Summary

Incumbent serves as developmental Aviation Safety Technician (AST) in a Flight Standards Office providing technical support to Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASl's) and the public. Performs or assists with a wide range of certification, surveillance, and investigation duties requiring research and evaluation in accordance with current FAA safety directives/orders.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Students

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Recent graduates

Individuals who have graduated from an accredited educational institute or certificate program within the last 2 years or 6 years for Veterans.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.

Clarification from the agency

Open to All US Citizens

Duties

Technical Administration
Provides technical knowledge and support to aviation safety inspectors, the general public, stakeholders, and airmen regarding a wide variety of aviation-related topics. Extracts safety data and information from FAA records to identify trends for items that affect aviation safety and enters technical findings in agency approved databases.
This individual will provide technical assistance and/or support with certification, surveillance, investigation, and/or enforcement, examples include, but are not limited to:

Certification Support

Provides technical support to ASl's during certification of operators and air agencies.
Reviews airmen certification files, submitted by designees for accuracy.
Reviews inspection authorization files for renewal eligibility.
Conducts Operational Color Vision Tests.
Reviews designee management system to determine renewal eligibility.
Compiles data for technical reports.

Surveillance Support

Assists ASI's with surveillance of aviation events.
Assists in drafting and issuing waivers and authorizations.

Investigation Support

Drafts Enforcement Investigative Reports (EIR) for review and final approval by an ASI.
Acts as the Point of Contact (POC) for safety assets (PPE) related to accident investigations.

Enforcement Support
Incumbent will be responsible for enforcement functions including: conducting violations, voluntary disclosure, suspect illegal charters, incidents, navigation and altitude deviation investigations.

Other

Provides technical support for special inspections, including a variety of the functions described in the previous paragraphs.
May conduct meetings or portions of meetings in support of technical work functions.
Prepares technical correspondence in support of assigned work functions.
Provides administrative support and project tracking utilizing required computer software.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

US Citizenship is required.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the FG-9 level, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FG/GS-8 level. Specialized experience is: demonstrated accomplishment in practical technical aviation operations; computer skills and knowledge of common software applications; analytical skill; interpersonal skills; and communication skills: experience gathering and compiling aviation safety data; experience analyzing aviation safety information for the purpose of identifying trends; experience preparing technical reports and documents; and experience assisting in aviation investigations such as complaints, occurrences, incidents, accidents and/or violations. Typically preferred candidates will show technical training and/or certification experience applicable to a regulatory aviation environment.

Refer to OPM's Operating Manual Qualification Standard at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/group-stds/gs-cler.asp .

Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Please follow all instructions carefully.

Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility or consideration for employment.

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 external announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this external 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 or Other Factors, 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.

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) listed in the announcement. 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.

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/workinghere/financial-disclosure-requirements

Interview: If the Agency decides to interview any qualified employee on the selection list, then all on the list who are qualified must be interviewed.

If your application does not contain sufficient information to make a qualifications determination, your application will be considered "INCOMPLETE" and you will not be referred for consideration. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the required information is clearly stated in your application package. Please make sure your series, grades, position titles etc. are shown in each resume work history.

Applicants must apply on-line to receive consideration for this vacancy announcement. Faxes, mailed or emailed applications will not be accepted. You may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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.

Required Documents

SF50 - Documents must be uploaded on or before the closing date of this announcement.

All Veterans: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit either a DD Form 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member 4 Copy or equivalent), or a document from the armed forces certifying that within 120 days you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions. If you are claiming 10 point preference, you must also submit a completed SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference, and supporting documents outlined on the SF-15. Documents must be uploaded or faxed to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office listed in this announcement and all documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit documentation, you will be assessed as a non-veteran.

If you are claiming 10 point preference but fail to submit the supporting documents outlined on the SF-15, you will be tentatively assessed as a 5 point preference eligible provided your DD Form 214 reflects that you have the service required to qualify for preference. Documents must be uploaded or faxed to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office listed in this announcement and all documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit documentation, you will be assessed as a non-veteran.

Veterans currently on active duty claiming veterans' preference: You will be granted tentative preference if you submit a document from the armed forces certifying that within 120 days you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions and your application shows that you have the required service. Prior to being appointed, you must provide to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office a DD Form 214 documenting discharge/release and showing that the service was honorable or general. If you are on terminal leave, you must provide documentation certifying authorized terminal leave.

If you want consideration for one or more of the Special Hiring Authorities, documentation that must be submitted at time of application can be found at Direct Hiring Authorities | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov).

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Applicants may be required to complete one or multiple assessments as part of the evaluation process. This assessment aims to evaluate the competencies and qualifications essential for the position.

You must apply online to receive consideration. Your application must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must be submitted at the time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with a register.

RESUMES ARE LIMITED TO TWO PAGES. IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC AND INCLUDE INFORMATION AS IT RELATES TO THE QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION.

We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)

Relevant work experience: should align to the Job Announcement and address all required qualifications and include job title, employer name, start/end dates, number of hours worked per week.
Education, certification or licensure: If required, education should include school/institution name, completion date, degree type and GPA.

Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

You may upload completed documents to your USAJOBS Account. This will provide you the opportunity to utilize the uploaded information again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide, Document Upload Guide, for more information on uploading and re-using the documents in your applications.

Agency contact information

DARIN CAMPBELL

Phone

1 (817) 222-5804

Fax

1 (424) 405-7320

DARIN.S.CAMPBELL@FAA.GOV

Address

Federal Aviation Administration
AWP Regional HR Services Branch
777 S. Aviation Blvd., Suite #150
El Segundo, CA 90245
US

Next steps

Once we receive your complete application, the Human Resources Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. Eligible and qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. You will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.

For instructions on how to check the status of your application, please go to: USAJOBS Help Guide.

Important - If you make any changes to your application, you must resubmit it. If you make changes to your application and do not resubmit it, your changes will not be considered part of your application package, and only your previously submitted application will be evaluated.

All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. DOT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact listed in the Agency Contact Information section of this announcement or the hiring manager. An employee with a disability must notify the decision-maker of the accommodation request. Job applicants and employees are required to follow up oral requests in writing. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Additional information on reasonable accommodations procedures or on EEO Programs is available on Office of Civil Rights (ACR) or by contacting the local FAA Civil Rights Office.

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

02/27/2026 to 03/09/2026

Salary

$61,722 to - $80,243 per year

Salary above includes the locality rate of 17.06%.

Pay scale & grade

FG 9

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

West Columbia, SC

Telework eligible

Yes—Situational telework may be permitted in accordance with agency policy.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - The job may require travel from time-to-time, but not on a regular basis. The travel may be for training or other work-related duties.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Excepted

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

1802 Compliance Inspection And Support

Supervisory status

Security clearance

Other

Drug test

Bargaining unit status

Yes - This position is represented by PASS: Flight Standards Services.

Announcement number

AWP-AVS-26-DC084-97436

Control number

859030800

Jobs in West Columbia

Aviation Safety Technician

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