Intelligence Operations Specialist (Watch Officer)

About the role

The Intelligence Operations Specialist (Watch Officer) serves as a key member of the FAA's 24/7 intelligence and incident operations team.

The incumbent supports the agency's mission by delivering timely and actionable intelligence, monitoring global aviation threats, managing incident response activities, and ensuring accurate and prompt dissemination of intelligence notifications and alerts.

What you will do

• This position requires a dynamic, mission-focused professional capable of operating in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment with a strong understanding of aviation-related threat issues.
• This position works under the direction of the Senior Watch Officer and the Watch Team Lead within the FAA's intelligence enterprise in the Office of Security and Hazardous Materials Safety (ASH) and may assume leadership responsibilities in the absence of senior staff during overnight or weekend shifts.
• The Intelligence Operations Specialist will perform multiple, varying, and complex assignments applying experience and advanced technical knowledge of intelligence sources, methods, and processes used to collect, analyze, and disseminate threat information.
• Intelligence and Analysis Support (24/7) Monitors, collects, and assesses intelligence from multiple classified and open-source feeds to identify potential or emerging threats to the National Airspace System (NAS), civil aviation, or FAA personnel and infrastructure.
• Maintains situational awareness of global threat environments that may impact aviation, reporting developments to FAA leadership, operational centers, and inter-agency partners as appropriate.
• Coordinates with FAA Lines of Business/Staff Offices, law enforcement, national security agencies, and international partners to ensure timely information sharing.
• Incident Management and Response Serves as the initial point of contact and coordination for intelligence-related incidents impacting or involving FAA equities.
• Participates in the FAA¿s incident response framework, ensuring intelligence input is integrated into FAA operational decisions and actions.
• Supports and maintains continuity of operations (COOP) procedures, classified communications, and coordination protocols in response to significant aviation or national security incidents.
• Tracks incidents from initial notification through resolution, ensuring full documentation and accurate reporting.
• Intelligence Production and Alerting/Notification Produces concise and well-sourced written intelligence summaries, assessments, and alerts tailored to operational and executive-level audiences.
• Drafts, reviews, and disseminates notifications, intelligence summaries, and situation reports (SITREPs) regarding threats or incidents with potential impacts to the FAA or civil aviation sector.
• Maintains and updates notification protocols and distribution lists to ensure rapid and appropriate dissemination of time-sensitive intelligence.
• Assists in the development and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for intelligence reporting, notification, and coordination processes.
• This position requires the incumbent to work rotating 24/7 shifts, including holidays and weekends.

Requirements

• We are not accepting applications from noncitizens.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience.

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

• Only supplemental documentation (e.g. transcript, certifications, SF-50, and/or veterans' documentation) will be accepted in combination with your on-line application or faxed to ***.
• These documents must be uploaded on faxed or before the closing date of the announcement.
• All submitted documents must reference the announcement number.
• For guidance on how to create a Federal resume, visit ***
• Failure to submit all required documents by the closing date will result in a finding of ineligible.
• We are not responsible for incomplete, illegible or missing documents.
• Please DO NOT email your application documents.
• We cannot accept documents received via the email system.
• Documents sent via email will NOT receive consideration.
• All Veterans: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit either a DD Form 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member 4 Copy or equivalent), or a document from the armed forces certifying that within 120 days you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions.
• If you are claiming 10 point preference, you must also submit a completed SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference, and supporting documents outlined on the SF-15.
• Documents must be uploaded or faxed to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office listed in this announcement and all documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement.
• If you fail to submit documentation, you will be assessed as a non-veteran.
• If you are claiming 10 point preference but fail to submit the supporting documents outlined on the SF-15, you will be tentatively assessed as a 5 point preference eligible provided your DD Form 214 reflects that you have the service required to qualify for preference.
• Documents must be uploaded or faxed to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office listed in this announcement and all documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement.
• If you fail to submit documentation, you will be assessed as a non-veteran.
• Veterans currently on active duty claiming veterans' preference: You will be granted tentative preference if you submit a document from the armed forces certifying that within 120 days you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service under honorable conditions and your application shows that you have the required service.
• Prior to being appointed, you must provide to the Servicing Human Resource Management Office a DD Form 214 documenting discharge/release and showing that the service was honorable or general.
• If you are on terminal leave, you must provide documentation certifying authorized terminal leave.
• If you want consideration for one or more of the Special Hiring Authorities, documentation that must be submitted at time of application can be found at Direct Hiring Authorities | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov).

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. *** This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program.

Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment or pre-appointment drug screening. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing. This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan.

Additional information about Core Compensation is available at: *** As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all announcements.

Therefore, as an applicant, 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 section, 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/or selective placement factor(s) (SPF) may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) and/or Quality Ranking Factor (QRF) listed in the announcement.

Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: (1) score order; (2) category grouping; (3) alphabetical; or (4) priority grouping, and referred to the selecting official for selection consideration. Some, all, or none of the applicants may be interviewed.

This Level 4 (Special Sensitive; TS/SCI) position requires favorable adjudication of a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) background investigation prior to appointment, unless a waiver is obtained. Please review both vacancy announcements before making application to determine your eligibility to apply.

This announcement is also being advertised under VA #AWA-ASH-26-8779BR-100330.

THIS POSITION IS FOR NIGHT SHIFT ONLY.

However, it is subject to any changes at the discretion of management This is not a bargaining unit position. Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA