This vacancy is for a GS - 0963 - 8/9, Merchant Mariner Safety and Suitability Investigator located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, NMC SAFETY and SUITABILITY INVESTIGATIONS SECTION in MARTINSBURG, West Virginia.
Duties
You will serve as a Merchant Mariner Safety and Suitability Investigator and be responsible for reconciling contradictions, conflicts and inconsistencies in documentation submitted in support of an application for a Coast Guard issued credential. Incumbent must exercise judgment in determining the applicability of legal guidelines and the reasonableness of such guidelines to individual cases. Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team. Typical work assignments include: Conducts Safety and Suitability Evaluations: Analyzes applicant backgrounds and documentation to determine eligibility for Coast Guard credentials Prepares Official Documentation: Drafts reports, denial letters, information requests, appeals responses, and provides guidance to stakeholders Manages Mariner Records: Maintains, retrieves, and files mariner records in accordance with Coast Guard protocols Ensures Quality Assurance: Performs duties per Coast Guard quality management system, recommends process improvements, and supports program/database updates Provides Guidance and Oversight: Guides junior evaluators, reviews their work, and assists with complex credentialing issue 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
Salary
Qualifications
To qualify at the GS-8 grade level, your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the federal sector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the ability, skill, and knowledge 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. Understanding of law enforcement and judicial system research; Preparing official correspondence and technical material; AND Communicating with external entities via telephone and other electronic communications. To qualify at the GS-9 grade level, your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-8 grade level in the federal sector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the ability, skill, and knowledge 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. Understanding of law enforcement and judicial system research; Preparing official correspondence and technical material; Communicating with external entities via telephone and other electronic communications; Interpreting and applying regulatory and/or policy guidance to evaluate applicant qualifications; AND Reviewing the work of others and providing guidance to others related to interpreting and applying applicant qualification regulations and policies. 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 can not 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.
Education
This position does not have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail. Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution. Once selected & prior to appointment, applicants must provide an official college transcript. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. (see FOREIGN EDUCATION below). College Transcript: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Transcripts should be legible and detailed, showing course number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. To receive this credit, you must submit evidence of equivalency as provided by a credentialling evaluation service. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Required Documents
Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Resume showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education, and training. Include start and end dates (mm/yy to mm/yy) and number of hours per week worked/volunteered. For additional information on your resume, see How to Apply. Your responses to any applicable assessments. Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution. Once selected and prior to appointment, applicants must provide an official college transcript. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. In order to receive this credit, you must submit evidence of equivalency as provided by a credentialling evaluation service. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications Veterans' preference documentation (All DD-214s MUST be a signed, legible copy showing character of service and lost time, typically Member 4 or Service copy), SF-15 & VA letter, if applicable. NOTE: The revised Oct 2013 SF-15 is the latest copy & all others are not usable. Please see Feds Hire Vets for detail. Veterans claiming 5 point veterans' preference must submit DD214(s) as detailed above. 30% Disabled Veterans must submit their DD-214(s) as detailed above, & VA Disability Letter with percentage of disability OR documentation of disability determination from a branch of the Armed Forces which reflects a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Other 10 point Preference Eligibles must submit DD-214(s) as detailed above, & provide documentation of 10 point preference described on the back of the SF-15. If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD214 & is claiming eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating you will be discharged/released from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date you submit your certification as part of your application for this announcement. See the "How to Apply" section of this announcement for information on specific requirements for VOW certifications. Political Appointees: OPM must authorize employment offers for former or current Political Appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information. Submit proof of your former or current status, such as your SF-50. Please see here. CTAP & ICTAP applicants MUST submit documentation verifying your eligibility. This includes a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, most recent SF-50-Notification of Personnel Action noting your current position, grade level and duty location, and documentation from your agency showing your current promotion potential. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement.
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. Resumes exceeding 2 pages will not be considered. To begin your online application, click "Apply Online" to create a USAJOBS account & follow the prompts or log in to your existing account. Your application packet must include a resume & any applicable & or required supporting documentation. Please see the "Required Documents" section for additional information. 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, & any supporting documents by 11:59 PM EST on 10/09/2026. 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 & via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system & 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 & 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 & 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 & is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining your eligibility & qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation & 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 & include the following information: military dates of service & expected discharge or release date, character of service, military rank, type of discharge, & 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 &/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. Delegated Examining GS-05 or above The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager & agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required & will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words & did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.
Benefits
DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service- connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.
