Assistant Director of Safety & Standardization
About The Position
The Virginia State Police is seeking an Assistant Director of Safety and Standardization for its Aviation Division in Chesterfield, Virginia. The position oversees aviation safety, pilot training, and standardization throughout the division. It develops and administers safety and training programs, evaluates pilot proficiency, ensures compliance with applicable regulations and departmental requirements, investigates aviation incidents and accidents, and recommends corrective actions. The role promotes safe, standardized flight operations, reduces operational risk, and supports division-wide mission readiness. The position exercises functional authority over division aviation safety, training, qualification, and standardization programs. Personnel-related actions are coordinated through the appropriate operational chain of command. The position is open to current Department employees, both sworn and professional staff. A sworn employee retains the rank of Lieutenant; a professional staff employee is reclassified to a non-supervisory level equivalent to Lieutenant. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent; a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Pilot Certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument-helicopter ratings, or equivalent military pilot qualifications eligible for FAA certification; an FAA Second-Class Medical Certificate; and an FAA Certified Flight Instructor – Rotorcraft certificate, or eligible military instructor qualifications. Sufficient Night Vision Goggles experience to qualify for an NVG Instructor endorsement and considerable commercial or equivalent military flight experience are required. Applicants must present their pilot logbook for review at the interview and complete an in-depth flight-experience review and a successful flight evaluation in a Department helicopter.
Requirements
- Comprehensive knowledge of aviation safety, Safety Management Systems (SMS), operational risk management, crew resource management, flight training and standardization, FAA regulations, aircraft operations and maintenance, and weather conditions affecting flight safety.
- Thorough knowledge of instructional methods, pilot evaluation, and development and administration of ground and flight training programs.
- Thorough knowledge of aviation safety investigations, hazard identification, causal analysis, corrective action development, and safety assurance processes.
- Knowledge of aviation safety data collection, trend analysis, recordkeeping, and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Skill in aviation safety management, risk assessment, hazard analysis, and development of risk controls.
- Skill in aircraft operations, flight evaluation, aviation instruction, and assessment of pilot proficiency.
- Skill in communicating technical and safety information to operational personnel, supervisors, senior leadership, and external stakeholders.
- Skill in Microsoft Office applications and other systems used for safety documentation, analysis, and reporting.
- Ability to develop, administer, and evaluate division-wide safety, training, and standardization programs; assess pilot proficiency; investigate aviation incidents; identify and communicate corrective actions; maintain records; and work collaboratively and independently.
- Ability to provide clear technical direction and feedback across organizational lines and respond on call as required.
- FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument-helicopter ratings, or equivalent military pilot qualifications eligible for FAA certification.
- FAA Second-Class Medical Certificate.
- FAA Certified Flight Instructor – Rotorcraft certificate, or military instructor qualifications eligible for FAA military competency certification.
- Sufficient Night Vision Goggles experience to qualify for an NVG Instructor endorsement.
- Considerable commercial or equivalent military flight experience.
- Pilot logbook must be presented at the interview for panel review.
- In-depth review of flight experience and successful completion of a flight evaluation in a Department helicopter.
- Graduation from high school or equivalent.
Nice To Haves
- Prior helicopter EMS, public-safety aviation, and/or military aviation experience.
- Aviation Safety Officer (ASO) qualification.
- Additional airplane ratings.
Responsibilities
- Oversee aviation safety, pilot training, and standardization throughout the Aviation Division.
- Develop and administer aviation safety and training programs.
- Evaluate pilot proficiency and ensure compliance with applicable regulations and departmental requirements.
- Investigate aviation incidents and accidents, identify causes, and recommend corrective actions.
- Exercise functional authority over division aviation safety, training, qualification, and standardization programs.
- Coordinate personnel-related actions through the appropriate operational chain of command.
- Maintain required records and communicate technical direction and feedback across organizational lines.
- Respond on call as required.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
High school or GED
