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Program Manager

Department of Transportation
Maritime Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift, Maritime Administration (MARAD). This position is responsible for management and oversight of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) ship construction program including responsibility for requirements development, schedules, budgets, manpower, contract enforcement, procurement actions, and award.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/15/2025 to 07/28/2025
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
25% or less - Some travel will be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MARAD.HQ-2025-0047
Control number
840634000

Duties

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As a Program Manager, you will:

  • Develop and monitor project milestones and critical dates to identify risks to project cost and schedule. Ensure that the various elements within all projects are well-coordinated. Leverage program management standards and tools to develop and maintain detailed project plans and schedules after scrutinizing the quality of estimates provided. Identify and mange key dependencies within a project. Gather project metrics, assess variances, and determine impacts to plan.
  • Identify, analyze, respond to, and escalate project risks. Continually track and manage issues through to resolution. Identify ways to resolve issues and keep senior leaders informed on critical issues.
  • Ensure all project team members have the tools and training required to perform effectively. Facilitate communications and collaborative participation of project teams, project leadership, stakeholders, and management.
  • Develop and integrate policies, best practices, project standards, procedures, quality objectives, and metrics for executing and assessing projects.
  • Support the development of systematic reporting processes to facilitate rigorous management tracking and oversight. Reports should be customized and tailored to meet the needs of different audiences to include the Associate Administrator, Director, Supervisory Team Leads, Program Managers, and various political leadership levels including Congress.

The ideal candidate possess professional knowledge of principles, concepts, research sources, methodology, and techniques sufficient to provide expert advice, interpretation, and guidance on merchant ship construction and maritime rules and regulations. Has supervisory experience with demonstrated skills and abilities to lead as well as program management and contract oversight experience.

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.
  • SECURITY CLEARANCE: Applicants must be required to obtain and retain a Secret Security Clearance.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • 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.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • 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.
  • 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 15, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

  • Experience liaising with top-level program, policy, and budgeting officials; reviewing and approving substantial or controversial changes in plans and specifications for vessel construction, repair, maintenance, or operation contracts; implementing management improvements (e.g., cost reductions and creating efficiencies).
  • Experience with budgeting, program management principles and experience planning, program management, regulation compliance, guidelines, and process development.
  • Experience researching and analyzing technical and programmatic information.

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. Technical Competence - Use knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understand, and evaluate technical information related to the job; advise others on technical issues.
  2. Administration and Management - Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.
  3. Planning and Evaluating – Organize work, set priorities, and determine resource requirements; determine short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve.
  4. Communications and Media - Knowledge of the production, communication and dissemination of information and ideas to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

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.

Additional information

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

  • Must obtain and maintain a secret security clearance, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) level 3 and Project/Program Management (P/PM) Certification Level 3 within 3 years of appointment.

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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