Aviation Safety Inspector(AW), General Aviation Avionics, PAI, Boston FSDO, EASD61A Job in Burlington, MA

Vacancy No. ACE-FS-25-KJCEA25-96233 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $119,355.00 to $155,164.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/6/2025 Close Date 9/26/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Burlington, MA


Summary

Aviation Safety Inspector (AW), Principal Avionics Inspector (PAI)

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

AVS Nationwide to include AMA-200 employees

Duties

The Principal Avionics Inspector (PAI) serves as the primary operations interface. The incumbent is responsible for applying knowledge and experience of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) for the development and implementation of standards, programs, and procedures for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) field personnel and the public governing all matters to general aviation maintenance safety issues, air carriers, air operators, air agencies, airmen, designees, and the FAA. Has program responsibility to assure that assigned organizations meet 14 CFR with respect to operations programs. The PAI receives administrative direction from management in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. The PAI, mostly independently plans, designs, and carries out programs, projects, studies, or other work. The PAI provides policy assistance to field level Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) on difficult or complex policy interpretations. The work is normally accepted without change. Completed work may be reviewed for adherence to FAA policy and for assurance that project requirements have been fulfilled. ASIs at the FG-13 level issue certificates to and monitor (1) a large and complex aviation organization or (2) a number of smaller organizations that, together, are comparable in complexity to one large one. They are the primary contact point with the aviation organization(s). They may decide on issuance of the original certificates. They evaluate and decide upon proposals to change the authorized programs of the organizations. They continuously monitor the activities of organizations to determine whether they are following their authorized program, Federal regulations, and good safety practices. (By comparisonGS-12 employees issue certificates to small and uncomplicated organizations.) FG-13 assignments are characterized by one or more of the following:

1.Commercially operated aircraft or and the complex avionics equipment associated with such aircraft;

2.A variety of maintenance operations with diverse types of aircraft; or

3.Novel and complex aviation operations.

The PAI applies a mastery knowledge level of the appropriate specialization and a broad knowledge of the line of business mission and goals to assigned programs and areas of responsibility. The PAI plans and directs the use of time and resources to accomplish organizational objectives. He or she defines, organizes, and uses resources to accomplish work activities within established schedules, analyzes program requirements and accomplishments, and makes or directs adjustments as necessary to address organizational needs. Guidelines and precedents are frequently inadequate for dealing with novel or complex operations. FG-13 employees understand and apply the basic principles of aviation safety and interpret the intent of the regulations. At FG-13, contacts are frequently with owners and top managers of aviation corporations and involve negotiating and resolving the full range of issues and problems that confront large aviation organizations. Occasionally issues are controversial, arousing considerable public interest. ASIs at the FG-13 level participate extensively in the certification inspection and surveillance of highly complex air carrier operations where principal program responsibility is vested in an aviation safety inspector of higher grade. These FG-13 employees have broad authority to negotiate with carrier management and make technical determinations within the coverage of approved specifications and policy manuals. (By comparison, GS-12 employees deal with highly complex aviation organizations on narrower, more specific assignments.) The PAI provides guidance to field level staff to solve difficult technical issues. Resolves all but unique problems, with the intervention of management or a more experienced technical specialist. Performs other 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).

Qualifications

Minimum Eligibility Requirements For All 1825 Positions:

General Requirements for All Positions:

  1. Not more than two separate incidents involving Federal Aviation regulations violations in the last 5 years;
  2. Valid State driver's license;
  3. Fluency in the English language;
  4. No chemical dependencies or drug abuse that could interfere with job performance; and
  5. High School diploma or equivalent.

Medical Requirements for All Positions:

Applicants must be physically able to perform the duties of the Aviation Safety Inspector position in a safe and efficient manner, with or without a reasonable accommodation. The minimum medical requirements include the following requirements:

  1. Have good distant vision in each eye and be able to read, without strain, printed materials the size of typewritten characters (glasses and contact lenses permitted);
  2. Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted); and
  3. Not have any physical condition that would cause them to be a hazard to themselves or others that would interfere with their ability to fly as passengers in a variety of aircraft.

When the predominant work involves general aviation avionics, applicants for Aviation Safety Inspector (Airworthiness) positions must meet all of the following requirements.

  1. Aircraft avionics experience involving the maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of installed avionics systems on aircraft.
  2. Aircraft avionics work experience (which could include supervision or auditing) in a repair station; air carrier repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency within the last 3 years.

In addition, applicants must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FV-H/FG-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 assisting, conducting, or performing various technical functions related to certification, surveillance, investigation, and enforcement activities. Additional experience may be in investigating and reporting on accidents, incidents, and violations.

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

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

Note: Recency of specialized experience is waived for current and former FAA employees in the 1825 series.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Interviews: All or none of the candidates may be interviewed. If the Agency decides to interview any qualified employee on the selection list, then all on the list who are qualified must be interviewed.

In-grade/downgrade applications will be accepted.

Selectee must report to the advertised facility.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS: 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. Your application/resume must have your official title, grade, series and employment dates in your work history.

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)/Leadership and Management Dimension (LMD) 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/LMD.

In lieu of providing a KSA NARRATIVE response in the text box listed below each KSA/LMD, in your work history on your resume/application, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you chose for each KSA/LMD. 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. Please also 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. Determining length of Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible due to an incomplete application.

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.

Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability.

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.

Applicants must apply online to receive consideration for this vacancy announcement. Faxed, mailed or e-mailed applications cannot be accepted. If you need to submit additional documents to supplement your on-line application, e.g. SF-50, you may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS.


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

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.

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

All Applicants MUST provide a copy of their most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) which verifies current position, title, series, grade, tenure, and organization of record as shown below.

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/.



Forms:

  • FAA-3330-473  : 2181/1825 Supplemental Qualifications Statement

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.

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

KARLA J CANADA
Phone
1 (816) 329-2672
Fax
1 (816) 329-2656
Email
karla.canada@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
ACE Regional HR Services Division
901 Locust Street
AHF-N400
Kansas City, MO 64106
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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