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Deputy Director

National Transportation Safety Board
Office of Research and Engineering

Summary

The incumbent serves as Deputy Director and a key advisor to the Director, Office of Research and Engineering. The Office is responsible for providing and directing all scientific and technological support for the Board's accident investigations and safety studies in all transportation modes.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/08/2026 to 06/08/2026
Salary
$151,661 - $222,200 per year

This is a Tier 2 position and the cap under SES certification is 6% above the EX Level III

Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
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
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
00
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
RE-12951000-26-AB
Control number
868559700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current and former members of the Senior Executive Service; SES Candidate Development Program graduates; The Public

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Duties

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As a Deputy Director,ES-0340-00, you will perform the following major duties:

  • Participates in executive level direction of the office including supervising, managing, and directing the work of employees in a variety of research and engineering functions to ensure successful performance measure results.
  • Assists the Director in administering the office's scientific support for accident investigations in all transportation modes (i.e., highway, aviation, marine, railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials), through the operation of state-of-the-art laboratories, providing data analysis related to material failures, vehicle performance and vehicle recorder readouts.
  • Determines and plans for the adoption and implementation of emerging technologies and investigative techniques.
  • Oversees safety research in all transportation modes and prepares comprehensive reports containing recommendations for corrective action for consideration by Board members.
  • Represents the agency to private organizations, government agencies, international investigative boards on matters related to scientific and technical accident investigations and accident data analysis.
  • Oversees the Aviation Accident Database, maintained by the NTSB as the official census of U.S. civil aviation accidents, and the development of statistical reviews, analyses and reports of accidents and incidents from this database.
The critical nature of the work of this position requires the incumbent to be available on a rotational basis 24 hours a day.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizen
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section)
  • Suitability and the ability to maintain a security clearance is required
  • Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
  • Bargaining Unit Position: NO
  • Direct Deposit is required
  • Newly appointed SES members must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • Selectee will be required to complete and submit an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, prior to entering the position and annually thereafter.
  • Ethics pre-clearance/financial disclosure statement is required.
  • Security and Background Requirements
  • Veterans preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service
  • Two-Page Resume Limit: Resumes must not be more than two standard single-sided pages (or one page if submitting front and back, hard-copy).
  • THIS POSITION IS NOT ELIGIBILE FOR REMOTE TELEWORK.
  • This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework as determined by the agency policy.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your two (2) page resume evidence within the past 10 years of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent.

Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Your resume must also clearly demonstrate your ability to meet the Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ). If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible.

If you are currently serving under a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period) or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by OPM, your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification. You do not need to respond to the ECQs as a current or reinstatement eligible SES or an SES CDP graduate; however, you must respond to the MTQ. Please attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the five (5) ECQs or MTQ. Only your resume limited to two (2) pages will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

FIVE EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQ):

ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding
This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people. The three competencies for ECQ 1 are defined as follows:

  • Knowledge of the American System of Government: Demonstrates understanding and appreciation of the American system of government, including the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, separation of powers, federalism, and the historical development of the American Nation.
  • Commitment to the Rule of Law: Upholds the principles of the American Founding, including equality under the law and democratic self-government. Ensures the law is applied fairly and consistently.
  • Civic-Mindedness: Stays up to date on important developments in American government and aligns organizational objectives and practices with presidential and public interests. Demonstrates a commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency:
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. The three competencies for ECQ 2 are defined as follows:
  • Fiscal Responsibility: Strategically manages, allocates and monitors financial resources. Aligns priorities and initiatives to justify budget proposals. Monitors expenditures, cuts unnecessary costs, and uses cost-benefit analysis to set priorities.
  • Managing Resources: Manages resources efficiently and effectively based on current and projected organizational goals, skills, budget considerations, and staffing needs.
  • Leveraging Technology: Explores emerging technology and potential applications. Incorporates technology to enhance efficiency and achieve results. Ensures access to and security of technology systems.
ECQ 3: Merit and Competence
This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. The three competencies for ECQ 3 are defined as follows:
  • Technical Skill: Possesses the requisite technical knowledge and subject matter expertise to consistently produce timely, high-quality work. Is considered a strong contributor in his or her domain.
  • Problem Solving: Engages in critical and data-driven thinking when diagnosing root causes and evaluating options. Identifies and promptly addresses the most pressing, high-priority problems.
  • Agility and Resilience: Anticipates and adapts to change, new ideas, new information, and new conditions. Is committed to continuous improvement. Deals effectively with pressure and remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity.
ECQ 4: Leading People
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. The three competencies for ECQ 4 are defined as follows:
  • Accountability: Ensures that employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, trained, and retained. Takes swift action to address performance- or conduct-based deficiencies in employees supervised. Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results.
  • Developing Others: Recognizes and rewards outstanding achievement in others. Develops the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods. Cultivates a dynamic environment in which employees are not afraid to make mistakes.
  • Executive Judgement: Makes well-reasoned, timely, and effective decisions and considers short- and long-term implications. Communicates effectively with stakeholders across all organizational levels, sharing and guarding information where appropriate.
ECQ 5: Achieving Results
This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. The three competencies for ECQ 5 are defined as follows:
  • Operational Mindset: Effectively translates strategies into actionable steps and processes. Partners effectively with stakeholders to drive adoption and addresses blockers to ensure successful implementation.
  • Innovation: Applies creativity to improving products and processes, challenges convention, takes measured risks, and considers ways to simplify and remove unnecessary requirements.
  • Strategic Thinking: Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization by evaluating conditions, resources, capabilities, constraints, and organizational goals and values.
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (MTQ):
Demonstrated experience applying comprehensive research and engineering principles, including emerging technologies, and the ability to achieve results through the management of a highly technical team who provide evaluation in support of accident and incident investigations, safety studies, and risk assessments across all modes of transportation.

Additional information about the SES and ECQs can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website: Executive Core Qualifications.

NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.

Education

There are no educational requirements for this position.

Additional information

NOTE: for Current and/or Former Political Appointees: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Salary: NTSB structures its SES positions into tiers to determine the minimum pay for each position. This is a Tier 1 position. The minimum pay for this position is $155,166 and the maximum is $222,200.

SES employees are also eligible to receive performance-based bonus and pay increases.

Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. A variety of work life amenities are offered such as alternate work schedules, telework, flextime, fitness benefits and transit benefits.

Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) are not authorized for this position.

If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

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 based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Civic-Mindedness
  • Fiscal Responsibility
  • Managing Resources
  • Leveraging Technology
  • Technical Skill
  • Problem Solving
  • Agility and Resilience
  • Accountability
  • Developing Others
  • Executive Judgement
  • Operational Mindset
  • Innovation
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Customer Service
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Conflict Management
  • Team Building
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Continual Learning

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12951000

National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB): Independently Advancing Transportation Safety

NTSB is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation-railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline and commercial space. We determine the probable causes of the accidents and events we investigate, and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences. In addition, we conduct transportation safety research studies and offer information and other assistance to family members and survivors for each accident or event we investigate. We also serve as the appellate authority for enforcement actions involving aviation and mariner certificates issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and US Coast Guard, and we adjudicate appeals of civil penalty actions taken by the FAA.

Agency contact information

Human Resources Division
Email
recruitment@ntsb.gov
Address
Office of Research and Engineering
490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW
Washington, DC 20594
US

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