Department of Transportation

Aviation Safety Inspector (AW-ACM (APPM))

Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, Irving, Texas Full time

Aviation Safety Inspector (AW-ACM (APPM))

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, Irving, Texas

Salary Range: $90925 - $118204 Per Year

Job Summary: The APPM Part 121 serves as a full assistant to a PPM Part 121 who is assigned a portion of the airworthiness program performing inspections, surveillance and certification duties for air carriers, air operators, air agencies, airmen and designees. Has program responsibility to assure assigned organizations meet Federal Aviation Regulations with respect to maintenance, preventive maintenance and alteration programs. Assists in the establishment of work programs for inspection and surveillance.

Major Duties:

  • Technical Administration Within assigned technical program, assures on a continuing basis that organizations are properly and adequately organized, staffed, and equipped; have and conduct an adequate training program, including an acceptable record keeping system; and have facilities and procedures that meet regulatory requirements. Regularly visits the organization's stations and offices to maintain contact with management officials; coordinates with the principal inspector for correction of deficiencies/discrepancies. Develops maintenance program requirements through participation on Maintenance Review Boards. Coordinates Minimum Equipment List (MEL) approvals with the principal operations inspector. Takes enforcement action in instances of noncompliance with the MEL. Conducts enforcement investigations and prepares final reports and recommendations on disposition. Performs the emergency suspension of certificates or cancellations of operations specifications. Conducts or directs the reexamination of certificated airmen or recertification of an operator or agency. Conducts investigations of public complaints, congressional inquiries, and aircraft incidents and accidents. Provides verbal and/or written technical assistance to legal counsel, testifies at court trials and formal hearings, and gives depositions. Coordinates with geographic inspectors for the accomplishment of nonroutine air carrier surveillance. Certification Responsible for initial and ongoing certification of air carriers, aircraft, airmen, and air agencies. Makes recommendations on the appointment of designees. Evaluates requests to operate under conditions not previously specified in the maintenance portion of operations specifications and approves/disapproves requests and provides conditions and limitations as needed. Provides guidance to assigned air carrier in development of required maintenance manuals and record keeping systems. Reviews and determines adequacy of manuals associated with the air carrier's maintenance programs and revisions. Assures manuals and revisions comply with regulatory requirements, prescribe safe practices, and furnish clear and specific instructions governing maintenance programs. Approves operations specifications and amendments. Determines if maintenance facilities being established or contract arrangements entered into by air carriers for the purpose of overhaul work, major repairs, alterations, and other maintenance are satisfactory. Reviews changes and negotiates with air carrier management to resolve problems. Determines if overhaul and inspection time limitations warrant revision. Evaluates an operator's proposed reliability programs for compliance with national policies. Advises operator of deficiencies and required changes. Approves/disapproves reliability programs. Determines if air carrier's training program meets requirements of the CFR, is compatible with the maintenance program, is properly organized and effectively conducted, and results in trained and competent personnel. Directs or participates in approving flight evaluations to determine compliance with the CFRs. Recommends changes required prior to approval. Surveillance Directs and/or performs inspection and surveillance of the air carrier's continuous airworthiness maintenance program. Monitors air carrier's maintenance operation, including maintenance, engineering, quality control, production control, training, and reliability programs. Analyzes trends to detect deterioration in the maintenance program. Analyzes reports submitted by air carrier to ensure compliance with the maintenance program and assures air carrier has an effective continuing analysis and surveillance program to meet the requirements of the CFRs. Monitors the activities of air operators, air agencies, airmen, and designees. May be assigned other duties and responsibilities.

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 experience equivalent to FV-H, FG/GS-12 grade 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 is defined as: Assisting, conducting or performing various technical functions related to certification, surveillance, investigation and compliance recommendation of maintenance activities on FAR Part 121 air carriers/air operators. Note: Recency of specialized experience is waived for employees currently in the 1825 series. Applicants should include examples of specialized experience in their work history. Qualifications must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered for the job.

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: 2026-03-23