Aviation Safety Inspector, (Air Carrier-Operations), Principal Operations Inspector (POI) Job in FAA Nationwide-Selectee Remains in Current Duty Location

Vacancy No. AEA-AFS-26-CCD-98395 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $107,446.00 to $139,684.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 4/29/2026 Close Date 5/20/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
FAA Nationwide-Selectee Remains in Current Duty Location


Summary

The Principal Operations Inspector (POI) is responsible for the oversight and safety assurance of a full range of certification, surveillance, compliance, enforcement, and inspection duties for assigned air carrier, airmen, and designees.

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

FAA Wide - Open to current permanent FAA employees - AVS Employees including AMA-200

Duties

The POI is responsible for aviation safety activities in a complex and dynamic air carrier aviation environment that includes experience in the following specialties: Operations. Applies advanced knowledge of the technical aspects of the work directed and ensures the promotion of the highest level of safety compliance with regulatory standards while utilizing transparency of data exchange that includes the identification of hazards and management of risk.

As the principal representative in regulatory surveillance and risk management of air carrier activities, exercises full certificate authority over a major air carrier with very extensive and complex operations. Analyzes operations involving large fleets of turbojet aircraft engaged in large-scale passenger and freight service. The magnitude, intensity, and scope of program responsibility require significant and regular assistance of managers, inspectors, and administrative staff.

Plans, designs, and carries out programs, projects, studies, or other work. The POI provides policy assistance to field-level Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) on difficult or complex policy interpretations. Assignments involve wide responsibility for the application of expert knowledge of advanced multi-engine turbojet aircraft and are concerned with all aspects of the operational capabilities and limitations of the aircraft. Assignments at this level are of great scope and unusual complexity, and the organizations monitored are major factors in the industry.

Accomplishes work activities within established schedules, analyzes program requirements, and makes or directs adjustments as necessary to address organizational needs. Decisions typically have a broad impact on the operation of a particular type of advanced aircraft and have a significant effect on the safety of the flying public.

Contacts with key officials are frequent and critically important for their assigned certificate. Maintains lines of communication to resolve issues that affect the certification and modifications of aircraft programs, their effect on safety management, and compliance with regulations. Typical contacts involve dealings with Part 119 officials, the accountable executive for SMS, and members of middle management, as well as collaboration with representatives of other government agencies (e.g., DoD and TSA), and representatives of other civil aviation authorities.

Adheres to established laws, orders, policies, and regulations that provide general guidance for completing work objectives. The POI uses resourcefulness, initiative, and judgment based on experience to develop and implement evaluation procedures to address problems where precedents are not applicable. Methods, practices, or decisions may be used as guidance in similar problem areas.

Informs front-line management informed of the status of all programs and projects and is held accountable for the technical accuracy, proper coordination, and timeliness of completed staff work. The POI aids and serves as an advisor to office management on all matters of assigned tasking.

Assists in the preparation of a variety of technical and priority correspondence to leadership, aviation industry, other governmental agencies, members of Congress, and the public. Assures that correspondence is properly coordinated, technically and grammatically accurate, clear and concise, and that it reflects the philosophy, policies, and objectives of Flight Standards and the FAA.

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

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirements for an Aviation Safety Inspector in the 1825 series for the Air Carrier specialty in accordance with the OPM qualification standards located at the following web address: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs1800/1825.htm

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: Applicants must be physically able to perform the duties of the Aviation Safety Inspector position in a safe and efficient manner, and must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Have a good distant vision in each eye and be able to read printed materials the size of typewritten characters (glasses and contact lenses permitted) without strain;

2. Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted);

3. Not have any physical condition that would cause them to be a hazard to themselves or others or that would interfere with their ability to fly as passengers in a variety of aircraft.

In addition, applicants for positions that require participation in the operation of aircraft must:

1. Possess a valid second-class medical certificate in accordance with Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) regulations; and

2. Pass recurrent medical examinations as prescribed by the FAA.

When the predominant work involves air carrier operations, applicants for Aviation Safety Inspector (Operations) positions must meet all of the following requirements.

1. At least 1 year of pilot experience in multi-engine aircraft of more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight;

2. Not more than 2 flying accidents during the last 5 years in which the applicant's pilot error was involved;

3. Professional flying skill as demonstrated in a simulator check to Airline Transport Pilot Standard.

4. Minimum 100 flight hours during the last 3 years;

5. Airline Transport Pilot Certificate or Commercial Pilot Certificate with instrument airplane rating;

6. Possession of a valid second-class FAA medical certificate; and

7. Minimum 1,500 total flight hours.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements, applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (FG/GS-13 or pay band I) in the normal line of progression.

Specialized experience includes but is not limited to experience identifying, analyzing, assessing and controlling hazards and risks of air carriers; assisting in preparing a Comprehensive Surveillance Plan (CSP) for an operator that conducts supplemental cargo operations to include field work concerning international operations; reviewing inspection reports to analyze root causes of system deficiencies; assisting in managing the Aircrew Designee Program; and providing oversight of and to include flight operations of carriers with turbo prop and/or turbo jet aircraft. Applicant must have experience compliance recommendation of operational activities for FAR Part 121 air carriers/air operators.

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

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

In-grade/downgrade applications will be accepted.

For Lateral Movements Between 1825 Specialties: To assist in determining qualification requirements, applicants transferring between specialties at the same grade level are strongly encouraged to complete the appropriate Qualifications Assessment Tool (QAT) check sheet and upload it along with their resume. Check sheets are contained in Order 3410.26, Flight Standards Service Air Carrier and General Aviation Qualifications Assessment Tool for AFS Aviation Safety Inspectors. This order is located at: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_notices/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/1021229

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

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 may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) 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.

Interviews: If the agency decides to interview any qualified employee on the selection list, then all on the list who are qualified must be interviewed.

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

Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - Failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

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

Cheryl Donzelli
Phone
1 (718) 553-3162
Fax
1 (718) 995-5688
Email
Cheryl.Donzelli@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AEA Regional HR Services Branch
1 Aviation Plaza, Room 207
AHF-N610
Jamaica, NY 11434
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

Cheryl Donzelli
Phone
1 (718) 553-3162
Fax
1 (718) 995-5688
Email
Cheryl.Donzelli@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AEA Regional HR Services Branch
1 Aviation Plaza, Room 207
AHF-N610
Jamaica, NY 11434
US

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