Supervisory Aviation Safety Specialist (Section Front Line Manager)
Department: Department of Transportation
Location(s): Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Salary Range: $131438 - $203661 Per Year
Job Summary: This position serves as a Supervisory Aviation Safety Specialist (Section Front Line Manager) within the Flight Research & Analysis Branch, AFS-430.
Major Duties:
- Plans, evaluates, and oversees aviation safety activities within a complex and dynamic National Airspace System (NAS) involving air carrier and/or general aviation operations. Applies broad knowledge of aviation operations, safety management principles, and regulatory frameworks to assess compliance, analyze safety data and trends, identify hazards, and support risk management strategies. The work emphasizes analytical review, coordination, and oversight of safety programs and processes rather than direct technical performance in operations, avionics, or maintenance specialties. Maintains overall program management responsibility for aviation safety initiatives, including the development and evaluation of concepts, standards, policy, criteria, guidance, procedures, programs, documentation, interpretive materials, and approval frameworks associated with assigned programs. Programs address complex aviation safety issues associated with evolving aircraft types, operational concepts, and integrated airborne, ground-based, and space-based systems. Oversees planning, prioritization, and execution of work across multiple projects, functions, and disciplines and integrates efforts across organizations to support strategic goals of the Branch, Division, Flight Standards, and the FAA. Provides leadership and oversight to assigned staff and coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to support consistent application of aviation safety policies and programs. Evaluates analyses and recommendations related to communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) standards; NextGen initiatives; air traffic management (ATM) technologies; airport operations; and operational approval processes. Supports the development, implementation, and monitoring of NAS operational safety concepts and provides Flight Standards recommendations and determinations regarding safety impacts to NAS users. Manages and sets clear performance standards that promote accountability, a sense of individual responsibility, professionalism, and pride for organizational performance. Ensures effective managerial work and work quality across all units and cross-organizational relationships while maintaining unit and individual well-being. Responsible for the leadership, planning, prioritizing, direction, communication, tasking, training, and scheduling of work. Also responsible for time and attendance, leave approval, performance evaluations, corrective and disciplinary actions, and sets the front line office goals and objectives. Supports effective problem solving by ensuring subordinates are accountable to address challenges and barriers and are clear about roles and responsibilities for decision-making. Confirms active collaboration occurs beyond the office/branch and that solutions fully consider and represent all relevant perspectives/interests. Delegates work and empowers subordinates to decentralize decision-making. Confirms subordinates take on expected work and produce intended results with minimal intervention. Ensures subordinates communicate progress and barriers and coordinate decisions across organizational boundaries as appropriate. Applies advanced knowledge of budget and human resource management, and other administrative policies and procedures, and an advanced understanding of the objectives of the major subdivision. Oversees aviation safety program functions that require access to classified information and systems up to the secret level. Attends meetings with executive leadership on topics that are sensitive or contain classified information. Manages or has access to sensitive information in effort to provide aviation safety administration. May perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications: To qualify for this position at the FV-K (FG/GS-15) level, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FV-J (FG/GS-14) level. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE includes: Experience leading complex projects related to flight technologies such as coordinating cross-functional teams, managing timelines, and ensuring the successful implementation of new technologies or procedures. Experience developing and implementing risk management strategies to enhance flight safety, which involves conducting risk assessments and developing mitigation plans to address identified hazards. Experience collaborating with various stakeholders, including government agencies, industry partners, and international organizations, to advance flight technology initiatives. Applicants should include examples of specialized experience in their work history. Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
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: 2026-05-11