Computer Scientist

About the role

This Computer Scientist position is located in the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Enterprise Test and Evaluation Services Division, Aeronautical and Weather Services Verification Branch which provides test and evaluation services to aeronautical information, weather and flight service systems.

What you will do

• This position will serve the Section¿s test and evaluation work centered on programs including the Aeronautical Information Management Modernization and NOTAMS programs, weather programs, automation systems and test laboratories.
• Specific test programs within this Section include NOTAM Management Service (NMS), National Weather Program (NWP), Terminal Precipitation on the Glass (TPoG), Flow Management Data Service (FMDS) and Alaska Automation Capability (AAC).
• Performs multiple, varied, and complex assignments under the limited direction of a manager, project/ program manager, team leader, or more experienced technical specialist.
• May act as a contributing specialist on large work activities or as a team leader for single or small work activities.
• Applies experience and advanced technical knowledge applicable to his/her discipline to accomplish assignments and develop plans and techniques to improve programs and policies.
• Understands how his/her technical area interacts with or is affected by other disciplines and considers the objectives of the major subdivision and LOB/SO when developing, integrating, and implementing solutions to diverse, complex problems.
• Serves as a Computer Scientist within a multidisciplinary team that provides centralized verification and validation (V&V) and Test & Evaluation (T&E) support.
• Responsible for delivering consistent quality services and computer science expertise that facilitates V&V and T&E practices and ensures the application and improvement of quality V&V standards in the FAA.
• Provides V&V and T&E conduct support on critical National Airspace System (NAS) and FAA acquisition work products to ensure efficient and effective implementation of capabilities and services.
• This position involves working with complex system integration issues, software intensive system engineering challenges, and FAA system-of-systems.
• Serves as a V&V T&E Computer Scientist focused on life-cycle V&V and T&E support for NAS capabilities, services, and systems.
• Incumbent will be expected to adapt to vendor¿s agile test approaches while utilizing rapidly evolving tools and technologies to meet accelerated timelines.
• Established policies/procedures provide guidance for most assignments but allow considerable discretion to select the most appropriate approach or to recommend new approaches.
• Provides recommendations to improve work processes.
• Provide guidance to lower-level staff to solve difficult technical issues.
• Resolve all but unique technical problems without the intervention of management or a more experienced engineer.
• Identify and inform management of problems that require their attention.
• Develop and recommend techniques to address problem situations.
• Work is reviewed periodically, typically at major milestones and at completion, for technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity.
• Defines, plans, and organizes assigned resources to accomplish organizational objectives.
• Allocates resources to accomplish small work activities within established schedules.
• Contacts are internal and external.
• May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities.
• Contributes to the preparation of management/technical reports or contractual documents and may communicate the overall results of a project or work activity to FAA management, the aviation and aerospace industries, and other external parties.

Requirements

• We are not accepting applications from noncitizens.

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: ***

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.

How you will be evaluated

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.

Documents you must provide

• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) Only supplemental documentation, e.g. transcripts or veteran's documentation will be accepted in combination with your on-line application.
• These documents must be uploaded or emailed to *** on or before the closing date of this announcement.
• All submitted documents should reference the announcement number.
• This position has a positive education requirement; college transcripts are required for ALL candidates newly appointed to the FAA in the 1550 series.
• College transcripts must be submitted from current FAA employees applying for internal vacancies if they have never held a position in the 1550 series with the FAA.
• College transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who are currently occupying a 1550 series.
• If selected, official transcripts are required prior to employment.
• If you are an 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 an FAA employee, you can access and print your SF-50 from the eOPF system ***

What to expect next

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.

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. *** 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.

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. Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA