Aviation Safety Inspector, (Air Carrier - Maintenance), Principal Maintenance Inspector

Aviation Safety Inspector, (Air Carrier - Maintenance), Principal Maintenance Inspector

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Watkins, Colorado, Hapeville, Georgia, Houston, Texas

Salary Range: $90025 - $117034 Per Year

Job Summary: The Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI), Part 125, 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.

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 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-12employees issue certificates to small and uncomplicated organizations.) 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 orshe 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. (By comparison, GS-12 employees deal with highly complex aviation organizations on narrower, more specific assignments.) The PMI provides guidance to field level staff to solve difficult technical issues. Resolves all but unique problems, with the intervention of management or a more experienced technical specialist. Develop plans, techniques, and policies to address current and anticipated problems and issues. Works with management to solve problems. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Medical Requirements: Applicants must be physically able to perform the duties of the Aviation Safety Inspector position in a safe and efficient manner, and must meet all of the following requirements: A. Have a 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; B. Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted); C. 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: 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 level. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience may include but not limited to conducting an adequate training program, including an acceptable record keeping system. Conducting of enforcement investigations and preparation of final reports and recommendations on disposition. Monitoring all phases of the air carrier's maintenance operation, including the following: maintenance, engineering, quality control, production control, training, and reliability programs. Monitoring the activities of air operators, air agencies, airmen, and designees. In addition to the specialized experience requirement you must meet all of the following requirements for Air Carrier Maintenance: A. 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. B. Aircraft maintenance experience in a repair station; air carrier or airline repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency. C. Experience involving the maintenance and repair of airframes, power plants, and aircraft systems with responsibility for certifying airworthiness. D. Aircraft maintenance work experience within the last 3 years. E. FAA Mechanic Certificate with airframe and power plant ratings. NOTE: Recency of specialized experience is waived for current FAA employees in the 1825 series. For more information regarding the minimum eligibility requirements for Aviation Safety Inspectors, please visit the following website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs1800/1825.htm 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 initial 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 chose 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 based on the work history and experience you provided. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resource 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. For Lateral Movements between 1825 Specialties: To assist in determining qualification requirements, applicants transferring between specialties at the same grade level are strongly encouraged to complete the appropriate Qualifications Assessment Tool (QAT) check sheet and upload it along with their resume. Check sheets are contained in Order 3410.26, Flight Standards Service Air Carrier and General Aviation Qualifications Assessment Tool for AFS Aviation Safety Inspectors. This order is located at: https://employees.faa.gov/org/linebusiness/avs/offices/afs/tools/qat/.

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: 2025-12-24