Aviation Safety and Compliance Inspector (Rotary Wing Operations)

Summary

This position is an Aviation Safety and Compliance Inspector (Rotary Wing Operations), GS-1801-12/13 working for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. In order to be considered for any duty location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected. This position is also open Government-Wide under announcement WFSMP-26-13049418-AMR-H. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Duties

At the full performance level (GS-13), as an Aviation Safety and Compliance Inspector (Rotary Wing Operations), your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Evaluates the capabilities of private contractors to perform point-to-point, investigation, special use and precision reconnaissance flights and issues initial qualification cards for mission specific applications, of which, requires advanced pilot skills and maneuvers. Provides technical aviation assistance to the Department of Interior's Bureaus and Offices for evolving or changing programs that require aircraft support. Maintains a program of recurring visits involving personal contacts with Bureau personnel supervising operations and aviation operators providing contractual services. Evaluates qualifications of employees responsible for management and technical supervision of aircraft operations, capability of management's control of aircraft operations, government and operator working relationships, and level of user-Bureau satisfaction with services provided by WFS. Leads or conducts surveillance and inspection of DOI's fleet aircraft and contractor maintenance facilities, to ensure compliance with department regulations, contract specifications, and quality control plans. Serves as the Team Member for the aircraft rental agreement renewal process for all contractor and cooperating Federal, State, and local agency aviation operations for an assigned geographical area. Serves as the point of contact for arranging the inspection and coordinating with WFS authorized inspectors and the Forest Service. The employee will serve as Pilot in Command (PIC) on DOI rotor-wing aircraft, perform flight evaluations and surveillance of contracted rotor-wing pilots, and flight evaluations and training of DOI fleet pilots. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Direct Deposit Required. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Valid first or second-class medical certificate, required. Selectees may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position. This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position. A condition of employment for accepting this position, you MAY be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: This position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement, and you will be required to complete either OGE Form 278e or OGE Form 450 as applicable within 30 days of your appointment. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration, visit www.SSS.gov. Selectees will be expected to travel in small single-engine and multi-engine aircraft. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home multiple times per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position. Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/23/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. In order to qualify for this position, you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below. Selective Placement Factors: This position requires special qualifications that have been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified. Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Commercial Pilot Certificate with appropriate rotorcraft-helicopter ratings and instrument ratings Flight Instructor Certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter rating Valid first or second-class medical certificate - AND - For GS-12 EXPERIENCE: To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. Must meet all specialized experience defined as: 1) Operational experience flying rotor-wing aircraft in natural resource missions; AND 2) Administering flight checks in for rotor-wing aircrafts. -OR- For GS-13 EXPERIENCE: To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to work of the position to be filled. Must meet all specialized experience defined as: 1) Operational experience flying rotor-wing aircraft in natural resource missions; 2) Administering flight checks in rotor-wing aircraft; AND 3) Conducting rotor-wing pilot proficiency evaluations. Volunteer Experience: 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. How You Will Be Evaluated

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted. Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job. You will be evaluated on the following competencies: Partnering - Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals. Leadership - Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors. Technical Competence - Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters. Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance. ** How You Will Be Evaluated continued in Required Documents... Other Information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Career-Ladder Promotion: This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-13. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied. PCS Information: No PCS entitlements authorized. Incentives: If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. Telework: This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Under completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant. Physical Demands: The work requires moderate physical activities associated with conducting in-flight pilot evaluations and helicopter operational assessments. Duties include extended periods of sitting in aircraft cockpits, manipulating flight controls, boarding and exiting helicopters in field environments, and climbing on our around aircraft during inspections. in-flight evaluations may involve turbulence, low-level flight, confined area operations, and variable weather conditions, which may result in periods of increased physical and mental stress. Working Conditions: The work is performed in a combination of office settings, aviation facilities, aircraft hangars, helicopter cockpits, and outdoor environments. Field inspections and in-flight evaluations involve aircraft noise, moving rotor systems, aviation fuels, and mechanical equipment. In-flight pilot evaluations and operational assessments may involve turbulence, lo-level flight, confined area operations and variable weather conditions. outdoor duties may occur in remote or austere environments and include heat, cold, wind, smoke, dust, and uneven terrain. Appropriate safety procedures and protective equipment are required. Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area. Reasonable Accommodation: The USWFS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.