Air Traffic Control Specialist (Watch Officer)
What you'd do
As the ATO's centralized command and control element, JATOC helps the ATO effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from, any incident that impacts the National Airspace System (NAS). During an incident, experts from all ATO operational Service Units gather details and provide a single source of integrated information and reliable communications to ATO leadership to make critical, informed, and responsible decisions.
Major duties
The Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) serves as the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) designated operational coordination authority and recognized expert during significant events affecting the National Airspace System (NAS), independently assessing operational impacts, determining escalation requirements, directing enterprise-wide coordination activities, and providing authoritative operational guidance to FAA leadership. Applies experience and expert technical knowledge of air traffic control procedures and operations as well as expert technical knowledge of the NAS Operational Coordination and Incident Management. Identifies, evaluates, and resolves highly complex operational issues affecting FAA facilities, personnel, equipment, and NAS performance that cross organizational boundaries and require coordination among multiple FAA organizations, federal agencies, industry stakeholders, and external partners. Provides executive-level operational briefings, recommendations, and decision support to the Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and other senior FAA leadership officials regarding accidents, incidents, system outages, national security events, natural disasters, and other events affecting FAA operations and NAS performance. Performs complex specialized air traffic control assignments. Activates, directs, and coordinates national operational response activities during significant events, integrating multiple FAA organizations and external stakeholders to ensure a unified operational response, continuity of operations, and restoration of normal NAS services. Contacts are internal and external. Represents the FAA in national-level operational coordination activities involving federal agencies, aviation industry stakeholders, and external organizations on matters affecting operational readiness, emergency response, and continuity of National Airspace System operations; and for events involving significant public, congressional, Department of Transportation, White House, Secretary-level, or other high-profile interest. Ensures coordinated organizational responses and providing authoritative operational assessments to executive leadership. Broad policies and objectives provide general guidance for addressing issues but almost always require the development of new and innovative approaches. Often recommends new policies. Develops, evaluates, and recommends improvements to national operational response procedures, coordination protocols, escalation processes, and operational readiness frameworks to enhance the FAA's ability to respond to significant events affecting the NAS. Recommends organizational positions, strategic response actions, and policy changes to senior FAA leadership regarding operational coordination, emergency response, continuity of operations, and issues affecting national airspace system performance. Leads enterprise-wide operational assessments and after-action reviews involving major accidents, incidents, security events, system outages, and other significant disruptions to identify systemic issues, evaluate organizational effectiveness, and recommend corrective actions and procedural improvements. Resolves unprecedented operational issues where existing policies, procedures, or guidance are incomplete, conflicting, or insufficient, developing innovative approaches to address emerging threats, risks, and vulnerabilities affecting FAA operations. Conceives, plans, and directs studies involving complex operational issues, emerging risks, and national response capabilities, utilizing findings to improve FAA operational effectiveness, readiness, and strategic decision-making. Monitors nationwide operational events with multi-facility and enterprise-wide impacts, independently determining when events require executive notification, elevated coordination, activation of national response procedures, or implementation of strategic operational actions.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the FV-J FG/GS-14 level. This experience is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: - Experience monitoring operational activities or incidents, determining when events require higher-level notification, elevated coordination, activation of national response procedures, or implementation of strategic operational actions. - Experience assessing operational impacts and recommending response actions to support organizational response efforts during events. 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. Experience in a military or civilian air traffic facility that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the level of work of the specialization for which application is made. This experience must have provided a comprehensive knowledge of appropriate air traffic control laws, rules, and regulations. You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD, OR HAVE HELD THISPOSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interview or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification. Applicants who fail to demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
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