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Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

The primary purpose of this position is: To serve as engineering expert and consultant for aircraft airworthiness assuranceand safety risk management, leading multi-discipline teams of engineers and aviation safety specialists.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/14/2026 to 04/20/2026
Salary
$127,141 - $165,288 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Kirtland AFB, NM
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
8Y-AFPC-12933643-238243-YVB
Control number
864917800

Duties

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  • Aeronautical systems analysis. Leads teams of engineers from AFSEC and other organizations in the analysis of aerostructures, landing gear, fluid and mechanical systems, turboprop and turbofan engines, avionics, fire protection, egress and life support systems, and crashworthiness design, for the purpose of identifying potential hazards, ensuring adequate safety risk management and preventing mishaps.
  • Safety risk assessment & safety risk management. Conceives, implements, develops and manages Air Force programs, policies and methodologies to produce and validate safety risk assessments for aeronautical system hazards, and prepares effective risk management plans.
  • Mishap investigation. Serves as a recognized technical authority in the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents, determination of causes, and development of corrective actions.
  • Risk mitigation solutions. Conceives, plans and conducts analytical studies, technical reviews and system safetyengineering analyses to identify design changes, techniques, procedures and training that will reduce safety risks for aircraftand for the people operating and maintaining them.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Incumbent is required to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and will be required to file annually.
  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov
  • Employee must obtain and maintain a Top Secret security classification with appropriate Special Access Program clearances
  • This position requires a bachelor's degree in Engineering and extensive experience in the application of safety principles
  • This posn is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • Employee is required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment at mishap sites. Employee must either submit to vaccinations to protect against bloodborne pathogens or (cont.)
  • provide written acceptance of the risks associated with performing work without the protection of such vaccines
  • Training will be provided to enable the employee to recognize the site risks and to understand protective measures
  • Employee is required to obtain and maintain an official passport for foreign travel.
  • Leave accrual may be authorized upon request
  • This position has been designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. Employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing
  • Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety
  • Incumbent is subject to pre-employment physical examination
  • Disclosure of Political Appointments

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule, Professional and Scientific Positions.

BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

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.)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-13, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes knowledge of advanced concepts, principles and practices of aerospace engineering with emphasis aerospace systems and subsystems that enables employee to provide expert advice to leadership; knowledge of aviation mishap investigation techniques necessary to participate in investigations and formulate appropriate recommendations for equipment redesign and for policy initiatives; knowledge of related aviation engineering fields, such as software, electrical and electronic systems, in order to understand their basic functions and interactions with mechanical systems and subsystems; knowledge of the regulatory requirements, principles and practices of mishap investigation, system safety engineering and safety risk management, with emphasis on system analysis, hazard identification, analytical techniques, and safety risk assessments.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-­grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Broad knowledge of engineering principles and practices, with functional knowledge of all major systems and components used in air vehicles and with high-level specific expertise in selected specialty areas.

2. Knowledge of aerospace materials properties, the application of fatigue, fracture mechanics and damage tolerance principles in design, manufacturing and maintenance practices used for aeronautical vehicles.

3. Expert knowledge of safety principles, practices, procedures, laws, regulations, and the ability to formulate mishap prevention and risk reduction theories, concepts, and practices.

4. Knowledge of Air Force and DoD organizational structures and their functional responsibilities and operating procedures at the Headquarters, MAJCOM, Center and base levels related to acquisition, sustainment and operation of aircraft.

5. Demonstrated ability to plan, organize work and consistently meet milestones, suspenses and deadlines while maintaining effective interpersonal professional relationships.

6. Highly skilled in effective oral and written communication, suitable for publication and/or presentation to both broad and specialized audiences and to senior USAF leadership.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

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

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcriptswith the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible click here. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated well qualified or above for this position. You must submit a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.

120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: MSP applicants, if determined best qualified, must be selected at the full performance level and placed at the full performance level. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.

If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application. The Vacancy ID is 12933643.

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities please click here. Subsequently, FTR Bulletin 20-04 issued by GSA, provides further information regarding NDAA FY2020, Public Law 116-92, and the expansion of eligibility beyond "transferred" for WTA/RITA allowances. For additional information, please click here.

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.

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

BASIS OF RATING:
Your application will be rated under the Cut Point procedures based on the extent to which the quality, depth, and complexity of your experience and education relate to the qualification requirements. Additional points are not added for Veteran's Preference; however, Veteran's Preference is considered where applicable.

Best Qualified Group: Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements
Fully Qualified Group: Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements.
Basically Qualified Group: Candidates in this category meet the minimum education and/or experience requirements.

The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.

For additional information on what to include in your resume, click here.

APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.

Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Air Force Safety Center

The mission of the United States Air Force is: To fly, fight, and win...Airpower anytime, anywhere. To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision of Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power. That vision orbits around three core competencies: Developing Airmen, Technology-to-Warfighting and Integrating Operations. Core competencies and distinctive capabilities are based on a shared commitment to three core values -- integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide:

  • AF DCIPS Interchange
  • AF Internal Employee
  • EO 13473 Appointment of Certain Military Spouses
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Employee
  • Military Spouse Preference
  • PPP DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians
  • PPP DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • PPP Mil Res (MR) and Nat Guard (NG) Pref Eligible Technician Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Veterans Employment Opportunities Act

Agency contact information

Total Force Service Center
Phone
1-800-525-0102
Email
DO.NOT.EMAIL@CALL.ONLY
Address
AF Safety Center
9700 G Avenue SE
Kirtland AFB, NM 87116
US

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