referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. If the vacancy was advertised under category rating, then the appropriate veteran's preference will be applied. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
