New

Airside Safety and Compliance Specialist

Port of Portland

$93,500.00 - $130,833.00 Annually

life insurance, parental leave, vacation time, paid holidays, sick time, retirement plan

United States, Oregon, Portland

7200 Northeast Airport Way (Show on map)

Sep 30, 2026

The Position

The Port of Portland is hiring an Airside Safety & Compliance Specialist.

The Airside Safety and Compliance Specialist serves as PDX's lead technical specialist for administering and improving 14 CFR Part 139 regulatory compliance and Safety Management System (SMS) Safety Assurance programs. The role provides expert guidance on regulatory interpretation, safety performance, and continuous improvement initiatives that support safe, compliant airside operations. It also leads the airport's airside Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) program and ensures alignment with FAA and state regulatory requirements.

From the Hiring Manager: "Put your airport operations experience to work helping to shape the next chapter of PDX airside safety. You'll serve as a go-to expert for 14 CFR Part 139 matters, bringing operational expertise to FAA inspections and developing practical ways to demonstrate and maintain regulatory compliance. You'll also help to put our growing Safety Management System (SMS) into practice, leading the Safety Assurance component and using data to surface risks and drive improvements.

This opportunity goes beyond maintaining established programs and processes. You'll help translate strategy into solutions, with the freedom to think creatively about how we get there. If you like asking "why do we do it this way?" you'll fit right in. Bring your curiosity. Bring your ideas. Help us rethink what's possible for airside safety and compliance."

We offer a flexible hybrid schedule to support both work-life balance and team collaboration. Due to the nature of this role, it may require more on-site participation outside of the norm. This includes occasional irregular hours, with some nights during inspections. This role CANNOT be performed remotely.

This role requires regular airfield presence that may have exposure to aircraft noise, fumes, and moving vehicles in varied weather conditions; use of PPE as required.

Essential Job Duties

Regulatory Compliance and Project Safety
- Serve as the Port's primary technical resource for airport certification compliance and regulatory interpretation under 14 CFR Part 139.
- Act as the Port's primary compliance representative during FAA inspections, track FAA Airport Certification Safety Inspector (ACSI) findings and support corrective actions.
- Support revision and maintenance of the Airport Certification Manual (ACM) and associated compliance documentation.
- Monitor PDX's compliance with federal airport safety standards and recommend improvements to airside safety programs. Conduct audits, inspections, field observations, and compliance reviews to verify adherence to certification requirements, operational procedures, and the effectiveness of SMS safety controls.
- Provide compliance and safety review of proposed airside projects by evaluating plans, specifications, and operational impacts.
- Review and contribute to Construction Safety and Phasing Plans (CSPPs), lead CSPP and Management of Change (MoC) risk assessments, represent Airside Safety & Compliance during FAA-mandated Safety Risk Management Panels (SRMPs) and provide technical expertise to ensure proposed airside changes maintain regulatory compliance and safe operations.
- Support and/or conduct field inspections during construction to verify activities are performed in accordance with approved CSPPs, safety plans, operational procedures, regulatory requirements, and approved mitigation measures.

Safety Assurance
- Lead the Safety Assurance component of the SMS by monitoring safety performance, data analysis, and verifying the effectiveness of risk controls.
- Track safety trends to identify emerging risks and drive continuous improvement of the SMS.
- Evaluate PDX operational processes and industry best practices and recommend safety enhancements.
- Integrate and analyze data from multiple airport systems to support compliance and safety performance, producing dashboards, reports, and analytics for executive leadership, safety committees, and safety risk assessments.
- Collaborate with Airside Planning to advance airside GIS capabilities, data integrations, automation, and technology solutions that improve safety intelligence, and Part 139, Subpart E compliance.

Safety Risk Management and Safety Programs
- Process hazard reports, conduct safety investigations, and support the full Safety Risk Management (SRM) process.
- Serve as alternate facilitator for internal and external SMS committee meetings.
- Participate in safety events as needed to support Safety Promotion and safety culture.
- Manage the airside Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, coordinating missions to ensure safe and compliant operations, reviewing and approving mission plans, and ensuring appropriate risk controls.
- Support the Port's UAS program, ensuring adherence to FAA Part 107, Public Aircraft Operations, and state/local regulations for airside missions.
- Maintain the Port's Certificate of Authorization (COA) for drone activities in controlled airspace.
- Represent Airside Safety & Regulatory Compliance during managerial absence.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Experience

(Required) 6+ years of experience in progressively responsible airport operations, Part 139 compliance, and/or safety management at a commercial service airport; includes cross-department coordination and external regulatory engagement.
(Required) Driver's license clearance to operate a Port issued vehicle.
(Required) Drug screen clearance.
(Preferred) Bachelor's in Aviation Management, Safety Management, Data Science, or related field.

Licenses

Ability to obtain a Security Badge at PDX or other Port facilities with certain designations.	Port of Portland	Required
Valid driver's license: ability to obtain/retain AOA driving privileges.	State of Oregon/reciprocal; Port of Portland	Required
ACE-SMS Certification	AAAE	Preferred (or required within 12 months of hire)
Basic Airport Safety and Operations Specialist School	AAAE	Preferred (or required within 12 months of hire)
FAA Remote Pilot (Part 107) Certificate	FAA	Preferred (or required within 12 months of hire)
Certified Member	AAAE	Preferred
ACE-Operations Certification	AAAE	Preferred

Demonstrated Skills

Advanced- Safety Data Interpretation & Analytics.
Advanced- Regulatory Interpretation & Application.
Intermediate- Professional Judgment & Independent Analysis.

Abilities, & Competencies:

Advanced- Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circulars and Regulations as they apply to Parts 139, 77 and 107.
Advanced- Part 139-Compliant Airfield Operations.
Intermediate- Airport Safety Management Systems (SMS) and FAA Safety Risk Management Processes.
Intermediate- Airport SMS Safety Assurance & Compliance Auditing.
Intermediate- Airport Certification Manual (ACM) requirements.
Intermediate- Construction Safety & Phasing Plans (CSPPs) and Operational Safety on Airports During Construction.

Supplemental and Selection Information

Selection Process: (Tentative Schedule):

A minimum qualification evaluation of the education, training, and experience of submitted application packets will take place by Human Resources the week of 10/12.
A Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel will perform an evaluation of experience and training taken from your employment application materials.
Our goal is to schedule the virtual first round of interviews with candidates who successfully passed the SME evaluation on Monday 10/19. Panel Interviews will be held on Wednesday 10/28.

About us:

At the Port of Portland, we use everything we have - our three airports, three working marine terminals, six business parks, and all the resources, expertise, and experience behind them - to move with purpose, connecting people with powerful opportunities and creating value for our region. We know that every person we hire, business we work with, contract we sign and decision we make is a chance to make someone's life better. And we'll use our power and influence to unlock new opportunities and ensure more people share in our region's success. With YOUR help - together with our partners, customers, and community - we'll help drive meaningful change!

Do you have questions about this job?

Safety: The Port promotes safety as a Core value and we seek to eliminate harm through a culture of active prevention, curiosity, evaluation, and action. We comply with safety and health policies and procedures and consistently look for improvements that support operational excellence.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Port of Portland is dedicated to maintaining and improving a work environment, which extends equal opportunity to all individuals, regardless of their race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or sexual orientation. Employment decisions shall be made in such a manner as to further the principle of equal employment opportunity and to comply with state, federal and local laws. We affirm through this policy statement our continuing commitment to the principles of nondiscrimination.

Veterans Preference: Under Oregon law, qualified veterans may be eligible for veterans' preference when applying for Port of Portland positions. If you are a veteran and would like to be considered for a veteran's preference for this job, please provide the qualifying documents as instructed during the application process.

Background Checks and Drug Testing: The Port of Portland will conduct background checks and/or drug tests for positions where such tests are required by regulation and for other safety-sensitive positions.

ADA Accommodation: Accommodations will be considered for applicants or candidates with a qualifying disability that prevents them from participating in this process. Accommodations will be made where the Port can reasonably do so without imposing an undue hardship on the business or compromising the integrity of the recruitment process. An applicant with any disability who believes that they need an accommodation should contact Human Resources: call 503-415-6690 or email careers@portofportland.com.

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