Air Traffic Control Specialist (Watch Officer

Air Traffic Control Specialist

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.

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.