Senior Technical Writer Editor (Direct-Hire)
About This Position
This position will be located in various offices within the NTSB. As a Senior Technical Writer-Editor, the incumbent will be responsible for managing and coordinating the development of investigation reports that describe and analyze the facts of accidents and identify conclusions and safety recommendations.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet one of the following Basic Requirements: A. Education must have included a total of 15 semester hours in an appropriate scientific, technical, or social science field(s), and at least one course above the introductory level in the field(s) covered by the position. (Must provide your official or unofficial transcripts.) OR B. Experience that required substantial subject-matter or technical knowledge of the field.
This experience must have demonstrated the ability to acquire and present technical information through independent reading, interviews with subject-matter specialists, observation of tests and experiments, interpretation of blueprints or diagrams, or other appropriate methods. Such experience may have been acquired as a writer or editor of technical reports, articles, manuals, or specifications.
In addition to meeting one of the above Basic Requirements above, you must also possess the following: GS-14: You MUST have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector). Specialized experience is defined as: Experience writing high-quality, error-free, scientific or technical reports related to safety evaluation, research, or investigations. Conducting independent examination of written technical materials or interviewing subject matter experts to develop factual and analytical written products and supporting arguments while eliminating grammatical and editorial errors.
Converting technical or scientific information into a language that is suitable for a general audience and for executive briefings. Developing and managing project timelines and managing multiple writing and editing tasks simultaneously. For more information see link: Technical Writing and Editing Series 1083
NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Major Duties
As a Senior Technical Writer Editor (Direct-Hire),GS-1083-14, you will perform the following major duties: Manage and coordinate the development process for and write investigative reports that describe and analyze the facts and circumstances of transportation accidents. Work with investigative teams, evaluate complex technical data and documentation obtained from an investigator-in-charge (IIC), group chairpersons' reports, investigative hearings, interview transcripts, party submissions, and other sources for validity, reliability, and substance to support identified safety issues. Evaluate the content of prepared documents in terms of purpose, audience, scope, organization, and logic, as well as grammar, punctuation, style, and format.
Based on evaluation, independently rewrite and edit as appropriate, eliminating jargon and redundancies. Ensure that the procedures for producing notation items are followed accurately and expeditiously. Ensure documents are edited and produced according to established formats and the NTSB Style Guide.
Review new and established formats and the NTSB product development guide and propose, develop, and provide office input to agency standards groups while ensuring that office managers and technical writer-editors are aware of requirements.
Education
EDUCATION As stated in the Qualifications Section. GENERAL EDUCATION: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications.
For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn. Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application.
Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at: http://www.ed.gov FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
How You Will Be Evaluated
This position will be filled through the Direct Hire Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply.
Your application will be considered based on education, training, and quality of your experience. For more information on Direct-Hire Authority visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/ Your application must include your resume and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
Referral: Applicants who meet the qualification requirements may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person) at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices.
Additional Information
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays and various benefits as well as work life amenities such as alternate work schedules, telework, flextime, fitness and transit benefits. Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) ARE NOT authorized for this position. A Relocation or Recruitment Incentive may be offered to highly qualified candidates.
If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) meet the basic qualification standards (including minimum educational and experience requirements; (3) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 80 and above on the rating criteria for this position; and, (4) submit the appropriate documentation ( to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp
Note: ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions.
OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications. Ad-hoc/situational telework as determined by the agency policy. Multiple and subsequent vacancies may be filled from this announcement. NTSB uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify. The National Transportation Safety Board provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the National Transportation Safety Board directly.
Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package (see the required documents section).The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/20/2026. To begin the process, click the 'Apply' button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process. To view or print occupational questionnaire click here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12949128. To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.
NOTE: If you cannot apply online, please send an e-mail which includes the vacancy announcement number, position title and the reason you are not able to apply on-line to [email protected] at least 1 business day before the closing date.
Required Documents
The following documents are required for a COMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGE: A Complete Two-Page Resume is required: Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments.
Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information MUST be provided in your resume: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience.
Please see OPM's video on Resume Writing Tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YX7o1PBoFk Responses to the questionnaire. College transcripts (Unofficial or Official), if qualifying based on education or as a basic requirement. You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire.
You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional. Failure to submit required documents will result in you being considered as "ineligible" for this position.