Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) Lead

Akiva Ai•Arlington, VA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

AKIVA is seeking an Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) Lead to drive the planning, execution, and reporting of FAA Air Traffic Organization audits, assessments, and Independent Operational Assessments (IOAs). You will lead a small assessment team, partner with FAA program leadership on assessment strategy and scope, and ensure every plan, procedure, briefing, and report meets FAA technical and editorial standards. The role suits a senior assessment professional comfortable in a hybrid technical-program-management posture across high-visibility safety acquisitions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aviation, Operations Research, Computer Science, or a related field (equivalent experience may be substituted)
8+ years of professional experience in operational assessments, safety audits, system safety, or a closely related discipline
5+ years leading assessment teams or major audit/IOA workstreams
Demonstrated experience producing federal-grade technical documentation, including plans, procedures, briefings, and reports for senior government leadership
Demonstrated experience facilitating multi-stakeholder reviews and capturing decisions, action items, and follow-through commitments
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and executive-level business-writing skills
Ability and willingness to travel up to four weeks at a time, including possible night and weekend shifts at FAA field facilities
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and at least one collaboration / file-sharing platform
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credential
Must be authorized to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aviation, or related discipline
Project Management Professional (PMP) or comparable program management credential
Prior FAA Air Traffic Organization, FAA Office of Airports, or DoD test and evaluation experience
Familiarity with FAA Safety Management System (SMS), Safety Risk Management, In-Service Decision (ISD), and Independent Operational Assessment (IOA) processes
Familiarity with FAA writing standards (FAA Order 1000.36A) and ATO Directives Management (JO 1320.62)
Section 508 Trusted Tester certification
Familiarity with AI-assisted policy review, briefing-generation, and data-analysis tools

Responsibilities

Lead assessment planning across audits, assessments, and IOAs, including scope definition, resource estimates, and milestone schedules
Author and iterate IOA Implementation Strategy and Planning Documents, IOA designation documents, IOA Program Management Plans, IOA plans, IOA procedures, IOA reports, and IOA briefings for senior management
Coordinate audit and assessment data collection at FAA field facilities, including extended on-site travel and surge support
Maintain the In-Service Review Checklist Tool, manage user accounts, maintain templates and guidance documents on the In-Service Decision Executive Secretariat webpage, and post final Records of Decision
Maintain In-Service Decision briefing sheets for continuous tracking of ISD activities
Develop and maintain a file-sharing platform with a consistent program file structure, including archived historical data
Provide technical editing and configuration management of IOA documents, including process documents, templates, work instructions, and job aids
Coordinate with the Program Manager on assessment status, financial status, and staffing forecasts; contribute to monthly status reports and program management reviews
Mentor assessment analysts and review their work products before submission to the federal program office
Ensure all assessment deliverables comply with FAA writing standards and are Section 508 compliant