Test Pilot Flight Instructor

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for AcqDemo Business & Technical Management Professional Career Path (NH) to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: This position is located at the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center (RTC), with a duty location of Patuxent River / ST. Mary's /Maryland.

Duties

• 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.

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).

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/11/2026 to receive consideration Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, 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 additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.