
Marine Cargo Specialist
North Charleston, SCFull-time$75–97K/yrPosted today
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Marine Cargo Specialist plans and oversees Department of Defense-sponsored cargo operations at commercial ocean terminals. The role coordinates vessel, truck, and rail activity; applies hazardous materials regulations; and provides technical guidance and training. It also prepares operational reports, uses computerized stow-planning and command-and-control systems, and monitors secured areas. Applicants must qualify through specialized experience, education, or a combination of both, and meet an eligible employment authority category.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Summary
About the Position: The incumbentperforms duties with technical independence solving complex problems with a high degree ofresourcefulness, ingenuity and sound judgment.
Duties
- Develops and initiates vessel operation plans and contract specifications for loading and discharging Department of Defense-sponsored cargo through commercial ocean terminals.
- Coordinates contractor's longshore manpower, equipment, and supply needs to support cargo loading and discharge operations.
- Coordinates and oversees daily truck and rail operations at the terminal to support cargo movement.
- Analyzes deployment data and unit equipment lists to plan cargo loads and identify transportation problems.
- Serves as the hazardous materials expert for port terminal operations ensuring compliance with Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations and International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.
- Ensures proper documentation, marking, segregation, handling, and transportation of hazardous materials.
- Observes and monitors terminal operations involving unloading, sorting, and temporary storage of hazardous material contents.
- Verifies that all labels, seals, locks, and placards are affixed to hazardous material containers.
- Provides technical assistance and guidance to commercial and military ports within the area of responsibility regarding cargo transiting their facilities.
- Provides training, workload management, and work review to lower-grade Marine Cargo Specialists.
- Coordinates with ship operators, vessel masters, and contractors to resolve stowage problems and operational issues.
- Prepares and certifies daily reports and logs reflecting contractor performance, labor usage, and cargo operations.
- Utilizes computerized stow planning and multiple software programs to develop prestow, final stow, and discharge plans.
- Operates automatic data processing equipment within a secured environment to monitor messages and perform manifesting.
- Pulls reports from command and control systems for requested information and ensures compliance with system standards.
- Monitors secured areas for physical security and reports abnormalities to site management.
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 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. developing vessel operation plans and contract specifications for loading and discharging Department of Defense-sponsored cargo at commercial ocean terminals within an assigned area of responsibility; 2. monitoring loading and discharging operations to ensure compliance with stowage plans, contract terms, and cargo security while inspecting cargo holds and documenting operational details; 3. participating in transportation planning conferences and analyzing deployment data and unit equipment lists to identify transportation problems and support exercise operations; AND 4. applying hazardous materials regulations and codes to oversee proper documentation, marking, segregation, and handling of hazardous cargo during terminal operations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree 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 second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. 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-09).
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/. How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. 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. The use of illegal drugs by Federal employees, whether on duty or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service. The legalization and/or decriminalization of marijuana by some states has no impact on Federal law. The use and/or possession of marijuana remains illegal for Federal employees. Direct deposit of pay is required. This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or 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 Transportation and Distribution Management Career Program position aligned under the Logistics Career Management Directorate. 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information
How this job compares
Set against the 440 open Logistics Specialist jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 14, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$75–97K/yr
- US median$76–110K/yr104 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $86K, is 10% below the US median midpoint ($95K) — in the middle half of Logistics Specialist salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 440 open Logistics Specialist jobs across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most across the US
- Serco81 open
- TireHub LLC47 open
- Amazon34 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Logistics Specialist postings that state a minimum ask for 2 years at the median (383 postings).
- Education
- 39 of the 440 open Logistics Specialist jobs (9%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 14, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.
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