Lead Transportation Specialist - Direct Hire

About this role

This position is responsible for leading a multidisciplinary team in the oversight of transportation policies, programs and projects, and providing technical guidance to stakeholders for coordination of programs, initiatives, and activities. This position works closely with Division leadership and our partners to assess and resolve project delivery challenges in the areas of design, contract administration, construction and project management, grants management, environment, and planning.

Duties As a Lead Transportation Specialist, you will: Serve as a Team Leader with responsibility for communicating goals and priorities, assigning and overseeing work, coaching employees toward technical and professional development, and monitoring and reporting on performance metrics. Provide expertise in policy interpretation and implementation, problem solving, and demonstration of state-of-the-art practices on a wide range of transportation programs, including assisting stakeholders in developing plans, goals and objectives to achieve deliverables for assigned transportation programs. Lead or guide scoping and execution of complex program reviews to evaluate compliance with Federal requirements, and the efficiency and effectiveness with which transportation programs and administrative operations are carried out in conjunction with the agency's mission and policies. Serve as the point of contact for Congressional, Headquarters, and other miscellaneous requests for information pertinent to assigned program areas. Coordinate with appropriate staff to collect and analyze data, draft recommendations or responses, brief leadership, and distribute correspondence. Develop and modernize management and reporting tools to collect a multitude of complex data/information for the assessment of program implementation. Track process improvements through critical metrics and adjust processes as necessary to gain additional process improvements. The ideal candidate is a professional who functions independently and demonstrates leadership in team environments. The ideal candidate also has strong analytical, strategic planning, and communication skills. Experience in the oversight and analysis of transportation policy, programs or procedures is desirable.

Qualifications To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement and the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. Individual Occupational Requirement: Experience that demonstrated a knowledge of the transportation function(s) of the position to be filled (for positions above GS-5). To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Experience in managing projects/programs to implement policies and strategies that advance transportation programs; AND Experience conducting reviews of systems or processes to define transportation problems and recommend solutions. 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: Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations. Transportation Engineering - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods applicable to planning, designing, and constructing of transportation systems including traffic analysis, signal analysis, highway capacity, pavement design, bridge construction, planning of transportation projects, environmental analysis of transportation facilities, and transportation network analysis. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. Partnering - Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals. 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.

Requirements CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will 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. 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. PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Required documents 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 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, or average number of hours worked per 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. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy 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. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

How to apply You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. 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. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: [email protected]

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, [email protected]. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation