Program Manager (Director, LER Field Operations Division W) Job in FAA Nationwide-Selectee Remains in Current Duty Location

Vacancy No. AAC-AHR-26-AHLW000-100678 Department Federal Aviation Administration
Salary $112,283.00 to $173,980.00 Grade K to K
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/25/2026 Close Date 9/29/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
FAA Nationwide-Selectee Remains in Current Duty Location


Program Manager (Director, LER Field Operations Division W)

Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
AHR, Office of Labor & Employee Relations, LER Field Operations Division W, AHL-W000

Summary

Serves as the Director for LER Field Operations Division W (AHL-W000). Responsible for providing service area-wide LER operational and policy guidance to subordinate LER offices. Provides managerial leadership in overseeing the work of subordinate LER Managers.  Provides expert guidance and management support to FAA executives and senior leadership on a broad range of strategic planning and tactical labor and employee relations initiatives, activities, and issues.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent FAA employees within the Office of Labor & Employee Relations (AHL)

Duties

Provides service area direction, supervision, and managerial oversight for the labor and employee relations programs and activities that implement the FAA's labor and employee relations strategies. Manages the work of labor and employee relations programs through subordinate managers. Responsibilities include the guidance, evaluation, and program control of the service area employee relations, labor negotiations, labor litigation, and LER advisory and support programs. Manages staff in the provision of guidance to field locations for applying agency policies, rules, and regulations, as they relate to employee and labor relations strategies and objectives. Provides expertise and manages service area LER program support to defend disciplinary and adverse actions taken, grievances, unfair labor practices, appeals, and other third-party activities. 

Oversees the development, maintenance, and operation of systems that provide trend data on grievances, unfair labor practices, collective bargaining agreements, and other labor-management and employee relations activities. Represents the Deputy Executive Director of Regional Operations as a principal advisor on regional labor negotiations and contract administration.  Represents FAA management and manages the Agency's relationship with labor unions on labor-management and employee relations issues at the service area and regional levels; provides leadership and guidance on labor-management and employee relations activities to management; and interfaces with agency senior leadership on labor-management and employee relations issues and advises management of local labor-management and employee relations issues on conduct and discipline, grievances, negotiations, and Unfair Labor Practices. Identifies needs and manages the development of implementation guidance for Lines of Business/Staff Offices (LOB/SOs) on processes that have employee or labor and employee relations implications. 

Managerial duties typically affect managers and employees within the service area and include managing staff in providing advisory services and expert guidance for the development and application of agency policies, rules, and regulations, as they relate to employee and labor relations strategies and objectives. Routinely develops new and innovative approaches. Directs the work of professional/technical/specialized subordinate employees for multiple organizational projects and programs, across multiple functions, disciplines, and LOB/SOs. Provides leadership and overall management direction through subordinate managers and staff members. Assigns work, establishes priorities; sets performance standards and evaluates performance, identifies and assures training and development needs of LER regional employees are met; makes decisions and recommends for appointment, promotion, and reward of employees.  Develops and presents briefings to stakeholders to convey corporate and/or government-wide employee and labor relations strategies, strategic goals and accomplishments, and assessments of programs to varied audiences. 

Seeks, acquires, and manages the staff, budget, supplies, space, equipment, and other resources needed to accomplish delegated work. Manages travel, equipment, files, space, and other issues for staff.  Exercises, or assists in exercising sufficient internal control to assure that: resources are safeguarded against waste, loss, and unauthorized use; accurate records of the receipt, expenditure, and use of resources are maintained; and operational efficiency is maximized and prescribed policies are followed. 

May perform 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).
  • Successful completion of a security investigation may be required.
  • A one-year supervisor/managerial probationary period may be required.
  • Please review Required Documents & Additional Information.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position,you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next FV-J (FG/GS-14) 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 that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCEincludes:

  • Experience in providing direction, supervision and managerial oversight for labor and employee relations programs and activities that implement the FAA's labor and employee relations strategies;
  • Experience in providing guidance and management support to FAA executives and senior leadership on a broad range of strategic planning and tactical labor and employee relations initiatives, activities and issues; and
  • Experience in managing and leading staff responsible for labor and employee relations programs and activities.

Applicant should provide examples of Specialized Experience in their work history. Applicants may be asked to verify information in their application. Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

Education

KSA INFORMATION:

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 Leadership and Management Dimensions, 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 and Other Factors 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.

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

NOTES:

1. Some, all or none of the applicants may be interviewed.

2. Applicants must apply on-line to receive consideration for this vacancy announcement. Faxed, mailed or emailed applications cannot be accepted. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered for the job.

3. This position is covered by the Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: https://www.faa.gov/jobs/working_here/benefits

4. To confirm receipt of documents, please contact Kinsley Kerlick at kinsley.l.kerlick@faa.gov before the closing date of this announcement.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

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) will be required to verify area of consideration. Other supplemental documentation, etc. will be accepted in combination with your on-line application. These documents must be uploaded with your application or emailed to 9-AMC-AHF-S210@faa.gov on or before the closing date of this announcement. All submitted documents should reference the announcement number.

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

Kinsley Kerlick
Phone
1 (405) 954-7990
Email
kinsley.l.kerlick@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AAC Regional HR Services Branch
6500 S. Macarthur Blvd, HQ Room 155
AHF-S210
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
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

Kinsley Kerlick
Phone
1 (405) 954-7990
Email
kinsley.l.kerlick@faa.gov
Address
Federal Aviation Administration
AAC Regional HR Services Branch
6500 S. Macarthur Blvd, HQ Room 155
AHF-S210
Oklahoma City, OK 73169
US

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