OPPORTUNITIES | Individuals with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities (IWD) are an important and growing part of the NAVAIR team. We provide a safe, accommodating, inclusive work environment, and we remain committed to lowering the barriers to work for all IWD.

Click on the following links to watch informative videos:

Wounded Warrior

Individual with Disabilities

Diversity and Inclusion


NAVAIR has expanded IWD hiring initiatives and education within our organization. Some of our ongoing efforts include:

  • Non-competitive hiring authorities
  • Dedicated IWD Barrier Removal Team
  • Disability Mentoring Days and Disability Employment Awareness Month activities
  • Meet-and-greet events and feedback forms to identify barriers to full employment
  • Assistive technology training
  • NAVAIR Wounded Warrior Program
  • Veteran support groups
  • IWD/Wounded Warrior hiring and support events
  • Full-time IWD Recruitment Program Administrator, ASL interpreter, National Disability Program Manager, Wounded Warrior and IWD Executive Champion, Wounded Warrior Program Manager, and Recruitment Team on staff

Interested in advancing your career with the NAVAIR team? Leave your resume HERE


The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private-sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.

Candidates apply to the WRP each fall through participating campuses managed by a School Coordinator. They are interviewed and pre-screened by federal employees who serve as volunteer recruiters. Candidates represent all majors, and range from college freshmen to graduate- and law-school students. Information from these candidate interviews is compiled in a searchable database that is available through this website to employers.

WRP is recognized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as a model strategy in its guidance to federal agencies regarding the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities. Since the program's expansion in 1995, thousands of students and recent graduates have received temporary and permanent employment opportunities through the WRP.

WRP is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense's Diversity Management Operations Center (DMOC).

Learn more HERE


NAVAIR accepts CAREERS & the disABLED’s Public-Sector Employer of the Year award for 2024.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR): Committed to Inclusion

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) recognizes the immense value of a diverse and inclusive workplace. “Win with Inclusion and Respect” is one of the command’s core values.

Patuxent River, MD-headquartered NAVAIR is committed to developing its workforce.

“Our professionalism is rooted in our ability to deliver what we promise,” says NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. Carl Chebi. “We invest the time to lead, mentor, educate, grow, and inspire our diverse workforce to perform at the highest levels while also achieving their professional and personal goals.” 

NAVAIR implements a robust array of programs designed to attract, retain and empower individuals from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities. NAVAIR managers use various recruitment appointing authorities to cultivate diverse talent by hiring individuals with disabilities (IWD), individuals with targeted disabilities (IWTD), and disabled veterans, including Schedule A Hiring Authority, Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) and 30% or More Disabled Veteran Hiring Authority, among others.

The command actively targets a wider talent pool through focused recruitment strategies and partnerships with organizations that champion disability inclusion, such as Equal Opportunity Publications (EOP), Inc. NAVAIR continues its long-standing history with EOP by contributing to its diversity recruitment efforts, including annual participation in EOP-led career fairs to recruit a strong applicant pool of highly qualified, diverse candidates to meet NAVAIR’s current and future mission needs.

NAVAIR regularly participates in job fairs focused on diverse candidates and leverages outreach programs to universities with strong disability services. Each NAVAIR site has a point of contact dedicated to recruiting and hiring IWDs, and wounded warriors (WW), who work with leadership to execute a national recruiting program for IWDs and veterans with disabilities.

NAVAIR adheres continuously to on-going agency personnel management programs with the goal of improving accessibility for hiring, placement and advancement of IWDs. Hiring managers also receive information about the various hiring authorities during annual supervisory and recruiter training, which contains information about how to hire IWTDs. Additionally, NAVAIR provides resources to hiring managers and supervisors to enable inclusivity, such as the book Meet the Challenge: Resources to Ensure Inclusion for Individuals with Disabilities. This resource covers the SF-256, how to hire using Schedule A and disabled veteran hiring authorities, and serves as a reference guide for reasonable accommodations and disability etiquette.

NAVAIR’s commitment to inclusion extends far beyond the hiring stage by offering a multitude of programs to retain and empower its diverse workforce, with a particular focus on employees with disabilities. These include mentorship and leadership programs, employee resource groups (ERGs), accessibility resources, and skills development programs.

NAVAIR’s commitment to diversity and disability inclusion is evident in its comprehensive programs. From targeted recruitment to mentorship programs and a culture of inclusion, NAVAIR is fostering a workplace where all individuals can reach their full potential and make a meaningful impact on the mission and the fleet.

To learn more about NAVAIR’s commitment to diversity, visit https://www.navair.navy.mil/ or connect with NAVAIR on social media.