Railroad Safety Inspector - DIRECT HIRE

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Requirements

• 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 will be used to fill this position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• 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).
• Mobile Work - Duty station will be serving the geographical area of selection. The duty location for mobile worker could be your residence or other approved mobile work site(s) and is subject to management approval. You will be required to establish and maintain a residence in the same geographical area as the preponderance of work for this position (or within 50 commuting miles of your assigned duty location).
• FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Varies by position. If applicable, you may be required to file a confidential financial disclosure form (Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Form 450) or a public financial disclosure form (OGE Form 278e), within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• DRUG TEST: Railroad Safety Specialist have been determined to be a critical safety/security position as defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Order, DOT 3910.1C entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace." Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.
• DRIVER'S LICENSE: Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist travel frequently, which requires being away from the official duty station for several consecutive nights. All Railroad Safety Inspectors are required to possess a valid state driver's license at all times while employed by the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) in order to perform the duties of their positions.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To Be Qualified For a Railroad Safety Inspector, The Qualifications Standards State You MUST Have Demonstrated Knowledge In The Following Areas:

• Railroad industry, including economic and operating considerations and equipment.
• General safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry.
• Railroad accident investigation techniques.
• Skill in written and oral communication.

In addition, applicants for inspector positions must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the specialization for which application is made to the degree required by the position. Only those elements required by the position to be filled, as identified below, will be used in evaluating candidates' specialized experience.

Hazardous Materials:

• Practical knowledge of the typical reactions of different hazardous commodities to various environmental conditions and of safe procedures for containing or controlling fires, leaks, or explosions of these materials;
• Knowledge of the construction, testing, and retesting of containers used to ship hazardous materials by rail;
• Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards governing the shipment of hazardous materials by rail, including containerization, loading, handling, documentation, and placarding.

Track:

• Knowledge of railroad track system construction, maintenance, testing, or inspection techniques;
• Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of various track system configurations;
• Knowledge of Federal railroad track safety standards.

Signals And Train Control:

• Knowledge of the design, installation, maintenance, testing, or inspection of signal and train control systems and their capabilities and limitations;
• Knowledge of applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to railroad signaling and train control systems;
• Knowledge of locomotive braking systems and their relationship to and interface with train control or automatic train stop systems and braking distances.

Operating Practices:

• Knowledge of railroad operating practices, rules, and procedures, especially as they relate to safety issues;
• Knowledge of Federal regulations and standards relating to railroad operations and requirements in such areas as hours of service, accident reporting, blue signal protection of workers, rear end markers, radio communication, railroad employee qualifications, and railroad employee testing.

Motive Power And Equipment:

• Knowledge of the design, maintenance, or inspection of various types of locomotive and freight cars currently in use and their capabilities and limitations;
• Knowledge of the installation, maintenance, or testing of railroad safety appliances and power brakes, their capabilities and limitations;
• Knowledge of the applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to inspection and testing of locomotives, freight cars, safety appliances, and power brakes.

To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience inspecting the containers and handling procedures of hazardous materials at various rail facilities, including intermodal, shipper/consignee and tank car manufacturing facilities.
• Experience investigating and reporting on collisions, derailments, releases of hazardous materials and accidents or incidents with serious injury.

Track:

• Experience ensuring railroad compliance with federal regulations by auditing railroad inspections activities, conducting focused inspections, assessing safety complaints, and performing accident investigations.
• Experience producing track inspection and violation reports that describe defective track conditions, narrative accident / incident reports and present safety related information to federal and state stakeholders.

Signals And Train Control:

• Experience with locomotive braking systems and their relationship to and interface with train control or automatic train stop systems and braking distances.

Operating Practices:

• Experience investigating serious railroad accidents, incidents and complaints and generating reports based on the data and analysis performed during the investigation.
• Experience examining carrier records to ensure employees are in compliance with all appropriate Federal rules and regulations, including, but not limited to alcohol and drug regulations; locomotive engineer certification, operating rules, etc.

Grade Crossing:

• Experience with managing programs to improve Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention.
• Experience with investigative techniques used in a grade crossing and trespass accidents.
• Experience writing and presenting information pertaining grade crossing safety and trespass prevention programs.

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:

• Accident Investigation - Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.
• Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
• Interpersonal Skills - Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.
• Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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