Airport Airspace Specialist (Regional Airport Airspace Specialist) Job in Des Plaines, IL

Vacancy No. AGL-ARP-26-0011-97777 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $101,222.00 to $156,879.00 Grade I to I
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 3/31/2026 Close Date 4/13/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Des Plaines, IL


Summary

This position serves as the Regional Airport Airspace Specialist for the Office of Airports, Great Lakes Region.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent FAA employees.

Duties

Performs multiple, varying, and complex assignments under the minimal direction of a manager, project/program manager, team leader, or more experienced professional. May act as a contributing specialist on large work activities or as a project manager or team leader for large projects/programs/activities.

Serves as a subject matter expert on airspace issues and will be responsible for conducting and coordinating aeronautical studies for proposed construction projects including activation/deactivation and alteration of landing areas to determine potential effects on air navigation.

Utilizes computer programs to accomplish tasks, such as: Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis (OE/AAA), and Airports Geographical Information System (GIS), as well as Airport Layout Plans (ALP’s), 5010 records, and other information to process and analyze airspace cases to promote the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace.

Interacts with, coordinates and provide technical assistance to the Regional and Airport District Office (ADO) staff, and other internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) organizations and the public.”

Under the minimal direction of a Manager, the Regional Airspace Specialist conducts initial screening of airspace cases submitted via FAA Forms 7460 and 7480. Works directly with the proponent to resolve inaccurate and incomplete information. Enters the cases into OE/AAA system. Coordinates the cases internally and externally as needed. Follows up with all active cases to ensure timely processing. Prepares and issues Airspace Determinations. Maintains and updates Regional Staff Assignments within OE/AAA System as needed.

Provides guidance, support, and training on Airspace processing and review to less experienced professionals. Provides technical assistance related to the Airports GIS program to include FAA Airports GIS standards and eALP tool development. Reviews Airports GIS scopes of work for various types of aeronautical surveys and airport data collection.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Contacts are internal and external. May act as a point of contact to provide advice and guidance on the applications of policies and procedures. May be called upon to communicate FAA positions on policies and procedures internally and externally. Provides technical input in analyzing emerging issues, working collaboratively to develop and evaluate alternatives to resolve problems and improve existing or the development of new processes.

Established policies/procedures provide guidance for most assignments but allow considerable discretion for employee to select the most appropriate approach(es) or develop new approaches. Assignments regularly require interpretations of internal and external policies and extrapolations from precedents.

Resolves most problems and work issues without the assistance of a manager, project/program manager, team leader, or more experienced professional. Develops and recommends approaches to address current and anticipated problems and issues. Works with management and/or more experienced professionals to solve problems.

Work is reviewed rarely, typically though status reports and at project completion, to ensure policy compliance and alignment with the requirements of projects and/or other work activities.

Work activities typically impact directly on the objectives of one or more organizational units, major subdivisions, and/or LOB's/SO's and may affect the objectives of the FAA. In some specialties, the work often affects internal and external customers.

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).

Qualifications

To qualify for FV-I, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level FV-H, FG/GS-12. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Specialized experience includes experience interpreting and applying advanced knowledge of public Laws and acts related to the airport operating environment, including the:

  • Airport Improvement Program
  • Airport Capital Improvement Program
  • Sponsor Compliance Obligations
  • Airport Master Records
  • Land Use Plans
  • Airport Layout Plans
  • Airport Master Plans (i.e.: FAA Order 7400.2, 14 CFR Part 157, and FAA Form 5010)

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 located in Des Plaines, Illinois.

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 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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.

FAA's Core Compensation Pay Plan: This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: https://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm

Incomplete Application: Please follow all instructions carefully. Error or omissions may affect your rating or further consideration for this vacancy.

Interviews: Interviews to be conducted in accordance with Collective Bargaining Agreement and/or agency policy.

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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

Most Recent Standard Form 50 (SF-50) - Notification of Personnel to verify current position of record. (EXCLUDES Monetary/Time Off Awards which do not display Occupational Series, Salary or Career Level/Pay Band).



If you are an 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 an FAA employee, you can access and print your SF-50 from the eOPF system https://eopf.opm.gov/dot/.

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

Applicants may be required to complete one or multiple assessments as part of the evaluation process. This assessment aims to evaluate the competencies and qualifications essential for the 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.

RESUMES ARE LIMITED TO TWO PAGES. IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC AND INCLUDE INFORMATION AS IT RELATES TO THE QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)

  • Relevant work experience: should align to the Job Announcement and address all required qualifications and include job title, employer name, start/end dates, number of hours worked per week.
  • Education, certification or licensure: If required, education should include school/institution name, completion date, degree type and GPA.

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.

Agency contact information

Alexis Martinez
Phone
1 (847) 294-7156
Fax
1 (847) 294-7858
Email
alexis.d.martinez@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AGL Regional HR Services Branch
2300 E. Devon Ave., Room 250
AHF-N310
Des Plaines, IL 60018
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.

Federal Aviation Administration

At the FAA, the sky is not the limit—it is just the beginning. Exciting new opportunities are emerging in aviation and aerospace. Significant investments are advancing the research and development of autonomous vehicles, environmentally friendly electric aircraft, high-speed and long-endurance solar-powered aircraft, and new types of space vehicles. Success with these new technologies and vehicle types will introduce new ways to transport people and goods expanding aviation's footprint in transportation. People are our strength. We are a diverse workforce of over 44,000 located nationwide and spanning over 120 occupations to include air traffic control specialists, aviation safety inspectors, engineers, scientists, technicians, and business professionals. Join us in our mission to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.

Agency contact information

Alexis Martinez
Phone
1 (847) 294-7156
Fax
1 (847) 294-7858
Email
alexis.d.martinez@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AGL Regional HR Services Branch
2300 E. Devon Ave., Room 250
AHF-N310
Des Plaines, IL 60018
US

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