Aviation Safety Compliance Specialist (Rotary Wing Operations) Job

Vacancy No. OS-6054-25-ETA-096(DEU) Department Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Salary $109,774.00 to $190,016.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/12/2025 Close Date 5/27/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anchorage, AKBoise, ID


Summary

The Department of the Interior is devoted to protecting and preserving the natural resources of this great nation, including National Parks, Landmarks, and the well-being of communities, including those of Native American, Alaska Natives and affiliated Islanders.

Duties

This position is located in the Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of the Secretary, Office of Aviation Services (OAS), Alaska Regional Office, Aviation Safety Compliance (ASC) division, in Anchorage, Alaska.

This position is being advertised for both Anchorage, AK and Boise, ID duty locations.

At the full performance level GS-13 the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:
1. Evaluates the capabilities of private contractors to perform point-to-point, investigation, special use and precision reconnaissance flights and issues initial qualification cards for mission specific applications, of which, requires advanced pilot skills and maneuvers.
2. Provides technical aviation assistance to the Department of Interior's Bureaus and Offices for evolving or changing programs that require aircraft support.
3. Maintains a program of recurring visits involving personal contacts with Bureau personnel supervising operations and aviation operators providing contractual services.
4. Evaluates qualifications of employees responsible for management and technical supervision of aircraft operations, capability of management's control of aircraft operations, government and operator working relationships, and level of user-Bureau satisfaction with services provided by OAS.
5. Leads or conducts surveillance and inspection of DOI's fleet aircraft and contractor maintenance facilities, to ensure compliance with department regulations, contract specifications, and quality control plans.
6. Serves as the Team Member for the aircraft rental agreement renewal process for all contractor and cooperating Federal, State, and local agency aviation operations for an assigned geographical area.
7. Serves as the point of contact for arranging the inspection and coordinating with OAS authorized inspectors and the Forest Service.

This position is included in a bargaining unit. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), Local 2052, is the exclusive representative of all employees in this bargaining unit.

Travel: You may be expected to travel for site visits, meetings, training, conferences and field visits. The travel requirement is generally higher from January through June and may require 10 or more nights per month. Travel is significantly less July through December. Frequent travel to Alaska and Hawaii is expected.

Salary Information (Special Rate Table):
Anchorage, AK
GS-12: $122,916 - 159,798 per year.
GS-13: $146,165 - 190,016 per year.

Boise, ID
GS-12: $109,774 - 142,712 per year.
GS-13: $130,536 - 169,699 per year.

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as OS-6054-25-ETA-097(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Aviation Operations (Rotary Wing) Requirements and (2) Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

(1) Aviation Operations (Rotary Wing) Requirements:
  1. A valid state driver's license is required to drive to various field locations as required.
  2. Valid second-class (or greater) medical certificate.
  3. Valid, unexpired *Flight Instructor Certificate with Rotorcraft Helicopter ratings.
    • *Applicants who possess an alternate Flight Instructor Certificate rating, i.e., a Flight Instructor Certificate with Airplane ratings, may be considered; however, appropriate Rotorcraft Helicopter ratings must be obtained within 90 days of employment. Failure to obtain the required certification may result in termination.
  4. Possess a Commercial Helicopter Pilot Rating with Instrument or Airline Transport Pilot with Helicopter Rating.
  5. No more than 2 flying accident in the last 5 years in which the applicant's error was involved.
  6. Minimum of 1,500 total flight hours.
  7. Possess 1200 hours of Pilot in Command (PIC) time in category.
  8. 25 hours PIC night in category.
  9. Minimum of 100 flight hours PIC Turbine Powered Helicopters.
NOTE: Please include any previous experience flown as a PIC. Your application and/or resume must contain all mandatory flight requirements listed. Failure to include the information will result in an ineligible rating.
You are required to submit proof of the certificates and ratings with your initial application. Failure to provide documentation will result in disqualification from consideration for this position.

(2) Specialized Experience
To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as:
1) Operational experience flying rotor-wing aircraft in natural resource missions; AND
2) Administering flight checks in for rotor-wing aircrafts.
MUST MEET ALL

To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as:
1) Operational experience flying rotor-wing aircraft in natural resource missions;
2) Administering flight checks in rotor-wing aircraft; AND
3) Conducting rotor-wing pilot proficiency evaluations.
MUST MEET ALL

YOUR RESUME MUST INCLUDE A CLEAR AND DETAILED NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, OF HOW YOU MEET THE REQUIRED SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE.

Additional Information
Work Environment:
The work is performed in an office setting, aircraft hangars, aircraft cockpits, and outdoors. When pilot check flights are performed and actual emergency conditions are simulated, the employee may be subjected to considerable stress and extreme heat or cold weather conditions.

Physical Demands:
The work requires moderate physical activity of short duration such as associated with flying in adverse weather conditions and when evaluating advance pilot skills in special use or low- level investigation missions.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.
Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

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.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
  • Pilot Evaluations Inspection: Uses knowledge, skills, and advanced understanding of aviation concepts, gained through extensive training and experience and applies documented established standards to evaluate pilot knowledge and skills in a variety of flight related scenarios.
  • Oral Communication: Expresses ideas and facts to individuals or groups effectively; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others; facilitates an open exchange of ideas.
If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12734352

Required Documents

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

Your resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement and OPM qualification standards for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. It is strongly recommended that you use the USAJobs Resume Builder as it was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is available at
https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account/documents/resume/build.

Your application package must include: (1) Resume showing relevant experience as written in your own words; (2) Completed online Assessment Questionnaire; (3) College transcript (if applicable) for verification of qualifying education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; (4) Certificates, license, etc. (if applicable); (5) Form DD-214 OR VA letter and Standard Form 15 (if applicable).
NOTE: Applicants claiming veterans preference (TP, CP, CPS) must submit a copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy is preferred), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service (must be honorable); OR acceptable proof of verification of your preference (i.e., official document, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying that the veterans total combined serviced-connected disability rating is 10% or more).

You will find additional information on the following topics: (1) e-Verify; (2) Selective Service; (3) CTAP/ICTAP; (4) Education - accreditation; (5) Foreign education; (6) Veterans preference; (7) Special appointing authority documentation; and more can be found on our web site: https://www.bsee.gov/careers/usajobs-assistance OR https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/boem-employment .

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, you must submit proof by the closing date of the announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. The proof includes a copy of the agency notice, your most recent Performance Rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty station. To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, you must earn a minimum score of 85 or above (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference) on the rating criteria for this position.

How to Apply

Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply Online button near the bottom of this screen and follow the prompts to register into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents.

To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) that have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, promotion potential and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

Agency contact information

HR Assistant
Address
Office of the Secretary
45600 Woodland Road
Sterling, VA 20166
US

Next steps

You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgment from USAJobs that your submission was successful, once we have received your on-line assessment questionnaire, resume and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application via your USAJobs account after we conduct a qualification review of your complete application package. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration. We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.


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


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