Marine Cargo Specialist

About the Position: Serves as a Marine Cargo Specialist, working with higher graded specialists, in planning and coordinating vessel operation plan and contract specifications for loading and/or discharging of Department of Defense-sponsored cargo through commercial ocean terminals.

Major duties
Formulate vessel stow plans utilizing specialized software to ensure safe cargo placement and ship stability.
Coordinate terminal staging plans across truck, rail, and water networks to maintain efficient cargo flow.
Monitor contractor stevedoring performance during vessel loading to verify compliance with contract terms.
Certify hazardous materials shipping documents to ensure regulatory compliance and safe cargo segregation.
Document daily terminal activities and contractor performance metrics in official port cargo logs.
Resolve staging bottlenecks and cargo discrepancies directly with stevedore supervisors to prevent delays.
Analyze shipping manifests and terminal space allocations to optimize overall vessel space utilization.
Provide technical logistics assistance during planning conferences to coordinate scheduled cargo movements.
Enforce safety rules and physical security protocols across active terminal and vessel work zones.
Execute computerized database entries to maintain real-time tracking of cargo and port inventory.

Qualifications
Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. If you are a current Army employee with competitive status and would like to be considered for a Temporary Promotion NTE 13 months, please apply under Announcement MCGT-27-13107249-MP-R8. 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 People with Disabilities, Schedule A Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Reinstatement Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: (1) preparing preliminary cargo stowage plans, and/or (2) overseeing loading, stowage, and discharge operations to make certain that they conform to preliminary plans or authorizing necessary changes and preparing final plans. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). This experience must have involved vessels of at least 5,000 dead-weight tons. It must also clearly show a comprehensive knowledge of marine rules and regulations and the ability to plan, direct, organize, and coordinate cargo handling activities; to interpret and apply policies; to investigate operations and practices and resolve problems; and to establish and maintain effective work relationships. Experience in layout planning, ship-loading, and cargo handling may have been gained during such seagoing and marine terminal assignments as service in the U.S. Navy as a cargo officer, similar service in the Merchant Marines, or employment by commercial steamship lines. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business administration, business or commercial law, commerce, economics, engineering, finance, industrial management, statistics, traffic management, transportation, motor mechanics, or other fields related to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Compliance Contracting/Procurement Hazardous Materials Safety Engineering Transportation Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).

How to apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on11/16/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13107247). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), 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://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.