Aviation Safety Technician Job in Essington, PA

Vacancy No. ASW-FS-25-EL191-94767 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $60,967.00 to $87,539.00 Grade 8 to 9
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 4/8/2025 Close Date 4/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Essington, PA


Summary

Incumbent serves as developmental Aviation Safety Technician (AST) in a Flight Standards Office
providing technical support to Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASl's) and the public. Performs or assists with a wide range of certification, surveillance, and investigation duties requiring research and evaluation in accordance with current FAA safety directives/orders.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent FAA Employees.

Duties

Tasks are performed following prescribed or established procedures to assist inspectors, investigators, and Flight Standards program officials in their fact-finding or program administration responsibilities and requires basic evaluative judgment. The work performed falls primarily in one of the following categories:

(1) Inspections where determinations are based on visual or other specific inspection techniques and are made based on relatively clear-cut considerations such as the presence or absence of required documents or the obvious physical condition of an item or premises. These inspections are governed by specific procedures and serve as bases for action by compliance program officials. Typically, such work includes both initial and follow-up inspections including obtaining samples and performing well-established field tests, if appropriate.

(2) Technical support to inspections or investigations such as searching for, gathering, screening, and providing factual information or explanations related to the subject of an inspection or investigation or to the compliance program itself. These tasks are performed following prescribed or established procedures to assist compliance inspectors, investigators, and program officials in their fact finding or program administration responsibilities. The work includes activities such as obtaining background information on subjects of inspections or investigations by means of record searches, structured interviews, automated information retrieval, telephone inquiries, or correspondence; providing information to authorized persons concerning the status of particular investigations; explaining licensing or other requirements, including exceptions or exemptions, to persons or organizations subject to regulations; compiling final investigative reports with necessary exhibits; and maintaining required administrative reports on topics such as manpower, case load, and case status.

Work in investigating, inspecting, or advising individuals or organizations subject to Federal laws, regulations, or other mandatory guidelines to assure their understanding and compliance when such work requires considerable evaluative judgment is excluded from this position.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical Administration

Provides technical knowledge and support to aviation safety inspectors, the general public, stakeholders, and airmen regarding a wide variety of aviation-related topics. Extracts safety data and information from FAA records to identify trends for items that affect aviation safety and enters technical findings in agency approved databases.
This individual will provide technical assistance and/or support with certification, surveillance, investigation, and/or enforcement, examples include, but are not limited to:

Certification Support
• Provides technical support to ASl's during certification of operators and air agencies.
• Reviews airmen certification files, submitted by designees for accuracy.
• Reviews inspection authorization files for renewal eligibility.
• Conducts Operational Color Vision Tests.
• Reviews designee management system to determine renewal eligibility.
• Compiles data for technical reports.

Surveillance Support
• Assists ASI's with surveillance of aviation events.
• Assists in drafting and issuing waivers and authorizations.

Investigation Support
• Drafts Enforcement Investigative Reports (EIR) for review and final approval by an ASI
• Acts as the Point of Contact (POC) for safety assets (PPE) related to accident investigations.

Enforcement Support:
Incumbent will be responsible for enforcement functions including: conducting violations, voluntary
disclosure, suspect illegal charters, incidents, navigation and altitude deviation investigations.

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).
  • In-grade/downgrade applications will be accepted.
  • This position may be filled at the FG-8 or FG-9 at the discretion of management.
  • Security Requirement: Moderate Risk (5). This position requires completion and favorable adjudication of a background investigation prior to appointment, unless a waiver is obtained. Subject to a 5 year period reinvestigation.
  • This announcement is also being advertised under VA # ASW-FS-25-EL166-94766. Please review both vacancy announcements before making application to determine your eligibility to apply.
  • Selectee could be selected from the internal or external list. There is only 1 available position between the internal and external lists.

Qualifications

To qualify at the FG-8 grade level, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the (FG/GS-7) level. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience includes experience extracting data, gathering/researching information, assisting in investigative type work and drafting technical documents. Typically preferred candidates will show technical training and/or certification experience applicable to a regulatory aviation environment.

To qualify at the FG-9 grade level, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the (FG/GS-8) level. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience includes experience gathering and compiling aviation safety data; experience analyzing aviation safety information for the purpose of identifying trends; experience preparing technical reports and documents; and experience conducting or assisting in aviation investigations such as complaints, occurrences, incidents, accidents and/or violations. Typically preferred candidates will show technical training and/or certification experience applicable to a regulatory aviation environment.

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

Special Note Concerning Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): 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 Leadership and Management Dimensions 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

Education may not be substituted for experience at these grade levels.

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

Full promotion potential to the FG-9 Level: Identification of promotion in the vacancy 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 the selectee meeting training, qualification requirements, and recommendation by the supervisor.

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.

Salary: Salary will be set in accordance with PASS/AVS collective bargaining unit contract.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS: Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your application/resume MUST have your official title, grade and series on your work history.

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

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.

Applicants are reminded that Form SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) is required and NOT Form SF-52 (Request for Personnel Action).



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

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

Eric Larson, HR Specialist
Phone
1 (817) 222-4457
Fax
1 (817) 222-5852
Email
eric.r.larson@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
ASW Regional HR Services Branch
10101 Hillwood Parkway
AHF-S410
Fort Worth, TX 76177
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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