Aviation Safety Inspector (ACM), Principal Maintenance Inspector

Aviation Safety Inspector (ACM), Principal Maintenance Inspector

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Spokane, Washington

Salary Range: $106991 - $139091 Per Year

Job Summary: The Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) is responsible for applying knowledge of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) for the development and implementation of standards, programs, and procedures for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) field personnel and the public governing all matters to air carrier maintenance safety issues. Assists in the establishment of work programs for inspection and surveillance.

Major Duties:

• The PMI receives administrative direction from management in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. The PMI mostly independently plans, designs, and carries out programs, projects, studies, or other work. The PMI provides policy assistance to regional and field level Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) on difficult or complex policy interpretations. The work is normally accepted without change. Completed work may be reviewed for adherence to FAA policy and for assurance that project requirements have been fulfilled. ASIs at the FG-13 level issue certificates to and monitor (1) a large and complex aviation organization or (2) a number of smaller organizations, air organizations, or Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA) holders that, together, are comparable in complexity to one large one. They are the primary contact point with the aviation organization(s). They may decide on issuance of the original certificates. They evaluate and decide upon proposals to change the authorized programs of the organizations. They continuously monitor the activities of organizations to determine whether they are following their authorized program, Federal regulations, and good safety practices. (By comparison GS-12 employees issue certificates to small and uncomplicated organizations.) FG-13 assignments are characterized by one or more of the following: 1. Multi-engine turboprop or turbojet aircraft or the complex avionics equipment associated with such aircraft; 2. A variety of flight or maintenance operations with diverse types of aircraft which may include turbine powered aircraft; or 3. Novel and complex aviation operations. (By comparison, similar assignments at the GS-12 level involve smaller turboprop or large piston-engine aircraft.) FG-13 employees plan and conduct their assignments with substantial technical independence. They receive administrative and policy guidance from their supervisors and policy makers. They also obtain technical advice from higher-level inspectors who are experts on a particular type of aircraft or who have overall program responsibility. They independently plan and carry out a work program to meet the needs and monitor the activities of the organizations for which they have certification responsibility. The scope and complexity of the work program may be such as to require the occasional assistance of other employees to conduct inspections and evaluate operations. The PMI applies a mastery knowledge level of the appropriate specialization and a broad knowledge of the line of business mission and goals to assigned programs and areas of responsibility. The PMI plans and directs the use of time and resources to accomplish organizational objectives. He or she defines, organizes, and uses resources to accomplish work activities within established schedules, analyzes program requirements and accomplishments, and makes or directs adjustments as necessary to address organizational needs. Guidelines and precedents are frequently inadequate for dealing with novel or complex operations. FG-13 employees understand and apply the basic principles of aviation safety and interpret the intent of the regulations. At FG-13, contacts are frequently with owners and top managers of aviation corporations and involve negotiating and resolving the full range of issues and problems that confront large aviation organizations. Occasionally issues are controversial, arousing considerable public interest. ASIs at the FG-13 level participate extensively in the certification inspection and surveillance of highly complex air carrier operations where principal program responsibility is vested in an aviation safety inspector of higher grade. These FG-13 employees have broad authority to negotiate with carrier management and make technical determinations within the coverage of approved specifications and policy manuals. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Applicants must meet the Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards: General Requirements for All Positions: Not more than two separate incidents involving Federal Aviation regulations violations in the last 5 years Valid State driver's license Fluency in the English language No chemical dependencies or drug abuse that could interfere with job performance, and High School diploma or equivalent. Medical Requirements for All Positions: Applicants must be physically able to perform the duties of the Aviation Safety Inspector position in a safe and efficient manner, with or without a reasonable accommodation.The minimum medical requirements include the following requirements: Have good distant vision in each eye and be able to read, without strain, printed materials the size of typewritten characters (glasses and contact lenses permitted); Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted); and Not have any physical condition that would cause them to be a hazard to themselves or others that would interfere with their ability to fly as passengers in a variety of aircraft. In addition, applicants for positions that require participation in the operation of the aircraft must: Possess a valid second – class medical certificate in accordance with FAA regulations; and Pass recurrent medical examinations as prescribed by the FAA. Applicants not requiring valid second-class medical certificates who are tentatively selected will be required to: Provide documentation from a board-certified physician certifying that they meet the minimal medical requirements; or Individuals who do not meet the minimum medical requirements but who are otherwise qualified will receive an individualized assessment to determine whether they can perform the essential functions of the position. When the predominant work involves air carrier maintenance, applicants for Aviation Safety Inspector (Airworthiness) positions must meet all of the following requirements. Experience involving the maintenance and repair of airframes, power plants, and systems of multi-engine aircraft of more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight maintained under an airworthiness maintenance and inspection program. Aircraft maintenance experience in a repair station; air carrier or airline repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency. Experience involving the maintenance and repair of airframes, power plants, and aircraft systems with responsibility for certifying airworthiness. Aircraft maintenance work experience within the last 3 years. FAA Mechanic Certificate with airframe and power plant ratings. To qualify for this position you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FV-H, FG/GS-12 grade level as an Aviation Safety Inspector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. This experience must demonstrate oversight of Part 145 repair station operations, to include: 1) Evaluating maintenance or avionics activities of complex aviation organizations. 2) Evaluating program change proposals of complex aviation organizations. For more information regarding the minimum eligibility requirements for Aviation Safety Inspector's please visit the following website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs1800/1825.htm Note: Recency of specialized experience and the need for a valid second-class FAA medical certificate is waived for employees currently in the 1825 series. As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA. In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you choose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resources Specialist as appropriate. Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or alphabetical and referred to the selecting official for consideration.

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. We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes. 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: 2026-02-02