Marine Cargo Specialist

📍 Concord, California · 🏛 ARMY TRANSPORTATION · 💰 $77,161–$100,315 per year · 🎓 GS 9 · 🧭 Marine Cargo (2161) · ⏳ Closes Nov 16, 2026 · 5 days left · 🗓 Posted Nov 4, 2026
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About this job

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.

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 TERM Appointment NTE 13 months, please apply under Announcement MCGT-27-13107247-MP- R8. Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Applying on Time-Limited Assignments 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).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Evaluations

As part of the assessment process, your resume will be evaluated using a competency-based method. This structured evaluation measures your qualifications, experience, and skills against the core competencies required for the position. Final scores will determine whether you are referred to the Hiring Manager for further consideration. 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. 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) 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/13107249). 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.

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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. Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). This position allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses This position requires a job-related license or certification. 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 trial 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 position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter. 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. This is a(n) Transportation & Distribution Management Career Field position. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay or 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. This is an obligated position. An obligated position is one to which an employee has statutory restoration rights or entitlement based on active military service, recovery from a compensable injury, or return rights based on an overseas tour. You will be asked to sign an agreement acknowledging that you are aware of the obligation and willing to be displaced under reduction in force procedures upon the return of the former incumbent. Position may be filled as a time-limited promotion, reassignment or change to lower grade not to exceed (NTE) 13 months by a current permanent Army employee. Time-limited promotions may be extended up to a maximum of five years. Time-limited reassignments and changes to lower grade may exceed five years, however return rights may be impacted. Position may be made permanent without further competition. Administrative and statutory returns rights can be approved up to a maximum of 5 years, must be documented on the time-limited assignment RPA and appropriate agreement filed in the eOPF. At the end of the 5 years the employee will be placed in accordance with the negotiated return rights document. Administrative return rights must be negotiated prior to extending an official job offer for a time-limited assignment. Either the losing or gaining activity may assume placement responsibility of the employee following expiration of the time-limited assignment.

Frequently asked questions

How much does this Marine Cargo Specialist job pay?

The announcement lists a salary of $77,161–$100,315 per year (GS 9).

When is the last day to apply?

Applications close on Nov 16, 2026 — 5 days from today.

Where is this job located?

This position is located in Concord, California with the ARMY TRANSPORTATION.

How do I apply?

Applications are submitted through the official announcement on USAJobs. Use the Apply button on this page to go to the official posting — this site never takes applications itself.

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Data: USAJobs (U.S. Office of Personnel Management), retrieved 2026-11-11 · Announcement MCGT-27-13107249-MP-R8 · Official announcement. FederalJobs is unofficial and is not affiliated with OPM or the agency.
Marine Cargo Specialist
Nov 16, 2026 deadlineApply