Air Traffic Control Specialist (Air Traffic Watch Officer)

Air Traffic Control Specialist (Air Traffic Watch Officer)

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Vint Hill Farms Military Installation, Virginia

Salary Range: $127898 - $198281 Per Year

Job Summary: As the ATO's centralized command and control element, JATOC helps the ATO effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from, any incident that impacts the National Airspace System (NAS). During an incident, experts from all ATO operational Service Units gather details and provide a single source of integrated information and reliable communications to ATO leadership to make critical, informed, and responsible decisions.

Major Duties:

• As an Air Traffic Control Specialist, this position applies experience and comprehensive knowledge of air traffic control procedures and operations to serve as one of several JATOC Watch Officers who support 24/7 Watch Operations by acting as the Air Traffic Organization's (ATO) initial point of contact for all aviation incidents and events. The Watch Officer exercises command and control responsibility over information to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) leadership regarding FAA significant events. Gathers, analyzes, assesses, shares, and manages incident-related information and intelligence for National Airspace System (NAS) aviation events and incidents, including natural, human-caused, and planned. This work directly affects the ATO, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aviation industry, and the safety of the flying public. The Watch Officer applies comprehensive knowledge of staff programs, including traffic management, airspace and procedures, operational automation, and special and security operations to perform complex, specialized air traffic control assignments. Uses experience separating and controlling air traffic in a terminal or en route air traffic control facility to monitor and evaluate information received from JATOC ATO service unit personnel concerning incidents and events. Researches and gathers data to identify and analyze information to provide FAA leadership with an up-to-date picture of current incident status and its impact on NAS operations. Collaborates with all JATOC resources to organize and disseminate messages and reports. Prepares analytical reports on aviation incidents or events, consolidates information, and reports findings to senior leadership. Applies comprehensive knowledge of ATO and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs and functions to identify and route the preliminary event evaluation to the appropriate stake holders. Defines, organizes, and allocates resources to accomplish important work activities within established schedules. Conducts telephone conferences utilizing the Emergency Notification System (ENS) to inform and update FAA leadership of significant events in the NAS. Participates in regular exercises and drills conducted to ensure optimal preparedness and to test and improve the effectiveness of the ATO's incident command system. Contacts are internal and external to the FAA. Internal contacts include representatives from other ATO Service Units and lines of business. External contacts include representatives from the aviation industry, labor organizations, and other external stakeholders. The Watch Officer often represents FAA as the senior point of contact for JATOC operations. Although broad policies and objectives provide general guidance for completing work objectives, the Watch Officer uses considerable discretion to develop new or innovative approaches. Draws on experience and knowledge to solve unusual problems. As an authority in air traffic operations and procedures, the Watch Officer performs most work independently, though work is subject to review by program officials and representatives of external entities for quality of results and compatibility with regional and national goals, conformance with established policies, and consonance with program objectives. The JATOC General Manager reviews daily all communication sent to ensure efficient and accurate messaging to ATO Executive Leadership. The work is typically reviewed through status reports and at completion.

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 FV-I, FG/GS-13 level. This experience is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be credible, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience includes: --Experience participating in regular exercises and drills conducted to ensure preparedness and to test and improve the effectiveness of the incident command system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and/or selective placement factor(s) (SPF) may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) and/or Quality Ranking Factor (QRF) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: (1) score order; (2) category grouping; (3) alphabetical; or (4) priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for selection consideration. Experience in a military or civilian air traffic facility that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the level of work of the specialization for which application is made. This experience must have provided a comprehensive knowledge of appropriate air traffic control laws, rules, and regulations. You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your ratingor may result in you not being considered. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD, OR HAVE HELD THISPOSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interview or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification. Applicants who fail to demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

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. Please see this guide, Document Upload Guide, for more information on uploading and re-using the documents in your applications.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-30