Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (Suitability Branch Manager)

This Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (Suitability Branch Manager) position is with Federal Aviation Administration (Department of Transportation) in Buckeye, AZ. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as the Branch Manager for the Suitability Adjudication Branch in AHL-130. Incumbent will be responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the FAA's Suitability Program. This includes compliance, timelines for background investigations, pre-employment checks, suitability determinations, and directing a team of technical specialists. This position will be subject to the AHR reorg and duties may be subject to change. Key duties: • Provides comprehensive management, oversight, and administration of the agency's federal suitability program, ensuring strict alignment with OPM's 5 CFR Part 731 requirements, Executive Orders, and internal FAA security protocols. Enforces operational frameworks and workflows to guarantee that all background investigations, pre-employment checks, and suitability adjudications are initiated, tracked, and completed within mandated agency and OPM timelines. Monitors and reports on branch-wide performance metrics, ensuring that processing timelines are met and backlogs are prevented. Directs the continuous evaluation of program processes, implementing streamlined workflows and incorporating automated screening and tracking technologies to improve efficiency and accuracy. Personally reviews, evaluates, and makes/recommends final determinations on highly complex, sensitive, or high-profile suitability cases, applying OPM's specific suitability factors and additional FAA security considerations. Provides authoritative second-level review and quality control (100% check) of suitability recommendations made by subordinate specialists, ensuring consistent application of adjudicative guidelines, evidentiary standards, and legal sufficiency. Defines and manages formal communication protocols and procedures for issuing letters of inquiry, notices of proposed action, and final decision letters to candidates and employees. Represents the agency in coordinate efforts with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Office of Chief Counsel, and the Security and Hazardous Materials Safety organization (ASH) regarding complex appeals, administrative hearings, or litigation arising from negative suitability actions. Identifies, designs, and implements comprehensive training plans and mandatory certification curricula needed for subordinate technical experts to perform federal suitability adjudications. Provides expert advisory and consultative services to FAA senior leadership and hiring managers across all Lines of Business/Staff Offices (LOB/SOs) on complex suitability requirements, applicant background issues, and security risk assessments. Monitors federal regulatory updates, OPM directives, and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) rulings to determine their degree of impact on existing suitability practices; develops and updates local operating policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure continuous legal compliance. Directs, coaches, and supervises a team of professional Human Resources Specialists (Suitability) and support staff. Establishes performance plans, monitors progress and conducts formal annual performance evaluations. Structures and assigns workload priorities, ensuring balanced distribution of cases among the team based on complexity and specialist capability. Performs critical administrative supervisor functions, including approving leave, initiating award nominations, addressing employee grievances, and executing appropriate corrective or disciplinary actions when required. Qualifications: 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-I, FG-13 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: Independently conducting or overseeing federal suitability adjudications, pre-employment screening, or background investigations; Interpreting and applying OPM suitability regulations (e.g., 5 CFR Part 731), executive orders, and national security directives; Developing standard operating procedures, communication templates, or training programs for suitability and security operations; or Formulating or reviewing highly sensitive adjudicative recommendations and defending them to legal counsel or external auditing authorities. 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 THIS POSITION, 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 interviews, or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification. In addition to the minimum qualifications, the following has been determined to be a selective factor for this position. This means possession of this criterion is part of the minimum qualifications and is essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of this position. Applicants who do not possess this criterion are ineligible for further consideration. Are you a current AHR employee? IMPORTANT: Ensure that your work experience supports your Leadership and Management Dimensions, and Other Factors answers. Your answers and associated work experience will be evaluated further to validate whether the answers that you selected are appropriate. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.