Marine Transportation Specialist

Summary

This vacancy is for a GS-2101-13, Marine Transportation Specialist, DCO, Asst COMDT for Prevention Policy, Commercial Regulations and Standards, Merchant Mariner Credentialing/Policy Division, Washington, DC.

Duties

• You will serve as a Marine Transportation Specialist and be responsible for development, interpretation, and implementation of policies and regulations pertaining to the qualification, training, and credentialing of U.S. Merchant Mariners. This includes developing national and international standards, regulations, and policies; serving as an audit team member or leader of quality and training processes at commercial training institutions and Coast Guard's (CG) facilities; providing management support to a Federal Advisory Committee; providing program support in connection with administrative clemency requests; and adjudicating appeals and making decisions that affect policies and precedents for the Mariner Credentialing Program. . Being a CG civilian makes you a valuable member of the CG team. Typical work assignments include: Serving as a member of the Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing, with responsibility for participating in the development, interpretation, and implementation of rules and regulations concerning merchant mariner credentialing, as related to the CG's Maritime Prevention Program. Evaluating mariner appeals and develops (signature ready) final agency action responses for the review and signature of the Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards (CG-5PS); reviewing associated laws, regulations, and policies in order to determine the validity of the mariner's position and developing recommendations for the resolution of the appeal. Establishing policies in the broad areas of merchant mariner training, testing, certification, vetting, documentation, and manning requirements for Mariners serving on certificated and non-certificated U.S. vessels. Originating and developing policies based upon risk management principles for new programs and evaluating the solutions proposed as substitutes or alternatives to existing requirements. Providing technical advice and consultative services to CG field personnel and to representatives of the maritime industry concerning the intent and application of the Mariner Credentialing Program's regulations and policies. Engaging with the public to answer technical questions concerning the intent of the laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to the Mariner Credentialing Program and to its relationship with other CG and federal government pro- grams for training qualifications and the documentation of transportation workers. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Reasonable Accommodation Information

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-13 grade level, applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skill, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. Examples of specialized experience include performing the following types of tasks on a regular basis. Developing policies and standards related to maritime safety and security. Preparing a variety of correspondence, reports, and/or documents related to maritime regulations and proposals. Managing or serving as a team lead for projects responsible for developing maritime standards and regulations. AND Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC): Applicant must hold, or have held, a U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential with a national endorsement authorizing service as an officer in the deck or engineering department on unlimited tonnage or unlimited horsepower commercial vessels in Oceans service, which includes International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 as Amended endorsements. NOTE: All experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or related applicable assessment) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. NOTE: Education cannot be substituted for experience at this grade level. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

Requirements

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume: Social Security Number (SSN) Date of Birth (DOB) Photos of yourself (if included on your resume you will not be considered for this position) Personal information: such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. Key Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov A one-year probationary period may be required. Under provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act, first time supervisors and/or managers will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation. This position requires a Public Trust clearance. This is not a Bargaining Unit position. Selectee must be able to obtain/maintain a valid state driver's license. Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by the closing date of the vacancy. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit. Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule, C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

How to apply

Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Font size should not be smaller than 10pts & margins no smaller than .5 inches. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. To begin your online application, click "Apply Online" to create a USAJOBS account and follow the prompts or log in to your existing account. Your application packet must include a resume, any applicable assessments, and any applicable and/or required supporting documentation. Please see the "Required Documents" section for additional information. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English. We encourage you to apply online. Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. The address below is for inquiries only. You may apply more than once, but the most recent application is the only one that will be used. You must submit your resume, and any supporting documents by 11:59 PM EST on 09/18/2026. USA Hire Assessment - If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about 2 hrs to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, we will not be able to consider it as part of your application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If claiming eligibility under the VOW Act: The VOW Act requires Federal agencies to treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligibles, when they submit, at the time they apply for a Federal job, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD214. In order to be considered under the VOW Act, the certification must specify that the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package for this job announcement. The certification must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by, or by direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders or higher headquarters. Agencies are required to verify a qualifying separation from military service prior to appointment, through the DD214 or other appropriate documentation. Your preference and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment.