First Officer (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees)

About the role

This position is located in the Department of Waterfront Activities, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD). This position is established to ensure the safe, effective, and efficient management and supervision of Midshipmen.

As second in command of the ship, you will be accountable to the Master for all matters pertaining to management, operation, care, safety, and physical condition of deck operations and keep the Master informed in those areas.

What you will do

• Serves as the ship's safety offer, training officer, damage control officer, vessel security officer, oil spoil coordinator and (as required) gas free engineer.
• Prior to sailing, inspects the ship to ascertain there are not structural defects and that hatchers, side ports, cargo gear, cargo, and equipment are secured properly.
• Exercises responsibility for training of all Midshipmen in their duties during replenishment or mission operations, and for the compilation and submission of all required departmental training reports.
• Has responsibility for ensuring that station bills are properly prepared and posted, fire detection systems are maintained, firefighting an lifesaving appliances are in good condition, damage control book is properly maintained.
• Supervises all Deck Department personnel, maintains the physical condition of the ship, navigational equipment and supplies, safety equipment, condition of weather decks and interior spaces, etc. Is responsible for managing personnel berthing assignments, administering the midshipmen watch officer and cadet duty watch program, financial management, ABS and USCG inspections.
• The ideal candidate for this position should possess the knowledge in performing as the second in command of a vessel with full accountability to the Master for all matters pertaining to management, operation, care, safety, and physical condition of deck operations.

Requirements

• 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.
• LICENSE REQUIREMENT: The duties and responsibility of this position require the employee to attain and maintain a United States Coast Guard (USCG) License as Mate on board vessels of 1600 Gross Tons or more and Standards of Training Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) certification.
• 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.
• DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• Please see other information for additional instructions.

How you will be evaluated

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 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).

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• 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) (***), 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.
• Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.
• For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.
• 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.

What to expect next

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.

Additional information

DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTING: This position has been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug/alcohol testing, you will also be subject to Random Drug/Alcohol Testing" 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, ***.

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.