Braker-Switcher

Job details at a glance

About this job

About the Position: This position is with the US Army Transportation Command, 596th U.S. Army Transportation Surface Brigade, 832nd US Transportation Battalion, Rail Operations Division, located in Southport, North Carolina.

Duties

Monitor the safe movement of trains and railcars.

Give and respond to signals and instructions in routine and emergent situations.

Set out, transfer and pick up rail cars by uncoupling, setting, and releasing car brakes and air brake hoses.

Use proper signaling means and equipment, such as arms, hands, lanterns, lights and flags to signal for normal and emergency conditions.

Inform locomotive engineer by use of signals of malfunctioning or track obstructions.

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. 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 People with Disabilities, Schedule A Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 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. There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision. Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of an Braker-Switcher without more than normal supervision. Ability to work without more than normal supervision I have experience independently working as a Braker-Switcher and railroad crew member for 120-ton diesel electric locomotives. I perform switching, signaling, flagging, coupling, brake setting involved in the movement of box cars containing hazardous cargo. Check track switches to ensure they are properly set and reset. Judges braking and stopping distances. Sets out, transfers and picks up rail cars and groups of rail cars. Checks tracks for obstructions, defects, train derailment, unsealed rail cars, and malfunctioning railroad equipment. - Failure to meet this Screen Out Element will result in an ineligible rating. Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (Screen-out Element) Ability to Drive Safely (Motor Vehicles) and Ability to Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle) Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (related to mobile equipment operation) Operation of Motor Vehicles Reliability and dependability as a Braker-Switcher Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean, and in order) PHYSICAL EFFORT - Must use physical agility and effort in pushing, pulling, lifting, positioning and turning various braking, switching, and coupling devices; moving and lifting arms and devices to give signals; walking over rails and ties and running to perform tasks. Must be able to climb aboard locomotives and train cars, sometimes while they are moving or have slippery steps, rungs, and grab irons. Required to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds and put forth similar effort in pushing and removing obstacles from the railway. WORKING CONDITIONS - Works under many adverse conditions in both good and bad weather. Frequently exposed to loud noise, fumes and odors. Exposed to possible injuries from accidents. May wear protective clothing, such as safety shoes and gloves. Any unusual environmental working conditions that may arise will be compensated for under an appropriate category of the environmental pay regulation.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. You may claim Military Spouse preference. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

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) on 11/16/2026 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/13107129). 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.

Applications are handled only on the official announcement. This page is a readable copy of the public announcement data — the official version controls if anything differs.

Required documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 1. Your resume: 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 each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume. 2. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration. NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

What to expect next

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

Other information

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest. Direct deposit of pay is required. This is a Transportation and Distribution Management Career Program position aligned under the Logistics Career Management Directorate. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable Local Market Supplement. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Frequently asked questions

More jobs at ARMY TRANSPORTATION

• Safety And Occupational Health Specialist

  🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION📍 North Charleston, South Carolina💰 $74,678–$97,087 per yearPosted Nov 9, 20267 days left
  Announcement MCGT-27-13112169-MP · closes Nov 18, 2026 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

• Information Systems Management Specialist

  🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION📍 Scott AFB, Illinois💰 $109,137–$141,880 per yearPosted Nov 5, 20265 days left
  Announcement MCGT-27-13093925-DHA-R · closes Nov 16, 2026 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

• Information Systems Management Specialist

  🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION📍 Scott AFB, Illinois💰 $109,137–$141,880 per yearPosted Nov 5, 20265 days left
  Announcement MCGT-27-13093923-MP-R · closes Nov 16, 2026 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

• Student Trainee (Information Technology)

  🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION📍 Scott AFB, Illinois💰 $37,333–$48,535 per yearPosted Nov 5, 20265 days left
  Announcement MCGT-26-13104859-PI · closes Nov 16, 2026 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

• Marine Cargo Specialist

  🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION📍 Concord, California💰 $77,161–$100,315 per yearPosted Nov 4, 20265 days left
  Announcement MCGT-27-13107249-MP-R8 · closes Nov 16, 2026 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

All ARMY TRANSPORTATION jobs →

More Braking-Switching And Conducting jobs

• Transportation/Mobile Equipment Operations/Mechanic

  🏛 Department of the Air Force Headquarters📍 Location Negotiable After Selection💰 $30,783–$101,741 per yearPosted Mar 31, 2026139 days left
  Announcement AF-FY26-WL-57XX-58XX-SPLASH · closes Mar 30, 2027 · Official announcement on USAJobs ↗

All Braking-Switching And Conducting jobs →