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

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

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Indianapolis, Indiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, Garden City, New York, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Memphis, Tennessee

Salary Range: $107446 - $139684 Per Year

Job Summary: The Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) is responsible for the oversight and safety assurance of a full range of certification, surveillance, compliance, enforcement, and inspection duties for assigned air carrier, airmen, and designees. Responsible for ensuring that the assigned organization meets Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) with respect to the Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP) or similar program.

Major Duties:

• The PMI is responsible for aviation safety activities in a complex and dynamic air carrier aviation environment that includes experience in the maintenance specialty. Applies advanced knowledge of the technical aspects of the work directed and ensures the promotion of the highest level of safety compliance with regulatory standards while utilizing transparency of data exchange that includes the identification of hazards and management of risk. As the principal representative in regulatory surveillance and risk management of air carrier activities, exercises full certificate authority over a major air carrier with very extensive and complex operations. Analyzes operations involving large fleets of turbojet aircraft engaged in large-scale passenger and freight service. The magnitude, intensity, and scope of program responsibility require significant and regular assistance of managers, inspectors, and administrative staff. Plans, designs, and carries out programs, projects, studies, or other work. Provides policy assistance to field-level Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) on difficult or complex policy interpretations. Assignments involve wide responsibility for the application of expert knowledge of advanced multiengine turbojet aircraft and are concerned with all aspects of the assigned operator's CAMP. Assignments at this level are of great scope and unusual complexity, and the organizations monitored are major factors in the industry. Accomplishes work activities within established schedules, analyzes program requirements, and makes or directs adjustments as necessary to address organizational needs. Decisions typically have a broad impact on the operation of a particular type of advanced aircraft and have a significant effect on the safety of the flying public. Contacts with key officials are frequent and critically important for their assigned certificate. Maintains lines of communication to resolve issues that affect the certification and modifications of aircraft programs, their effect on safety management, and compliance with regulations. Typical contacts involve dealings with Part 119 officials, the accountable executive for SMS, and members of middle management, as well as collaboration with representatives of other government agencies (e.g., DoD and TSA), and representatives of other civil aviation authorities. Adheres to established laws, orders, policies, and regulations that provide general guidance for completing work objectives. Applies resourcefulness, initiative, and judgment based on experience to develop and implement evaluation procedures to address problems where precedents are not applicable. Methods, practices, or decisions may be used as guidance in similar problem areas. Informs front-line management of the status of all programs and projects and is accountable for the technical accuracy, proper coordination, and timeliness of completed staff work. Aids and serves as an advisor to office management on all matters of assigned tasking. Assists in the preparation of a variety of technical and priority correspondence to leadership, the aviation industry, other governmental agencies, members of Congress, and the public. Assures that correspondence is properly coordinated, technically and grammatically accurate, clear and concise, and that it reflects the philosophy, policies, and objectives of Flight Standards and the FAA. Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications: 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: 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: 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; Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted); 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. In addition, applicants for positions that require participation in the operation of aircraft must: Possess a valid second-class medical certificate in accordance with Federal Aviation Agency (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, 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 experience equivalent to FV-I, FG/GS-13 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. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: 1) Maintenance experience on 14 CFR part 121 aircraft and associated components; 2) Evaluates and decides upon proposals to change the authorized programs of organizations; 3) Creates, monitors and plans surveillance/oversight work programs of assigned 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 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 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.

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.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-21