Aerospace Engineer (Cabin Safety)

Full Job Description

Serves as an Aerospace Engineer (Cabin Safety Specialist) in Aircraft Certification Service (AIR).

Plans and accomplishes highly complex and challenging projects, programs and other work activities under minimal direction of a manager, project/program manager, team leader, or more experienced engineer.

To view the complete OPM qualification standard for the Group Coverage Qualification Standard for General Engineer, Series 801, please refer to: General Engineering Series 0801 Basic Requirements: Degree in 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.

To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to FV-I, FG/GS 13.

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 is: Experience with the application or development of aircraft certification standards, policies, and procedures used in the design and certification of an aircraft or aircraft system (e.g., 14 CFR parts 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 35; advisory circulars; policy memorandums).

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

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 the selection list is shortened to a best qualified list through a comparative process, then the best qualified list shall be considered to be the selection list.

The duty location will be an approved FAA AVS Facility. Selection may be made from this announcement or from ACT-AVS-26-AIR624-97320. Major Duties:

The incumbent serves as a technical specialist for cabin safety policy and standards, which involves applying experience and comprehensive knowledge of engineering principles, theories, and concepts applicable to solve complex problems, identify cabin safety issues, develop policy standards and to improve technical processes.

Develops airworthiness standards and guidance material including special conditions, equivalent safety findings, exemptions, and other documents for aircraft designs.

Provides policy, guidance and instruction to FAA personnel, aviation industry and others to resolve most technical issues without intervention from more experienced engineers or management.

This involves providing guidance to lower-level staff to solve difficult technical issues and working with senior management to solve problems.

Plans and accomplishes highly complex projects, programs, and other work activities with minimal direction. This may involve leading or participating on a team or working individually.

Accomplishes organizational objectives within established schedules. Represents the FAA as a senior technical point of contact for cabin safety on projects, programs, and other work activities.

Communicates results and issues within the FAA and externally as appropriate. Develops mutually rewarding relationships with fellow employees, industry, and stakeholders.

Conducts activities to the highest ethical standards by communicating effectively, remaining flexible, respecting different opinions, and exercising patience in challenging situations.

Applies systems thinking to resolve issues. Prepares technical presentations, documents, and reports to present to FAA personnel, management and aviation industry and others.

Works with counterparts in foreign civil aviation authorities to develop policy, standards and procedures related to cabin safety to assure adequacy and uniformity of certification program issues globally.

Develops strategies, implementation plans and responses to safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, individuals, or organizations within the FAA.

Broad policies and objectives provide general guidance for addressing issues but allow considerable discretion for the incumbent to develop new and innovative approaches.

The technical specialist draws on engineering experience to solve unusual problems and may create new solutions and policy interpretations as the situation requires.

Work is reviewed rarely, typically through status reports and at project completion, to ensure technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity.

The work activities of this position impact directly on the objectives of one or more major subdivisions, LOB/SOs and has an impact on the objectives of the FAA.