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Aerospace Engineer

Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Aircraft Certification Services, Tech Innovation Branch, Materials & Structural Properties, AIR-621
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Serves as an Aerospace Engineer (Materials & Structural Properties Specialist) in Aircraft Certification Service (AIR). Plans and accomplishes highly complex and challenging projects/programs and other work activities under the minimal direction of a manager or more experienced engineer. May act as a principal technical specialist or as a project/program manager or team leader for large work activities.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/10/2022 to 06/30/2022
Salary
$85,294 to - $132,230 per year

Salary listed does not include locality. Locality will be based on selectee's duty location.

Pay scale & grade
FV J
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
FAA Location Negotiable Upon Request, United States
3 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - The job may require up to 25% travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
NA
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
ASW-AIR-22-MS352-78848
Control number
659362800

Duties

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The incumbent applies experience and comprehensive knowledge of engineering principles, theories and concepts applicable to aviation products such as aircraft, aircraft engines, and propellers to solve complex problems.

The incumbent serves as a principal technical specialist in any one or more of the following: materials and processes, fatigue and damage tolerance, system and structures interaction, crashworthiness of structures, and related structural loads activity.

Represents the FAA as a principal technical specialist on projects, programs and other work activities, and communicates to all levels within AIR, to counterparts in other lines of business and to the public.

Develops improved technical processes and policy for the organization. Broad policies and objectives provide general guidance for addressing issues, but allow considerable discretion to develop new and innovative approaches. Draws on experience to solve unusual problems and may create new solutions and policy interpretations, as the situation requires.

Provides policy, guidance and instruction to others, internally and externally. The incumbent helps to ensure standardized application of the FAA airworthiness requirements worldwide. Prepares technical presentations and documents to instruct others in carrying out activities, or to explain the purpose, goals, and objectives of a policy or regulation.

The incumbent may work with counterparts in Foreign Civil Aviation Authorities (i.e., European Aviation Safety Agency, National Civil Aviation Administration, Transport Canada Civil Aviation, Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, etc.) to develop proposed special conditions, certification criteria, and any other documents and evaluation procedures necessary to assure the adequacy and uniformity of certification programs.

This position is responsible for developing airworthiness standards, airworthiness criteria, policy, advisory, guidance, and educational material.

This position supports certification, foreign validation, and innovation programs and identifies technical regulatory, policy, guidance gaps and issues.

Develops proposed special conditions, exemption documents, certification criteria, equivalent safety findings, and any other documents and evaluation procedures necessary to assure the adequacy and uniformity of certification programs across aviation products.

This position may participate on consensus standard development activities.

Develops strategies, implementation plans and responses to safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board as well as from individuals or organizations within the FAA.

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.
  • Must submit an SF50 (See Required Documents)
  • This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Successful completion of a full four-year professional engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering in an accredited college or university. To be acceptable the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET as a professional engineering curriculum; 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); (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics; OR,

ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS: 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 professional 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:

  • Professional registration: Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;
  • Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico;
  • Specified academic courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A;
  • Related curriculum: Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, all applicants must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (FV-I FG/GS-13). Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to the following:

- Experience in the application of aircraft certification requirements, policies, and procedures used in the design and certification of an aircraft or aircraft system (i.e. 14 CFR parts 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 33, 35; advisory circulars; and policy memorandums).

- Experience in the application of complex risk analysis techniques used to analyze and evaluate the safety and reliability of aerospace vehicles, systems or components.

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the KSAs listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category rating, or priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

Knowledge, Skill, and Ability (KSAs): 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 section, 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. 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.

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.

This position has a minimum education requirement as specified in the Qualifications Required section. College/University transcript(s), or applicable documentation, described in the Qualifications Required section must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement to show the requirements are met; Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration. Please see Important Information Regarding Education under the Required Documents section.

Preview job questionnaire

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

Additional information

We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions.
Position may be subject to a background investigation.
A one-year probationary period may be required.

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.

These positions are located in AIR-621. However, this vacancy announcement may be used to fill future vacancies in any of the other AIR Division Offices. Duty location may be negotiated at the time of selection.

Only 3 positions will be filled in any of the duty locations below:

Burlington, MA – 30.20%
Fort Worth, TX - 25.68%
Des Moines, WA – 28.28%
Westbury, NY – 35.06%
Hapeville, GA - 22.63%
Des Plaines, IL -29.18%
Lakewood, CA – 33.61%
Wichita, KS – 16.20%
Washington, DC -31.53%
Kansas City, MO - 17.67%
Oklahoma City, OK – 16.20%
Anchorage, AK -30.42%
Denver, CO – 28.10%

Security Requirement: Moderate Risk (5). This position requires completion and favorable adjudication of a background investigation prior to appointment, unless a waiver is obtained. Subject to a 5 year period reinvestigation.

Interview Statement: Some, all or none of the applicants may be interviewed.

This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available at: http://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm



This position is eligible but not in a bargaining unit.

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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