Director Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. RE-12764946-25-AB Department National Transportation Safety Board
Salary $150,160.00 to $225,700.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/11/2025 Close Date 8/11/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This is a Senior Executive Service (SES) position responsible for providing executive-level leadership and management of the Office of Research and Engineering (RE), which conducts transportation safety studies, applied research, engineering, and statistical research to provide technical support of investigations across all modes of transportation.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All qualified U.S. Citizens, Current and former members of the Senior Executive Service, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates.

Duties

The Director, Office of Research and Engineering provides executive level direction and oversight to a staff of professional employees engaged in a variety of research and engineering functions that support all accident investigation activities of the NTSB. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Oversees the activities of a staff of specialists in aeronautical and mechanical engineering, biomechanics, and accident reconstruction for all transportation modes. Ensures that these specialists participate in the investigation of all major accidents to collect and analyze all evidence that will determine underlying causes.
  • Manages the fire and explosion analysis and medical and toxicological analysis functions for all transportation modes for the NTSB. Ensures that all research and technical support provided to the different modes are of the highest technical quality and support the overall investigatory role of the NTSB.
  • Oversees the conduct of safety studies in all transportation modes and prepares comprehensive reports containing recommendations for corrective action. Oversees the aviation accident database, maintained by the NTSB as the official census of U.S. civil aviation accidents and develops statistical reviews, analyses and reports of accidents and incidents from this database.
  • Oversees the extraction and analysis of data from digital aircraft flight recorders and recorders installed in other modes of transportation. Manages the materials engineering support provided for all modes of transportation in the following areas: fracture, deformation, and failure analysis; chemical composition and strength of material; characteristics of materials, etc.
  • Develops a strategic and annual operating plan for the implementation of short-term and long-term objectives for the Office of Research and Engineering.
  • Coordinates programs with other Federal, state, and local government agencies, industry groups, and foreign governments, as appropriate. Initiates activities aimed at promoting the public image of the work of the NTSB. Meets with high-ranking officials to develop and negotiate the implementation of national and international goals and objectives, as appropriate.
  • Establishes and maintains liaison with international and domestic industry, safety groups, labor organizations, associations, Congress, Federal regulators, etc. Provides authoritative advice and expertise in the development of industry standards and regulations, technology, and new applications of existing technology. Provides Congressional testimony, as needed.
  • Represents the NTSB and serves as a member of the U.S. delegation at international meetings on accident investigation issues.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizen
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section)
  • Suitability and the ability to maintain a security clearance is required
  • Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
  • Bargaining Unit Position: NO
  • Direct Deposit is required
  • Newly appointed SES members must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • Selectee will be required to complete and submit an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, prior to entering the position and annually thereafter.
  • Ethics pre-clearance/financial disclosure statement is required.
  • Security and Background Requirements
  • Veterans preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • The critical nature of the work of this position requires the incumbent to be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your two (2) page resume evidence within the past 10 years of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent.

Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Your resume must also clearly demonstrate your ability to meet the Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ). If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible.

If you are currently serving under a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period) or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by OPM, your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification.

Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the ECQs or MTQ. Only your resume capped at two (2) pages will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQ):

ECQ 1 - Leading Change: The ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

ECQ 2 - Leading People: The ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to foster the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

ECQ 3 - Results Driven: The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: The ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

ECQ 5 - Building Coalitions: The ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (MTQ):
Demonstrated experience in the leadership, management and development of a highly technical workforce that conducts applied research, engineering, and statistical research to provide technical support and exploration of safety issues across all modes of transportation.

Additional information about the SES and ECQs can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website: Executive Core Qualifications.

Education

There are no educational requirements for this position.

Additional information

NOTE: for Current and/or Former Political Appointees: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Salary: NTSB structures its SES positions into tiers to determine the minimum pay for each position. This is a Tier 1 position. The minimum pay for this position is $150,160 and the maximum is $225,700.

SES employees are also eligible to receive performance-based bonus and pay increases.

Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. A variety of work life amenities are offered such as alternate work schedules, ad-hoc/situational telework, flextime, fitness benefits and transit benefits.

Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) are not authorized for this position.

If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.

The National Transportation Safety Board provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the National Transportation Safety Board directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

We will review your resume to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your application will be referred to and evaluated by an executive panel. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and/or be asked to provide a list of references or additional documents to confirm eligibility.

The NTSB Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results of the evaluation and make a written recommendation on the final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by the OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past or received certification by an OPM approved Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, your qualifications must be certified by an OPM QRB before appointment may occur.

If the selectee does not have Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), he/she will be required to undergo an ECQ based structured interview with OPM to determine that you meet the leadership competencies required to serve as a member of the SES.

Required Documents

The new SES hiring process requires applicants to submit a two (2)-page resume (only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications), which includes information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the ECQs and required MTQ. If you submit more than two pages, the remainder of the pages will not be reviewed nor considered. Note: Applications must be presented in a font size and font style that is legible, preferably Times New Roman font, no less than 11-point size with no less than half an inch margin all around. Reviewers of your application must be able to read your resume or your application will be disqualified.

You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request transcripts, SF-50s, SES Candidate Development Program certificate, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.

Failure to provide all the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may remove you from consideration.

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

  • To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package (see the required documents section). The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
  • To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.
  • To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.
It is not recommended that your use the USAJobs Resume Builder for creating your resume since it may not accommodate the two-page resume requirement. It is acceptable for you to use another format as long as it meets the requirements mentioned in this vacancy announcement.

NOTE: If you cannot apply online, please send an e-mail which includes the vacancy announcement number, position title and the reason you are not able to apply on-line to recruitment@ntsb.gov
at least 1 business day before the closing date.

Agency contact information

Human Resources Division
Address
Office of Research and Engineering
490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW
Washington, DC 20594
US

Next steps

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualifications listed in the announcement.


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


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