Inspector of Air Accidents (Operations)

Job summary

Can you work under pressure and are you comfortable working in a team or independently?

Do you have extensive and recent professional flying experience, along with knowledge of civilian aircraft operations and aviation in general?

Have you got excellent verbal, written and presentation skills?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is part of the Department for Transport (DfT). The AAIB’s purpose is to improve aviation safety by determining the circumstances and causes of aircraft accidents and serious incidents to civil aircraft in the UK (including UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) and overseas where there is a UK interest.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Job description

The AAIB is part of the Department for Transport (DfT), and our purpose is to improve aviation safety by determining the circumstances and causes of aircraft accidents and serious incidents and promoting safety action to prevent recurrence. We investigate accidents and serious incidents to civil aircraft in the UK and overseas, where there is a UK interest, and your primary role will be to investigate the operational aspects of these events as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

For further information about our work please visit www.aaib.gov.uk.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Deploying at short notice to civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK or worldwide.
• Supporting foreign safety investigation authorities in their work and conducting investigations in the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
• Producing reports into the operational aspects of an event and promoting action to improve safety.
• Keeping the families of victims of fatal accidents informed of the progress of an investigation and briefing them on the findings and conclusions.
• Giving technical evidence at coroners’ inquests to explain the findings of a report.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Essential licenses:

1. An Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence.
2. A full UK driving licence.
3. A valid passport for international travel.

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Required experience:

By the closing date for applications, candidates must meet the experience criteria set out in each of the following three main bullet points:

Flying experience as shown in either A or B:

• A: More than 5,000 hours as pilot on fixed wing aircraft, including at least 3,000 hours gained operating two-pilot aircraft over 5,700 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.
• B: More than 3,000 hours as pilot on rotary wing aircraft, including at least 2,000 hours gained operating two-pilot aircraft over 3,175 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.

Command experience as shown in either C or D:

• C: More than 2,000 hours as the commander of two-pilot fixed wing aircraft over 5,700 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.
• D: More than 1,800 hours as the commander of two-pilot rotary wing aircraft over 3,175 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations

Experience, within two years of the closing date for applications, of flying two-pilot aircraft over 5,700 kg or 3,175 kg, as appropriate, in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Will be a pilot with extensive and recent commercial flying experience in two-pilot aircraft, along with knowledge of civilian aircraft operations and aviation in general.
• Will have a varied aviation background in terms of roles, aircraft types/classes, and types of flying.
• Will have a broad understanding of aircraft technical and non-technical subjects.
• Will be highly motivated and inquisitive, and comfortable working independently or in a team, either as leader or member.
• Must be able to work in challenging environments worldwide, sometimes travelling at short notice.
• Will have excellent written communication skills and be capable of producing accurate and clear reports. You will also have excellent verbal and presentation skills.
• Will communicate clearly and concisely and possess the ability to work with stakeholders, both inside and outside the AAIB team, to establish mutual respect and trust.

Additional Information

Due to the nature of AAIB operations, the successful candidate will be exposed to situations, information and material of a sensitive of a sensitive or traumatic nature. You will also be required to use tact and compassion when meeting the victims of accidents, bereaved relatives and witnesses, and when working with colleagues in stressful conditions. It is essential that you consider how you would react to these aspects of the role before applying.

Applicants will be required to participate in a wellbeing and traumatic stress risk review and online personality questionnaire in advance of their formal assessment. This risk review is not a formal assessment and will not decide whether you progress to interview. The risk review will include a short questionnaire which is followed up by a short telephone call with a psychologist. Potential applicants are welcome to contact the AAIB for further information (contact point below).

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

You will be contracted to work 37 hours each week and expected to spend at least 60% of your working time either at the AAIB offices at Farnborough House or at other locations on official business. The AAIB site is in a semi-rural area and is not served by public transport, but there is a secure car park on site together with covered bike sheds and changing facilities with showers.

There will be occasions where you will be required to travel internationally, sometimes at short notice. The role requires the position holder to be on-call for deployments anywhere in the world at short notice, except whilst on Annual Leave or by mutual agreement with your line manager.

A roster is managed to ensure there will be periods where you are less likely to be called. An allowance for being on call is included as part of the basic salary.

Training

You will be required to complete six weeks of training on a residential course to learn the basics of accident investigation and, throughout your employment, will be encouraged to learn about new techniques and develop your professional and investigation skills.

You will undertake training to enable you to carry out your role safely in a wide range of environments, including offshore and in mountainous terrain.

Where your experience and licence allow, we will endeavour to place you with an AOC operator to fly as a member of the operating crew for two or three days per month. Although this cannot be guaranteed, the aim will be to enable you (and us) to stay at the forefront of commercial aviation operations. You will also be encouraged to develop your general aviation flying experience.

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Licences

1.An Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence.
2.A full UK driving licence.
3.A valid passport for international travel

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Applying expertise and technology
• Written communication

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £84,838, Department for Transport contributes £24,577 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The AAIB is part of the Civil Service, which means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits, including:

• An excellent, defined benefit pension scheme with an employer contribution rate of 28.97%.
• 25 days annual leave for new joiners, rising to 30 days after five years’ service
• The ‘MyLifestyle’ benefits package giving access to a wide range of attractive and flexible offers.
• Overtime or travel time, which is paid when you are required to work or travel outside normal working hours.
• Maternity, adoption and shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks on full pay, followed by 13 weeks on statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid. We offer paternity leave of two weeks on full pay.

It is important to us that you maintain your professional skills, so there will be many training and development opportunities for you as you progress through your career with us.

We offer flexible working, an inclusive working environment and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Wellbeing and Traumatic Stress Risk Reviews.

Stage 3: Assessment Day

Due to the nature of AAIB operations, the successful candidates will be exposed to situations, information and material of a sensitive or traumatic nature. Applicants successful at stage 1 will be required to participate in a wellbeing and traumatic stress risk review in advance of their assessment day. The outcome of this risk review will not determine whether you progress to Stage 3. It will include a questionnaire which is followed up by a short telephone call with a psychologist. Potential applicants are welcome to contact the AAIB for further information (contact point below).

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience. You will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1250-word count). Please provide evidence that by the closing date for applications, you meet the experience criteria set out in each of the following three main bullet points:

Flying experience as shown in either A or B:

• A: More than 5,000 hours as pilot on fixed wing aircraft, including at least 3,000 hours gained operating two-pilot aircraft over 5,700 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.
• B: More than 3,000 hours as pilot on rotary wing aircraft, including at least 2,000 hours gained operating two-pilot aircraft over 3,175 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.

Command experience as shown in either C or D:

• C: More than 2,000 hours as the commander of two-pilot fixed wing aircraft over 5,700 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.
• D: More than 1,800 hours as the commander of two-pilot rotary wing aircraft over 3,175 kg in Part CAT or Part NCC operations

Experience, within two years of the closing date for applications, of flying two-pilot aircraft over 5,700 kg or 3,175 kg, as appropriate, in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.

Your personal statement should also include detailed evidence of:

• Your experience of operating two-pilot aircraft in Part CAT or Part NCC operations.
• Your experience of flying other aircraft in any environment.
• Your experience of working in a team both as leader and member.
• Your experience of building and maintaining relationships with a range of stakeholders.

The sift is due to take place during the week commencing 4th May 2026

If you are successful at the application sift will be invited to an assessment day at the AAIB in Aldershot.

Stage 2: Wellbeing and Traumatic Stress Risk Reviews

Due to the nature of AAIB operations, Inspectors may be exposed to situations, information and material of a sensitive or traumatic nature. Consequently, applicants successful at the sift will be required to participate in a wellbeing and traumatic stress risk review in advance of their assessment day. The review will include filling in a questionnaire and having a short telephone conversation with a psychologist. The outcome of the review will not determine whether applicants progress to Stage 3, and if you are considering applying you may contact the AAIB for further information (contact point below).

The Wellbeing and Traumatic Stress Risk review will take place from the week commencing 11 May 2026.

Stage 3: Assessment day

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

- Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

- Technical Skills (can be found in the attached AIB competencies document):

• Applying Expertise and Technology
• Written communication

- Strengths

The assessment day will include:

• Interview
• Written Exercise
• Presentation
• Role-Play Exercise

Prior to attending the Assessment Centre, shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide an electronic copy of their Airline Transport Pilots Licence and evidence from their logbook showing that they meet the experience requirements in the Person Specification.

The Assessment Centre will take place at the AAIB’s offices in Farnborough, Hampshire, in the week commencing 22 June 2026.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We will also hold a12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Vetting

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Geraint Herbert
• Email : recruitment@aaib.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

AIB Competencies - Applying Expertise and Technology and Written Communication (2) Opens in new window (docx, 44kB)Role Profile (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 179kB)