Sports Specialist (Athletic Trainer)

About the role

This position is located in the Department of Physical Education and Athletics, United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Maritime Administration (MARAD).

What you will do

• Developing and conducting educational courses and programs.
• Instructing and providing academic counseling to Midshipmen, while also contributing to departmental and other academic responsibilities.
• Teaching Physical Education courses in First Aid, CPR, and Ship's Medicine, as well as serving as Assistant Athletic Trainer for contact sports (e.g., Football, Wrestling, Lacrosse, etc.).
• The ideal candidate must be highly motivated and experienced professional who work to support the Mission of the USMMA.
• The candidate must be capable of adjusting to various work environments, physical demands, and schedules.
• The candidate must be able to work well within the structure of the physical education and Athletics Department team and must be positive contributor.

Requirements

• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position.
• This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service.
• Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.
• A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• CERTIFICATIONS: Applicants must possess a current certification from the Board of Certification (BOC) for the Athletic Trainer and be in good standing AND a CPR certification by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association.
• NOTE: This is an Excepted Service appointment with an Initial Term Not-to-Exceed 13 months; however, each year with a satisfactory performance appraisal, the appointment may be extended for an additional year.

Education

Minimum Education Requirement: The educational requirement for this Sports Specialist position includes a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to the duties of the position.

NOTE: Applicants who do not possess a Bachelor's Degree in a field closely related to the duties required for the position may substitute a Bachelor's Degree in a unrelated field if they also possess significant professional training and specialized experience that is closely related to the duties of the position at a level of complexity and responsibility equivalent to those performed in the position.

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.

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

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 can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles.
• 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.
• TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series.
• The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.
• Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• VETERANS: If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
• 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.
• 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

Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com. (Select "My USAJOBS" and click "Applications").

Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date. 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

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 This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.