Test Pilot Flight Instructor

• Perform duties as an experimental test pilot flight instructor (TPFI) at the United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland.
• Provide instruction to operationally experienced pilots, flight officers, and test engineers to conduct aircraft and airborne systems flight tests.
• Provide aircraft systems test instruction that include sophisticated weapons systems, electro-optical sensors, and threat countermeasure suites.
• As a subject matter expert, advise management and colleagues on difficult problems, conduct special studies, propose options and alternatives, and represent the command.
• Manage project/program requirements, objectives, and metrics; and resolves conflicts among schedules, funding, and resources.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• This position is subject to a pre-employment screening, and random testing thereafter, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident.
• This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 25% of the time.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 11. While probationary the incumbent can be terminated with limited appeal rights.
• This is an Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Workforce position. Selectee must meet position requirements for Test and Evaluation certification within 60 months as of entrance on duty.
• This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Certificates and Ratings:Candidates must possess a current Commercial Pilot Certificate or the appropriate military rating; both meet the intent of the requirement. If an agency decides, for example, not to accept the military rating, the rationale for the decision should be based upon the requirements of the position and should be thoroughly described in agency operating material. For flight instructor positions, the FAA Flight Instructor Certificate or the military equivalent rating is also required. The pilot certificate must include the rating(s) appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. For example, a position that involves flying a multi-engine airplane to various destinations under instrument flight rules would require the Commercial Pilot Certificate with the airplane, multi-engine, and instrument ratings or appropriate U.S. military ratings. Positions that require flying or instructing in flying both airplanes and helicopters require a rating in both categories. Only those ratings necessary to perform the work are required.

NOTE: Candidates establishing eligibility based on military flight experience must provide official orders, forms, or logbooks showing their status as a rated military pilot, flight instructor, or flight examiner, as appropriate. Other certificates that meet or exceed the requirements of the Commercial Pilot Certificate are also acceptable, e.g., an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. *You must submit supporting documentation for this requirement.

This position has a medical requirement:At the time of initial appointment, candidates for all pilot positions must be willing and able to obtain a current first or second-class medical certificate in accordance with FAA regulations; both meet the intent of the requirement.

Flight Experience:Candidates must demonstrate possession of the knowledge and skills required for the work by meeting certain minimum flight hour requirements, including recency of flight experience. The categories in which candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency relate to (1) the general knowledge and skills to pilot the aircraft, and (2) the specific knowledge and skills related to the particular position being filled. Only that flight experience that is directly related to the work of the position is required for purposes of establishing minimum eligibility.

NOTE: The Command is in the process of requesting approval to waive and/or modify the OPM Qualifications Standard for the 2181 Occupational series which may impact the minimum eligibility requirements for this position. Until approval is granted, the minimum eligibility requirements listed below apply.

Minimum Eligibility Requirement - Flight Experience- This position requires specialized flight experience. Applicants for this position must meet certain minimum flight hour requirements, including recent flight experience due to the hazardous nature of our operations. Minimum (IOR) individual occupational requirements are: 1) Total flight time 1750 hours, 2) Pilot in command 1150 hours, 3) Night flying 75 hours, 4) Heavy multi-engine airplane/heavy helicopter 500 hours (heavy is defined as gross takeoff weight in excess of 12,500 pounds), and 5) 100 hours of flying time in the last 12 months (Can be achieved in either fixed wing or rotary wing).(NOTE: documentation of flight hours must be provided at time of application).

Please review the OPM qualification standard for specific flight requirements: Aircraft Operation Series 2181 (opm.gov).

In addition to meeting the individual occupational qualification requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-03 or GS 13 grade level in the Federal service that includes: 1) Conducting flight tests to evaluate the performance of substantially modified aircraft; and 2) Instructing personnel to successfully deliver aviation test curriculum; and 3) Managing aviation programs to align resources with organizational objectives.

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (NH-03 or GS-13).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Next steps