Aviation Safety Inspector (Fire Support)

Summary

This position is located at a Region 5 Forest Service Office, Fire & Aviation Management, Forest Service aviation program. This position serves as an expert in providing technical expertise and knowledge on all avionics issues regarding aircraft and aviation maintenance and works on projects for the National Airworthiness program. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Brian Grabowski - [email protected] or Deirdre Cherry at [email protected]

Duties

• Duties listed are at the full performance GS-13 grade level.
• Inspects and approves of agency, contractor, and cooperator aircraft avionics and unmanned aerial vehicles.
• Issues approvals to and monitors several smaller aviation organizations that, together, are comparable in complexity to one large one.
• Inspects organizations that perform a variety of novel and complex aviation operations including the protection of natural resources, the detection and suppression of wildland fires, and response to natural disasters and national emergencies.
• Serves as a primary contact point with the aviation organizations regarding aircraft, avionics, and maintenance requirements.
• Evaluates the adequacy of maintenance and training programs for avionics personnel.
• Reviews proposed and completed corrections to ensure continued compliance with agency policy, regulatory requirements, manufacturer’s limitations, contractual requirements, and interagency standards.
• Participates in Aviation Safety and Technical Assistance Teams (ASTAT), review teams, and Quality Assurance (QA) field audits during ongoing operations.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note on Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position. Basic Requirement for the Aviation Safety Series, 1825: Applicants must meet all of the following requirements: General Requirements 1. Not more than two separate incidents involving Federal aviation regulations violations in the last 5 years;2. Valid State driver's license;3. Fluency in the English language;4. No chemical dependencies or drug abuse that could interfere with job performance; and5. High school diploma or equivalent. Medical Requirements 1. Have good distant vision in each eye and be able to read printed materials the size of typewritten characters (glasses and contact lenses permitted) without strain;2. Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted);3. Not have any physical condition that would cause them to be a hazard to themselves or others or that would interfere with their ability to fly as passengers in a variety of aircraft. Specialized Experience, Training, and Certification Requirements 1. Aircraft avionics experience involving the maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of installed avionics systems on aircraft. 2. Aircraft avionics work experience (which could include supervision or auditing) in a repair station; air carrier repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency within the last 3 years. 3. FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) OR ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician certificate with at least one endorsement. 4. GS-13: AV3 designation on the Forest Service Authorized National Aircraft and Avionics Inspectors List. 5. GS-13: FAC-COR Level 2 certification. 6. GS-13: FAC-P/PM Entry Level certification. In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, you must also possess experience in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: GS-12: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Monitoring the maintenance activities of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities to ensure compliance contractual requirements, Federal regulations, and good safety practices; and/or Assisting in managing an aviation maintenance program that includes inspection and approval of contractor and cooperator aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel; and/or Inspecting, maintaining, and approving airworthiness of multi-engine (two or more) piston or twin engine turboprop/turbo-jet aircraft after major repairs or alterations; and/or Maintaining, scheduling, and approving inspections and maintenance actions of assigned aircraft. GS-13: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Accomplishing the maintenance activities of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities to ensure compliance with contractual requirements, federal regulations, and good safety practices; and/or Managing an aviation maintenance program that included inspection and approval of aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel; and/or Providing oversight to the inspection and approval of the airworthiness of single or multi engine piston or turboprop aircraft after major repairs or alterations; and/or Providing extensive technical, policy, and regulatory guidance in relation to avionics to internal and external customers. To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license. Must possess and maintain a current and valid FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) OR a ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician certificate with at least one endorsement. Must attend an annual Inspector Workshop. GS-12: Must obtain a FAC-COR Level 1 certification within one year of employment. GS-12: Must work towards obtaining a FAC-PPM Entry Level certification. GS-13: Must possess and maintain an AV3 designation on the Forest Service Authorized National Aircraft and Avionics Inspectors List. A copy of the certificate is required. GS-13: Must possess and maintain a FAC-COR Level 2 certification. A copy of the certificate is required. GS-13: Must possess and maintain a FAC-P/PM Entry Level certification. A copy of the certificate is required. This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

How to apply

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process. Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Mountain Time Zone, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc.