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QUALITY ASSURANCE SPECIALIST (SHIPS) with Security Clearance

Department Of Navy Norfolk, Virginia, United States

onsitefull-time
Posted Feb 24, 2026Apply by Mar 27, 2026

Role & seniority: Federal contract Quality Assurance Program Manager; GS-level progression (specialized experience at least GS-09 level).

Stack/tools: DoD/Navy quality systems; Joint Fleet Maintenance Manual (JFMM); NAVSEA policies; contract drawings/specifications; inspection plans; Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) VT Level II and Penetrant Testing (PT) Level II; coatings inspection programs (NACE, NAVSEA, SSPC).

Top 3 responsibilities

  • Plan, develop, and manage a contract QA program ensuring contractor conformance to requirements.

  • Review specifications and contract documents; develop inspection plans, instructions, and checklists; evaluate QA effectiveness.

  • Investigate customer complaints/deficiency reports; identify causes and coordinate corrective actions; assess contractor availability and performance for future awards.

Must-have skills

  • Experience applying ship repair/shipbuilding QA concepts; interpreting JFMM and NAVSEA policies.

  • Investigating and solving complex quality problems; applying Navy contract clauses, ship specs, military specs, drawings, and special processes.

  • Ability to read/interpret contract specs and engineering drawings; prepare reports and deliver oral presentations.

Nice-to-haves

  • Current NDT VT II and PT II certifications; certifications as NACE Coating Inspector Program Level 1+, NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector, or SSPC Protective Coatings Inspector.

Location & work type

  • Department of the Navy (DoD) role; bar

Full Description

Duties

You will plan, develop, organize, administer, evaluate, and manage a comprehensive contract quality assurance program for confirming the contractor's quality systems conformance to contract requirements. You will identify and provide contractor availability quality and management performance assessments to the contracting officer for use in determining future awards. You will negotiate and coordinate complex issues pertaining to quality assurance for manufacture and repair of complex components and systems. You will review work specifications and other contract documents to assure adequate quality requirements are specified. You will develop inspections system plans, instructions, and checklists to evaluate the effectiveness of contractors 'quality assurance programs. You will investigate costumer complaints and deficiency reports and provide identification of causes to other activities. Requirements Conditions of employment Must be a US Citizen. Must be determined suitable for federal employment. Must participate in the direct deposit pay program. New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. This is a bargaining unit position. You will be required to successfully complete a pre-appointment physical examination. You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal. You will be required to wear personal protective equipment such as helmets, gloves, coveralls, glasses, goggles, respirators and safety shoes continuously for the duration of the work shift. You will be required to obtain and maintain a current Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Visual Testing (VT) Level II certification and as a Penetrant Testing (PT) Level II inspector.

You will be required to obtain and maintain a current certification as either a NACE International Coating Inspector Program Level 1 or higher, NAVSEA Basic Paint Inspector, or Society for Protective Coatings ((SSPC) Protective Coating Inspector. Qualifications Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following

  • Experience applying principles, concepts and methodology related to ship repair/shipbuilding quality assurance programs.
  • Experience interpreting the Joint Fleet Maintenance Manual (JFMM) and NAVSEA's policies and direction.
  • Experience investigating, analyzing and effecting corrective action on complex quality problems.
  • Experience applying Navy contract clauses, ship specifications, military specifications, contract drawings, shipbuilding practices and special processes.
  • Experience reading and interpreting contract specifications and engineering drawings, preparing written reports, and making oral presentations. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management web site: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. Education In lieu of specialized experience, you may qualify with the following education or combination of both education and experience: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related A transcript must be submitted with your application if qualifying using education. See Required Documents for additional information. Additional information This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments. During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation. ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.
Quality Assurance Program ManagementContract Requirements ConformancePerformance AssessmentIssue NegotiationWork Specification ReviewInspection System PlanningDeficiency InvestigationCustomer Complaint InvestigationShip Repair Quality AssuranceShipbuilding Quality AssuranceJoint Fleet Maintenance Manual (JFMM)NAVSEA PoliciesCorrective ActionNavy Contract ClausesMilitary SpecificationsNon-Destructive Testing (NDT)multi-location

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