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Aviation Safety Inspector (Airworthiness) (Fire Support)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service

Summary

This position is located at a Region 5 Forest Service Office, Fire & Aviation Management, Regional Aviation Group.

This position serves as an expert in providing technical expertise and knowledge on all avionics issues regarding aircraft and aviation maintenance and works on for projects of the National Airworthiness program.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please see contact Brian Grabowski at brian.grabowski@usda.gov orDeirde Cherry at deirde.cherry@usda.gov.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/23/2026 to 03/05/2026
Salary
$89,508 to - $138,370 per year

Salary range as shown is the locality pay area of Rest of U.S. (RUS). For more information, refer to the opm.gov - Salary and Wages web page.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Chester, CA
Fresno, CA
Lancaster, CA
Nevada City, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
75% or less - Travel is required for site visits, inspections, and/or meetings.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
26-EHT-FIRENC2-FS3158-1213D
Control number
857391600

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at the full performance GS-13 grade level.
  • Manage Regional Aviation Maintenance Program.
  • Serve as team member for projects of the National Airworthiness Program.
  • Inspect and approve contractor and cooperator aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel.
  • Participate on Aviation Safety Assistance Teams (ASAT).
  • Participate in contract evaluation panels, review teams, and audits.
  • Ensure maintenance on Working Capital Fleet (WCF) aircraft.
  • Monitors and plans inspection programs including periodic field audits and reviews.
  • Exercises authority for oversight of one or more contract operators, which collectively employ a fleet of aircraft, powered by turbine or piston engines.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • Must hold a current and valid Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Power plant (A and P) Certificate. A copy of the certificate is required.
  • Must hold a current and valid Federal Aviation Inspection Authorization (IA). A copy of the certificate is required.
  • This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note on Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position.

Basic Requirement for the Aviation Safety Series, 1825:

Applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

General Requirements
1. Not more than two separate incidents involving Federal aviation regulations violations in the last 5 years;
2. Valid State driver's license;
3. Fluency in the English language;
4. No chemical dependencies or drug abuse that could interfere with job performance; and
5. High school diploma or equivalent.

Medical Requirements
1. 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;
2. Have the ability to hear the conversational voice (hearing aid permitted);
3. 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.

Specialized Experience, Training, and Certification Requirements
1. Experience involving the maintenance and repair of FAA civil certificated airframes, power plants, and systems of multi-engine aircraft of 12,500 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight OR more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight maintained under an airworthiness maintenance and inspection program.
2. Aircraft maintenance experience in a repair station; air carrier or airline repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency.
3. Experience involving the maintenance and repair of airframes, power plants, and aircraft systems with responsibility for certifying airworthiness.
4. Aircraft maintenance work experience within the last 3 years.
5. FAA Mechanic Certificate with airframe and power plant ratings.
6. Federal Aviation Inspection Authorization (IA) certificate.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, you must also possess experience in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

GS-12:
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Monitoring the maintenance activities of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities to ensure compliance with contractual requirements, Federal regulations, and good safety practices; and/or Assisting in managing an aviation maintenance program that includes inspection and approval of contractor and cooperator aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel; and/or Inspecting, maintaining, and approving airworthiness of multiengine (two or more) piston or twin-engine turboprop/turbo-jet aircraft after major repairs or alterations; and/or Maintaining, scheduling, and approving inspections and maintenance actions of assigned aircraft.

GS-13: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Providing program oversight for the maintenance activities of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities to ensure compliance with contractual requirements, federal regulations, and good safety practices; and/or Managing an aviation maintenance program that included inspection and approval of aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel; and/or Inspecting, maintaining, and approving the airworthiness of multiengine (two or more) piston or twin-engine turboprop/turbo-jet aircraft after major repairs or alterations; and/or Determining appropriate maintenance activity level for complex and critical maintenance issues.

To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Position(s) will be located at one of the Region 5 Forest Office locations listed above or at another Forest Office within Region 5. Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer.

Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.


The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

Physical Effort: Physical requirements of the position include the ability to lift, hold, and position light parts. Ability to climb, stoop, crawl in and around aircraft, and recognize color codes through normal color perception.

Work Environment: Work is done in an office setting or in aircraft maintenance facilities with considerable time spent in field conditions and in areas of wildfire where the employee is exposed to discomforts and hazards, such as smoke, adverse weather and risks resulting from supporting fire related activities.

Travel: Work requires frequent and extensive overnight travel away from home base to accomplish the surveillance, inspections, reviews and audits of Agency owned, operated, and contracted aircraft. Travel may be on short notice and over weekends and holidays.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

This position is not eligible for telework. This position may be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities may be available. Availability as it relates to this be position may not be determined until time of selection.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. You will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12877713

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