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Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Power and Propulsion Systems

Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Aviation Safety
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Policy and Innovation Division promotes aerospace safety and innovation by developing and maintaining Aircraft Certification Service regulations, guidance and directives. The Aviation Safety (AVS) Senior Technical Experts Program (STEP) maintains a vital role in pursuit of that mission. The Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor (CSTA) for Power and Propulsion Systems is one of a cadre of nationally and internationally recognized technical experts comprising the AVS STEP.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/06/2022 to 05/09/2022
Salary
$130,000 to - $191,000 per year

Salary will be set within the range based on qualifications, experience and equivalent peer salaries in the organization. Locality pay will be added.

Pay scale & grade
EV 03
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Lakewood, CA
Washington, DC
Hapeville, GA
Chicago, IL
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - The job may require up to 50% travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes— - Fully-Paid PCS - Permanent Change of Station - In accordance with applicable FAA Travel regulations, full relocation will be paid (actual expenses). Relocation expenses paid are subject to applicable taxes.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
NA
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
EXE-AVS-22-3-78016
Control number
647249600

Duties

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The CSTA for Power and Propulsion Systems provides an FAA-wide, mission-critical, leadership role in identifying and mitigating aerospace safety risk of airborne systems related to electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, high-voltage systems, advanced subsonic and high-speed technologies, energy generation and energy storage technologies for small and large-scale operations. The incumbent works to retain and strengthen U.S. leadership related to propulsion systems including turbine engines, reciprocating engines, electric engines (motors), electric generators, controllers/inverters, fuel cells, batteries and power management/distribution. The incumbent evaluates the readiness of emerging technologies, shapes agency policies, and promotes the adoption of safety enhancing operational requirements and practices into the FAA’s regulatory and certification programs. The CSTA also provides instruction and advice to the FAA, other departments and agencies, the aerospace industry, professional societies, associations, academia, and international organizations.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Serves as a senior advisor in the Aviation Safety (AVS) Line of Business, providing scientific expertise and assistance to the relevant stakeholders working to enhance aerospace safety, efficiency, and innovation. The incumbent provides expert advice and assistance to AVS managers and leaders, type certification boards, airworthiness directive boards, maintenance review boards, flight operation evaluation boards, special certification review teams, accident investigation teams, and special condition standards review activities.

• Plans, directs, promotes, and coordinates research and the publication of scientific papers intended to evaluate new technologies, address service difficulties, and promote FAA adoption of the most safety enhancing policies and practices in the realm of power and propulsion systems.

• Prepares and/or provides technical education and training to the FAA, industry, associations, foreign airworthiness certification authorities, and international organizations through certification projects, training courses, seminars, and workshops.

• Represents the FAA in dealings with other civil aviation authorities, national and international forums, industry committees, and task groups on work to mitigate safety risk related to power and propulsion systems. Coordinates regulatory initiatives with foreign airworthiness authorities to provide harmonized requirements and consensus standards in order to expedite and reduce the cost of international certification to the aerospace industry.

• Supports industry and government in the investigation of accidents or incidents where power and propulsion systems are thought to have played a role. Collaborates with the National Transportation Safety Board and foreign entities by applying expertise in determining causal factors; identifying shortcomings in policy, technology, or practices; and recommending remedial actions to prevent or reduce the probability of such accidents or incidents in the future.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Review the Additional Information Section of this vacancy announcement for important information regarding your COVID vaccine status.
  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Designated or Random Drug Testing required.
  • This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the FAA Executive System, you must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level capability; and that is directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Technical Requirements listed below.

In addition to the minimum qualifications, the following have been determined to be selective factors for this position. This means possession of this criteria is part of the minimum qualifications and is essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of this position. Applicants who do not possess this criteria are ineligible for further consideration.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT: Demonstrated leadership in the field of power and propulsion systems including electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, high-voltage systems, advanced subsonic and high-speed technologies, energy generation and energy storage technologies for small and large-scale applications.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT: Demonstrated leadership experience in the development and application of requirements and/or standards related to advanced technology products.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT: Demonstrated ability to serve as an effective spokesperson and represent a high profile organization with global regulatory authorities, national and international industry bodies, manufacturers, research organizations, academia, and the public on work to mitigate safety risk related to power and propulsion systems.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

The specific education requirements for this position are outlined at the following website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf. An excerpt of the requirements is below:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

  1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

Preview job questionnaire

Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

Additional information

Position may be subject to a background investigation.
A one-year probationary period may be required.
Veterans preference does not apply to the FAA Executive System.

The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. www.faa.gov/jobs/working_here/financial_disclosure_requirements

The U.S. Department of Transportation strives to ensure that equity, transparency, accountability, collaboration, and communication permeate all that we do for the betterment of the Department, the traveling public, and our nation. As such, DOT values a highly diverse workforce of persons who promote a culture of belonging by respecting the personal dignity and worth of each individual and fostering a positive environment where all feel safe and welcome. If these commitments coincide with your personal ideals and professional aspirations, please consider joining the DOT family.

If selected, you will be required to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment or pre-appointment drug screening. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay , COLA

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.



IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.

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