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This position is located in the Office of Aviation Safety (OAS), Aviation Engineering Division (AED) in Washington, D.C. Participates, investigates, and directs engineering aspects of general aviation and air carrier accidents involving safety issues associated with aircraft flight control, hydraulic, electrical, avionic and pneumatic systems including design, manufacturing, certification and maintenance conditions.
03/21/2025 to 04/04/2025
$142,288 - $185,234 per year
Newly appointed federal government employees, starting salary rate may be set at the step 1.
GS 14
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework as determined by the agency policy.
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
14
No
No
AS-12715581-25-KAT
834015500
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
U.S. Citizens.
The ideal candidate has previous, hands on, experience conducting engineering investigations of aircraft system failures or system component failures. The ideal candidate has experience with a variety (many) of different aircraft systems. The ideal candidate is comfortable leading and/or working with groups of diverse industry and government representatives.
As an Aerospace Engineer (Systems), GS-0861-14, you will perform the following major duties:
At theGS-14, typical duties may include:
Participates and directs technical analyses of general aviation and air carrier accidents and incidents in the specialty area of flight controls, avionics, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems. Serve as Group Chairman, documenting and analyzing airworthiness issues potentially involved in accidents and develops accident prevention strategies. Coordinate efforts with other Group Chairman, the IIC, and the Team Lead to assure thoroughness of all investigations and that necessary documentation is accomplished as a result of the investigative activity.
Prepares factual and analytical reports covering specialty area on each accident. Correlate these findings with those of other Group Chairmen to assist in identifying the causes(s) of the accident.Assists the IIC and report writers in the preparation of the Safety Board's accident report with particular emphasis on the accuracy of factual information and the logic of analyses of the evidence from the investigation. Critically reviews drafts of the Safety Board's accident reports and provides constructive and timely feedback to improve the technical accuracy and logic presented in these reports.
Researches and develops appropriate safety recommendations to correct hazardous or unsafe conditions using information obtained in the course of investigations, personal observations, and knowledge of current aviation engineering trends and developments.
Acts as an advisor to the US Accredited Representative on foreign investigations. May be required to act as the US Accredited Representative to foreign investigations. Prepare presentations and responds to Member's questions at Board meetings following the conclusion of major investigations or projects.
Physical Demands: Occasionally the aircraft wreckage may contain hazardous materials that may be burning by the time the investigator arrives on-the-scene. The incumbent may be exposed to a variety of weather conditions and other environmental discomforts such as remote, rugged, snow, rain, temperature extremes, swampy or mountainous areas and hostile settings. Investigators may have to wear a hardhat, safety shoes, goggles, gloves, and other protective equipment.
Work Environment: The incumbent supports major go-team launches as well as significant international investigations. Major go-team launch teams commonly travel on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) jet from Reagan National Airport within two hours after an accident notification is received. Timely arrival at the scene of a major accident allows for timely documentation of a wreckage; a delay in this effort can have significant impacts, such as impeding the re-opening of an airport. International travel by US Government employees frequently requires the issuance of a visa from the host country, which is most efficiently obtained at the embassies located in Washington, DC. Additionally, security concerns in many locations make it essential that the investigative team travel together.
This position has a positive education requirement:
Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)
You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
GENERAL EDUCATION: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn. Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application. Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at: http://www.ed.gov
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://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be rated using the Category Rating System. Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the Screening Questions/Occupational Questionnaire for consistency. Applicants must first meet any mandatory education/licensure/certification requirements before experience is evaluated. Failure to meet any mandatory requirement as outlined in the qualifications section will disqualify you from further consideration. Based on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training in relation to these competencies, you will be placed into one of the following three categories:
You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire. You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional.
The following documents are required for a COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGE:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed in the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/834015500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
