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Summary

This position is located in Region 3 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 as a team member for projects of the National Airworthiness program.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Tobe Haught at tobe.haught@usda.gov.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 06/28/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 28, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$89,508 - $116,362 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
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-EHT-FIRENC3-FS5387-12DP
Control number
873040600

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Duties

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  • Serve as a WCF aircraft avionics maintenance subject matter expert (SME).
  • Coordinate, oversees, and approves avionics maintenance on WCF aircraft which can include non-certificated former military, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificated production or extensively modified production aircraft.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert with responsibility for assessing and determining aircraft avionics airworthiness.
  • Continuously monitor the activities of the organization to determine whether they are following authorized programs.
  • Determine appropriate avionics maintenance activity level for complex and critical avionics maintenance issues.
  • Determine and assigns tasks to avionics technicians or other specialists from other specialties or trades.
  • Coordinate projects involving multiple skill sets, evaluates and reviews work in progress and upon completion.
  • Review work estimates for technical, accuracy and suitability for the work being performed.
  • Develop and manages both short term and long range avionics maintenance schedules/tasks for assigned aircraft.
  • Compile and track WCF aircraft avionics maintenance program budget requirements.
  • Serve as the Contracting Officer’s Representative for aircraft avionics contracts.

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.
  • 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.
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
  • Must hold a current and valid Federal Communications Commission (FCC) General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) and the knowledge, skill and demonstrated ability to maintain it.
  • 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
Must be physically able to perform the duties of the Aviation Safety Inspector Position in a safe and efficient manner, and must meet all of the following 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. Aircraft avionics experience involving the maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of installed avionics systems on aircraft.
  2. Aircraft avionics work experience (which could include supervision or auditing) in a repair station; air carrier repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency within the last 3 years.
In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, you must also possess experience in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement: 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.

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

Additional information

Position will be located in a duty station within Region 3, 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.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications.

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/12974136

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
HRM_Contact_Center@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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