Supervisory General Engineer (Director of New Ship Construction) - DIRECT HIRE

Summary

Serves as principal advisor on the formulation and review of long-range goals for new commercial ship construction, industry studies, and cost estimating. Leads efforts supporting the President's agenda to restore maritime dominance. Directs multidisciplinary engineering teams in technical oversight, project management, and construction verification. Provides senior-level advisory services and strategic planning for national maritime infrastructure initiatives.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

As a Supervisory General Engineer (Director of New Ship Construction), you will :

• Serves as the primary technical authority and principal consultant to the Maritime Administrator and senior leadership on the evaluation of complex ship construction initiatives. Directs the formulation of long-range goals and manages the assignment of multidisciplinary technical staff to high-priority projects that support the agency's strategic mission and the President's maritime agenda.
• Leads high-level engagements and conducts strategic negotiations with prospective and existing shipbuilders and senior construction managers. Represents MARAD at inter-Governmental forums and public venues to present major program initiatives, often involving conflicting or controversial interests.
• Develops and defends budgetary documents, authoritative policy interpretations, and reports to Congress and other Federal agencies regarding new ship construction programs. Provides expert testimony and addresses high-ranking officials to render technical opinions on ship design and shipyard operations.
• Directs the analysis of complex shipyard delay claims and requests for delivery extensions, exercising final authority on technical recommendations. Oversees pre-award surveys and production audits to verify shipbuilder performance against established contract milestones and delivery dates.
• Provides executive oversight and progress verification for construction projects funded through Government loan guarantees, grants, and other financial assistance programs. Ensures rigorous internal controls are applied to ship construction financial payments and fair-cost estimates.
• Determines and recommends the technical acceptability of commercial vessels for use during national emergencies. Collaborates directly with the Department of War and other regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, to ensure new construction supports national security requirements.

The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with expert authority in commercial shipbuilding and shipyard operations. You possess a proven track record of accelerating modern technology in marine construction and managing complex, multi-million-dollar programs. You are a strategic negotiator capable of representing the agency before Congress and high-ranking officials to defend policy and resolve controversial issues. Additionally, you excel at leading multidisciplinary teams and ensuring maritime assets support national security and emergency readiness.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position.

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.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION : You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: New supervisors must complete a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirement.

To qualify for the Grade 15 , you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

• Experience as a lead technical consultant or subject matter expert in the formulation, analysis, and evaluation of long-range programs related to commercial ship construction, large-scale marine engineering, or industrial shipyard operations.
• Experience managing complex engineering projects, including conducting production audits, analyzing shipyard performance against contract milestones, and overseeing fair-cost estimates or government financial assistance and grant programs.
• Experience representing an organization to high-ranking officials (e.g., senior management, Federal agencies, or industry executives) to resolve controversial maritime issues, provide technical opinions on ship design, or defend programmatic initiatives.

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:

1. External Awareness: Identifies and understand economic, political, and social trends that affect the organization.
2. Strategic Thinking: Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization in a global environment.
3. Financial Management: Prepares, justifies, and administers the program budget; oversees procurement and contracting to ensure compliance with internal controls.
4. Influencing/Negotiating: Persuades others; builds consensus through shared expectations; and finds common ground with stakeholders who may have conflicting interests.

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:

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

A. DEGREE: ENGINEERING To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR

B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.

2. Written Test Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

3. Specified academic courses Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

4. Related curriculum Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive). All applicants must meet the education requirements under A or B to qualify for applying to an engineering position. Transcripts are required for this position.

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, View email address on click.appcast.io. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.