Aerospace Engineer (Flight Test) Job

Vacancy No. ANM-AIR-25-1362375-94952 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $94,544.00 to $146,571.00 Grade J to J
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/8/2025 Close Date 5/28/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Hapeville, GABurlington, MAWestbury, NYDes Moines, WA


Summary

The Senior Aerospace Engineer (Flight Test) position is located within the Compliance & Airworthiness Division, AIR-700.

Duties

Applies regulations and policy in managing the certification and continued operational safety of aeronautical products and is responsible for organizing, planning, conducting and successfully completing type certification/type validation projects; and oversight of compliance and safety systems; for supporting continued operational safety activities of aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, or appliances in accordance with Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), hereafter called aviation products. The incumbent provides input and support to the section manager to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the section including assignment of work, job performance, leadership of section engineers. Plans and accomplishes highly complex and challenging projects/programs under the minimal direction of a manager. The incumbent applies experience and comprehensive knowledge of engineering principles, theories, and concepts applicable to aerospace engineering as well as an understanding of new technologies and methodologies to solve complex problems and develop improved processes for the organization. The incumbent supports the Section Manager in the alignment of section resources, activities, and stakeholders with AIR objectives; develops section personnel and resources consistent with AIR’s future needs.

The incumbent assures compliance of aircraft and products with the appropriate requirements of 14 CFR and with foreign certification authority regulations governed by bilateral agreements. Provides required briefings and/or technical presentations within the FAA and to manufacturers, professional organizations and to foreign certification authorities.

Provides input into monitoring and evaluating performance. Works to prepare employees for future opportunities across the division, with focus on continuity of operations and long-term organizational success. Coaches, mentors, and develops employees to perform current work and support career progression for the future. Ensures employees have technical skills to accomplish their assigned tasks.

Monitors organizational health and regularly provides employee feedback to the section manager. Communicates and regularly reinforces connectivity between section employee activities and the broader AIR mission. Works with employees to identify resource needs and advocates for resources on behalf of the team.

Partners with other AIR organizations to accomplish work. Represents FAA at aviation events, industry conferences, and other civil aviation authority meetings on topics pertinent to the Section. Mediates the resolution of controversial technical disputes involving complex engineering issues. Represents the division or certification/type validation branch, as applicable, as an FAA technical team representative in the development and standardization of rules and guidance related to their area of technical discipline expertise.

Engages employees in documenting, refining, and assuring compliance with processes governing all activities. Assesses the productivity, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of organizational processes. Oversees daily operations to ensure timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and compliance with policy in attaining organizational goals. Facilitates coordination and effective communication across FAA organizations, the aviation industry, and other civil aviation authorities to accomplish work.

Provides input to the section manager regarding the oversight of technical and administrative support programs of the office. Responsible for supporting the section manger regarding the overall management responsibilities associated with the planning and direction of programs. Manages data systems, administrative processes, and data entry necessary to support office and branch performance metrics and dashboards that can be effectively used by the management team to manage branch and office performance.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must submit an SF50 (See Required Documents).
  • Designated or Random Drug Testing required.
  • This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.
  • Successful completion of security investigation may be required.
  • Please Review Required Documents & Additional Information section.

Qualifications

  • Basic Requirements: Successful completion of a full four-year professional engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering in an accredited college or university. To be acceptable the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET as a professional engineering curriculum; 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); (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics;

OR,

ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS: 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 professional 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:

  • Professional registration: Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;
  • Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico;
  • Specified academic courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A;
  • Related curriculum: - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

For more information on the alternate methods, please refer to the OPM Qualification Standards for Engineering at: http://main.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs0800/0800.htm,


Specialized Experience for J-Band: In addition to the basic/alternative qualification requirements identified above, all applicants must demonstrate one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (FV-I or FG/GS-13). Specialized experience is experience which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or directly related to work of the position to be filled.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE includes:

  • Flight test experience in aircraft and/or rotorcraft performance testing, or avionics systems testing, or human factors evaluations to determine compliance with civil, or military, or foreign airworthiness standards. Experience evaluating and mitigating flight test risk.


Applicants should include examples of specialized experience in their work history.


Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.


Please ensure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered for the job.


As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA.


In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you chose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate based on the work history and experience you provided. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resource Specialist as appropriate.


Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the KSA listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or alphabetical and referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Education

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. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

Preview Job Questionnaire

Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

Additional information

We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions.
Position may be subject to a background investigation.
A one-year probationary period may be required.

The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. www.faa.gov/jobs/workinghere/financial-disclosure-requirements

This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment or pre-appointment drug screening. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.

This announcement may be used to fill future vacancies in any other of the AIR-700 offices in the advertised Duty Locations. Duty station will determine locality pay.

  • Hapeville, GA – 23.79%
  • Burlington, MA – 32.58%
  • Westbury, NY – 37.95%
  • Des Moines, WA – 31.57%

Please ensure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may result in you not being considered for the job.

Security Requirement: Selection and placement are contingent upon waiver or completion of satisfactory security requirements. Moderate Risk (5). The position requires completion and favorable adjudication of a background investigation prior to appointment, unless a waiver is obtained. Subject to a 5-year periodic reinvestigation.

Current or Former Federal employee (including a current FAA employee):You MUST submit a copy of your most recent (non-award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2). Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in non-consideration for this position.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.



IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.

Required Documents

Applicants must apply on-line, through USAJOBS, to receive consideration; Faxed, mailed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted. If you need to submit additional documents to supplement your on-line application, e.g. transcripts, SF-50, or veteran's documents, you may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS. Supplemental documentation and college transcripts can also be faxed to (206) 231-4150 or emailed on or before the closing date of this announcement. Please include your name and the vacancy announcement number on each of your faxed pages and redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as social security number and date of birth. Applicants must submit the following: - Resume with complete work history; and - A copy of the most recent SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action) with the required information listed below.



Applicants claiming eligibility for the Expanded Veterans Hiring Opportunity (EVHO), MUST submit a DD Form 214 reflecting character of service to verify eligibility by the closing date of the announcement as requested by the Human Resource Office. Eligibility for EVHO will be considered based on applicable documentation submitted by the closing date.
This position has a positive education requirement; college transcripts are required for ALL candidates newly appointed to the FAA in the 0800 (Engineering) series.

College transcripts must be submitted from current FAA employees applying for internal vacancies if they have never held a position in the 0800 (Engineering) series with the FAA.

College transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who are currently occupying an 0800 (Engineering) series.

If selected, official transcripts are required prior to employment.

If you are a current or former Federal employee (including a current FAA employee), you MUST provide a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) containing information in Blocks 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 24 so it can be used to verify your position title, series, grade, tenure, and organization of record by the closing date of the announcement. You may fax your SF-50 or upload it into the on-line application. If faxing the SF-50, please ensure you include the vacancy announcement number on the faxed copy.

If you are a current Federal employee and need a current copy of your SF-50, please contact your personnel office. If you are an FAA employee, you can access and print your SF-50 from the eOPF system https://eopf.opm.gov/dot/. If you are a former Federal employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF-50 by writing the National Personnel Records Center Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL 62295. Additional information is available from this link: https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/opf.

Expanded Veterans Hiring Opportunity (EVHO) are preference eligibles and veterans who are honorably discharged from the Armed Forces after completing at least three (3) years of continuous active service. Applicants claiming eligibility for EVHO, MUST submit a DD Form 214 reflecting character of service to verify eligibility by the closing date of the announcement as requested by the Human Resource Office. Eligibility for EVHO will be considered based on applicable documentation submitted by the closing date.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.

How to Apply

30% or More Disabled Veteran Program you must submit a DD 214, Certificate of Discharge (Member 4 copy is preferred), and supporting documentation as required by form SF-15 such as an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from branch of the Armed Forces certifying to the present existence of the veterans service-connected disability.

Current or Former Federal employee (including a current FAA employee):You MUST submit a copy of your most recent (non-award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2). Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in non-consideration for this position.


You must apply online to receive consideration. Your application must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must be submitted at the time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with a register.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION.

We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:
  • Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)

  • Duties (be specific in describing your duties)

  • Employer's name and address

  • Supervisor name and phone number

  • Start and end dates including month and year (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)

  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

  • Salary (optional)


Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

You may upload completed documents to your USAJOBS Account. This will provide you the opportunity to utilize the uploaded information again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide, Document Upload Guide, for more information on uploading and re-using the documents in your applications.

Agency contact information

Heather Ashby
Phone
1 (206) 231-4044
Fax
1 (206) 231-4150
Email
heather.m.ashby@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
ANM Regional HR Services Branch
2200 S. 216th St.
AHF-N210
Des Moines, WA 98198
US

Next steps

Once we receive your complete application, the Human Resources Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. Eligible and qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. You will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.

For instructions on how to check the status of your application, please go to: USAJOBS Help Guide.

Important - If you make any changes to your application, you must resubmit it. If you make changes to your application and do not resubmit it, your changes will not be considered part of your application package, and only your previously submitted application will be evaluated.

All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. DOT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact listed in the Agency Contact Information section of this announcement or the hiring manager. An employee with a disability must notify the decision-maker of the accommodation request. Job applicants and employees are required to follow up oral requests in writing. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Additional information on reasonable accommodations procedures or on EEO Programs is available on Office of Civil Rights (ACR) or by contacting the local FAA Civil Rights Office.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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