Department: Department of the Air Force
Location(s): Aviano, Italy
Salary Range: $63795 - $82938 Per Year
Job Summary: Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a fully licensed and National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) Board Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) supporting physical performance, readiness, and rehabilitation elements of the Integrated Operational Support (IOS) programs directly supporting the Line of the Air Force (LAF) mission
Major Duties:
Qualifications: Conditions of employment cont: Specialty certifications are desired such as: (a) National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS); (b) American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Health Fitness Specialist (HFS); (c) Certified in Functional Movement Screening (FMS); (d) Graston Techniques (GT); (e) Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP); (f) National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES); and (g) Dry Needling (DN) Must maintain credentials as required by local Military Treatment Facility (MTF) guidance. Employee must be able to receive/maintain privileges/medical staff appointment as an athletic trainer by the MTF credentials office, to include participation in ongoing peer review In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions, for General Health Science Series 0601 + IOR. BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-09, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes professional knowledge of principles and practices of health sciences (physiology, kinesiology, anatomy, biomechanics, pathology, rehabilitation, pharmacology); practical knowledge of nutrition and medical/surgical terminology and procedures; and specialized training in the techniques and methodologies of athletic training to provide the full range of athletic trainer patient care and education; knowledge of pertinent national, agency-level and local guidelines; sports medicine concepts; various therapeutic modalities; and tactical athletes' health and safety risk factors to provide an individualized approach in the prevention, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries; conduct injury surveillance; determine functional limitations; accelerate return to duty; evaluate the program's effectiveness; and make recommendations for program modification; knowledge of Special Operations organization, mission profiles, and specific job requirements sufficient to analyze elite warfighters' physical conditioning needs and tailor interventions and activities towards optimal health and wellness. OR EDUCATION: Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: 1. Professional knowledge of musculoskeletal and systemic anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, psychology, pharmacology, pathology, as well as knowledge of emergency care procedures, human behavior theories, motivational strategies, and various therapeutic modalities (e.g., electrical stimulation, iontophoresis, phonophoresis, cryotherapy, thermotherapies, therapeutic massage, manual therapies, exercise protocols, kinesio-taping, instrument assisted manual therapy techniques, dry needling and/or other approved modalities. sufficient to determine appropriate treatment, rehabilitation and/or reconditioning strategies. 2. Knowledge of military personnel and student physical requirements sufficient to develop, implement, manage, and evaluate a multi-faceted Athletic Trainer program for operational forces. 3. Knowledge of a wide variety of injuries and acute/subacute/chronic conditions caused by intense training and resulting impairments/functional limitations, common diseases, prognosis, medication, treatment methods, physiological response to injury and illness, disease response to exercise, and any medical terminology. 4. Skill in administering health screening and fitness assessments, exercise prescriptions, progressive individual physical activity programs, and proper exercise techniques. 5. Skill in fitting adaptive equipment, advanced orthoses and braces, prophylactic and protective equipment, and other assistive and therapeutic devices. 6. Skill in health communication strategies to effectively promote a comprehensive physical activity program as well as skill in verbal and written communication to consult with other health care providers, counsel athletes/patients, and serve as a consultant to leadership. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
How to Apply: The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/25/2026 To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12916629 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. A complete Application Questionnaire 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.
Application Deadline: 2026-03-25