Duties

Summary

Due to the Pandemic, and individual states with different phases of reopening, your report date to your official duty station/facility may be delayed until such time as employees are allowed to report to the workplace. You may telework up to the maximum extent possible, up to and including full time, until it is safe to relocate.

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Responsibilities

This position is located within the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service. The incumbent serves as an Aerospace Engineer and provides concise technical expertise in the field of aircraft engineering, to enable the agency to develop aircraft certification regulatory and guidance materials. While this position requires an expert Aerospace Engineer, it also requires specific training and experience with the complexity of human machine interface, human factors, and related areas. He/She is responsible for the development and evaluation of human machine interface (HMI)-related regulations, guidance material, standards, policies, programs, procedures, training materials, and human factors criteria pertaining to civil aircraft, systems, equipment and other work activities under the minimal direction of a manager, project/program manager or other experienced engineers. This includes, but is not limited to, systems and equipment for all types of aircraft (transport, rotorcraft, small aircraft, and unmanned aircraft systems).

The incumbent applies experience and comprehensive knowledge of aerospace engineering principles, theories, and concepts applicable to human Factors, as well as an understanding of new technologies and methodologies, to solve complex problems and to develop improved technical processes for the organization. The incumbent serves as an advisor on human machine interface (HMI) issues related to aircraft, systems and equipment, including manned and unmanned. Assignments frequently require knowledge and experience working across functional and/or organizational lines.

Typical assignments include: responsibility for the development, review, analysis, and revision of new and existing regulations and guidance materials pertaining to HMI-related civil aviation aircraft, systems and equipment. This includes, but is not limited to, FAA and international regulations, policies, standards, and procedures related to HMI concerns in certification of systems and equipment for all types of aircraft (including transport category, rotorcraft, small aircraft, and unmanned aircraft systems).

The incumbent is responsible for soliciting and managing industry input, sponsoring and utilizing relevant research, and reviewing, updating, and providing training materials for HMI-related regulatory and guidance materials for certification of civil aircraft, systems, and equipment. The incumbent provides HMI-related technical expertise on the design and evaluation of aircraft, systems, and equipment, including displays and controls, procedures, workload and errors, and maintainability. The incumbent is responsible for other specialized assignments, in the field of expertise as well as general assignments. He/She defines, organizes, and assigns resources to accomplish organizational objectives. Allocates resources to accomplish large work activities within established schedules.

Contacts are internal and external. He/She coordinates with counterparts, subject matter experts, and management to enable safe introduction of advanced and emerging technologies proposed by national and international applicants. This requires coordination within and across the FAA, other regulatory authorities, industry, and international safety standards development organizations for global harmonization.

Broad policies and objectives provide general guidance for addressing issues, but allow considerable discretion to develop new and innovative approaches. He/She draws on experience to solve unusual problems and may create new solutions and policy interpretations as the situation requires. The incumbent provides policy guidance and instruction to others, both internally and externally. Provides guidance to lower-level staff to solve difficult technical issues. Develops plans, techniques, and policies to address current or anticipated problems and issues. Works with senior management to solve problems.

Travel Required

25% or less - The job may require up to 25% travel.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
NA

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must submit an SF50 (See Required Documents)
• This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements : Successful completion of a full four-year professional engineering curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in engineering in an accredited college or university. To be acceptable the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET as a professional engineering curriculum; 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); (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics; OR,

ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS : 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 professional 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:

• Professional registration: Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;
• Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico;
• Specified academic courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A;
• Related curriculum: Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Specialized Experience : In addition to the basic requirements, to qualify for this position you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FG-13 or FV-I. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes:

-Experience applying principles and practices of HMI in order to conduct evaluations of human/machine interfaces and interaction and human performance in aircraft systems in operations contexts

-Experience with analysis of HMI/human factors issues

Applicants must also meet the Selective Placement Factor (SPF) in order to be qualified for this position, in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements, applicants must possess experience in Human Machine Interface (HMI) evaluation and certification of civil aircraft, systems, and equipment.

Describe your experience with HMI evaluations. (Include type of experience, training, awards, appraisals, etc., that would be an indication of your knowledge in this area).

Failure to address the SPF may result in applicant ineligibility.

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective factor(s), if applicable, may be further evaluated on the KSAs listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category rating, or priority grouping and referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

In addition to the minimum qualifications, the following has been determined to be a selective factor for this position. This means possession of this criterion is part of the minimum qualifications and is essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of this position. Applicants who do not possess this criterion are ineligible for further consideration.

• Selective Placement Factor: Applicants must meet the Selective Placement Factor (SPF) in order to be qualified for this position, in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements, applicants must possess experience in Human Machine Interface (HMI) evaluation and certification of civil aircraft, systems, and equipment. Describe your experience with HMI evaluations. (Include type of experience, training, awards, appraisals, etc., that would be an indication of your knowledge in this area). Failure to address this SPF may result in applicant ineligibility.

IMPORTANT: Ensure that your work experience supports your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA), and Other Factors answers. Your answers and associated work experience will be evaluated further to validate whether the answers that you selected are appropriate.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html .

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

This position has a minimum education requirement as specified in the Qualifications Required section. College/University transcript(s), or applicable documentation, described in the Qualifications Required section must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement to show the requirements are met; Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration. Please see Important Information Regarding Education under the Required Documents section.

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.

This announcement may be used to fill like Aerospace Engineer (Human Factors) positions in other Divisions/branches/Sections, which may be in other duty locations, within the Aircraft Certification Service.

Only four (4) vacancies will be filled any one of the locations identified.

Note: The following are the salary ranges for the listed duty locations:

Washington, District of Columbia: $109,013.00 to 168,820.00 includes 30.48% locality pay

Des Moines, Washington: $106,008.00 to $164,344.00 includes 27.02% locality pay

Burlington, Massachusetts: $107,753.00 to $167,048.00 includes 29.11% locality pay

Kansas City, Missouri: $97,754.00 to $151,547.00 includes 17.13% locality pay

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; $96,770.00 to $150,021.00 includes 15.95% locality pay

Fort Worth, Texas: $104,306.00 to $161,704.00 includes 24.98% locality pay

This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: http://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm

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 announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this 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, 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.

This is a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay , COLA

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING EDUCATION:
Transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who have occupied an Engineering position in the FAA. If you are not a current FAA employee in an Engineering position or other career field with a minimum education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your unofficial college transcript(s) or a list of courses, grades earned, completion date, and quarter and semester hours earned by the closing date of this announcement. If selected, official transcripts will be required. Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited US educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an accredited American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

Applicants claiming eligibility for the Expanded Veterans Hiring Opportunity (EVHO), MUST submit a DD Form 214 reflecting character of service to verify eligibility by the closing date of the announcement as requested by the Human Resource Office. Eligibility for EVHO will be considered based on applicable documentation submitted by the closing date.
This position has a positive education requirement; college transcripts are required for ALL candidates newly appointed to the FAA in the 0800 (Engineering) series.

College transcripts must be submitted from current FAA employees applying for internal vacancies if they have never held a position in the 0800 (Engineering) series with the FAA.

College transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who are currently occupying an 0800 (Engineering) series.

If selected, official transcripts are required prior to employment.

If you are a current or former Federal employee (including a current FAA employee), you MUST provide a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) containing information in Blocks 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 24 so it can be used to verify your position title, series, grade, tenure, and organization of record by the closing date of the announcement. You may fax your SF-50 or upload it into the on-line application. If faxing the SF-50, please ensure you include the vacancy announcement number on the faxed copy.

If you are a current Federal employee and need a current copy of your SF-50, please contact your personnel office. If you are an FAA employee, you can access and print your SF-50 from the eOPF system https://eopf.opm.gov/dot/ . If you are a former Federal employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF-50 by writing the National Personnel Records Center Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL 62295. Additional information is available from this link: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/civilian-personnel/ .

Expanded Veterans Hiring Opportunity (EVHO) are thoseveterans who are honorably discharged from the Armed Forces after completing at least three (3) years of continuous active service.Applicants claiming eligibility for EVHO, MUST submit a DD Form 214 reflecting character of service to verify eligibility by the closing date of the announcement as requested by the Human Resource Office. Eligibility for EVHO will be considered based on applicable documentation submitted by the closing date.

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.