Supervisory Air Traffic Control Specialist

About the role

The Deputy Director for Air Traffic Services (AJT), will provide support to the Director regarding day-to-day operations, and provide expert advice, technical support, and coordination for technical operations involving the National Airspace System (NAS) and NexGen efforts.

What you will do

• The Deputy Director will exercise delegated authority for the planning, coordination, and oversight of air traffic control operations that support the safe, orderly, and efficient movement of air traffic within the National Airspace System (NAS).
• Provides high-level, detailed, technical operational leadership over air traffic control services, ensuring alignment with FAA Orders, operational directives, and national air traffic priorities.
• Utilizes specialized knowledge of air traffic control procedures, airspace management, traffic flow initiatives, and operational risk management to guide strategic and tactical decision-making affecting NAS performance.
• Oversees and integrates air traffic operational activities across service areas, districts, and facilities, ensuring consistency in the application of air traffic control policies, procedures, and operational standards.
• This includes resolving complex operational issues, balancing competing NAS demands, and mitigating operational risk through informed judgment grounded in air traffic control experience.
• Advises senior Air Traffic Organization leadership on operational impacts of policy, staffing, traffic management initiatives, and system changes, ensuring that decisions are informed by operational realities at the facility and national levels.
• Represents Air Traffic Services in operational forums, providing authoritative interpretation of ATC requirements and operational feasibility.
• Conducts performance evaluations for subordinate managers and supervisors engaged in air traffic control operations and operational support functions, ensuring effective delivery of ATC services and continuous improvement in safety, efficiency, and workforce performance.
• The work requires continuous assessment of NAS conditions, emerging operational risks, and system constraints, and the development of operational strategies to maintain continuity of air traffic services during periods of disruption, transition, or increased demand.
• The Deputy Director utilizes skill and experience integrating facility program operations to advocate the tactical and strategic use of concepts and technologies that advance the goals of the ATO and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• Develops standards, systems, procedures and techniques to improve air traffic services within the district.
• Continually reviews, refines, and recommends major improvements to operational projects and programs to make sure that they are aligned with long-term and short-term ATO and FAA goals, objectives, and plans.
• Provides support to the Director regarding day-to-day operations in applying detailed knowledge to the technical support and coordination for technical operations involving the National Airspace System (NAS).
• Assists the Director in achieving and maximizing operational Air Traffic goals, providing technical support, aiding in strategic planning, facility planning, and integrated consensus building across ATO Service Units.
• Attends Director and above executive meetings.
• Demonstrates detailed, technical knowledge of NAS systems, equipment, processes, and procedures to serve as the expert and focal point for air traffic issues and initiatives.
• This work is critical to maintaining safety oversight and directly impacts the safe and efficient operation of the NAS.
• Maintains contacts both internal and external to the district, including senior management, Union representatives, services center personnel, members of the state, local and federal government, foreign government aviation officials, general public. representatives of the aviation industry and military, to facilitate resolution of air traffic operational and technical program issues.
• Resolves high-level safety issues in operational and decision-making meetings involving safety, quality assurances, and quality control issues within the ATO.

Requirements

• We are not accepting applications from noncitizens.

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

• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• To qualify based on education, you must upload or fax a copy of your high school or college transcripts or certificates at time of application.
• If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to employment.
• 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 fax to *** on or before the closing date of this announcement.
• All submitted documents should reference the announcement number.
• 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 ***
• Forms: FAA-3330-43 : Rating of Air Traffic Experience

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. *** Leave Enhancement: FAA organizations may offer enhanced annual leave accrual to newly appointed or reappointed employees.

In order to receive consideration for such a benefit, applicants' prior non-Federal service or active duty uniformed service must directly relate to the duties of the position to which appointed. Granting enhanced annual leave is at the sole discretion of the hiring organization, and granting such benefit is not an entitlement nor guaranteed to any newly hired employee.

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.

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 Leadership Dimensions listed in the announcement.

Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: score order, category grouping, or alphabetical order and referred to the selecting official for consideration. Position is not eligible for "good time" for ATC retirement purposes. Duty Location: Duty location is the FAA Regional Office in Des Moines, WA.

If selectees¿ location is within a FAA facility in the Western Service Area, alternative office location may be considered. This is not a bargaining unit position. Links to Important Information: Locality Pay, COLA