Summary This position is located in the PNW R6, Fire and Aviation Management, at Redmond, OR. Responsibilities include the inspection and approval of Forest Service, contractor, and cooperator aircraft avionics; avionics program support; avionics oversight and surveillance of Forest Service, contractor, and cooperator aviation operations; and providing technical expertise. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact James Reed at 541-504-7254 or james.reed2@usda.gov. Responsibilities Inspect aircraft avionics and advise on the issuance of approvals to perform specific missions (e.g., passenger, aerial supervision, airtanker, etc.. Ensure compliance with Federal aviation regulations, airworthiness directives, technical orders and bulletins, and manufacturers' specifications regarding aircraft avionics alterations or repairs. Monitors the activities of the organizations to determine whether they are following Forest Service policy, contractual requirements, Federal regulations, and good safety practices. Participate in the inspection and surveillance of complex operations and has authority to negotiate with managing organizations and make technical determinations within the coverage of approved specifications and policy manuals. Identify deficiencies in complex systems for which there is limited or conflicting guidance. Participate in Aviation Safety and Technical Assistance Teams (ASTAT), review teams, and Quality Assurance (QA) field audits during ongoing operations. Inspects and approves non-certified aircraft and may include unpredictable variations from month to month regarding the scope of the operations and aircraft involved. Inspects avionics equipment and issue approvals for specific mission categories for aircraft which may include single and multiengine piston, turboprop, turbojet aircraft and rotorcraft. Schedule and accomplish inspections and oversight actions of assigned contractors or program areas. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Basic Requirement:1825 Series 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. 5. High school diploma or equivalent. Medical Requirements: Applicants 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. Training, Certification and Specialized Experience Requirement: Aircraft avionics experience involving the installation, maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of installed avionics systems on civil aircraft. 1. Aircraft avionics work experience (which could include supervision or auditing) in an FAA repair station; air carrier repair facility; military repair facility; or local, state, or Federal governmental agency within the last 3 years. 2. Must possess and maintain a current and valid: FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL), OR ASTM NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician certificate with at least one endorsement. 3. Must possess and maintain an AV3 designation on the Forest Service Authorized National Aircraft and Avionics Inspectors List. 4. Must possess and maintain a FAC-COR Level 2 certification. 5. Must possess and maintain a FAC-P/PM Entry Level certification. 6. Must attend an annual Inspector Workshop. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-12: You must have one-year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Monitored the maintenance activities of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities to ensure compliance contractual requirements, Federal regulations, and good safety practices; Assisted in managing an aviation maintenance program that includes inspection and approval of contractor and cooperator aircraft, fuel service vehicles, support equipment, and maintenance personnel; Inspected, maintained, and approved airworthiness of multi-engine (two or more) piston or twin engine turboprop/turbo-jet aircraft after major repairs or alterations; and/or Maintained, scheduled and approved inspections and maintenance actions of assigned aircraft. For the GS-13: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following: Provided oversight of an aviation organization engaged in natural resource and wildland fire activities as a Contracting Officers Representative for maintenance and parts contracts servicing agency aircraft; Scheduled and approved all inspections and maintenance actions of assigned aircraft; Inspected and provided surveillance and oversight of aircraft, which have undergone major overhaul, alterations, or repairs; Compiled and reported findings, making recommendations on repairs and modifications; and/or Determined appropriate maintenance activity level for complex and critical maintenance issues. Work 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. 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. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Education There is no substitution of education for specialized experience. Additional Information 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 candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website. PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed. This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/ This is a bargaining unit position and is represented by either NFFE, AFGE, or NAGE. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. 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.