AST, Mission Support Requirements and Development

DutiesDuties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.Provide contract/task order oversight, including financial management, for spacecraft operations support. Provide direction to the contractor in support and interpretation of, the Statement of Work (SOW). Developing and modifying SOWs as needed.Provide engineering risk management for assigned missions, including identification of risks, approval of mitigation strategies, and leading mitigation implementation.Manage IT security and configuration control of flight and ground software/hardware for assigned missions. This includes oversight IT security scanning and testing and implementation of security patches and/or change requests.Ensure that initial science data processing and science data distribution to the end user (science community) meets the minimum data collection and distribution requirements for the assigned missions.Lead spacecraft and ground system anomaly investigations through Root Cause and Corrective Action analysis and reporting.Ensure the approval and implementation of critical events, spacecraft configuration changes, and changes to the Operations Concept for new science investigations or in response to spacecraft anomalies or subsystem/component degradation.Initiate and recommend the development of engineering projects that streamline operations, provide cost savings, or improve efficiency.Mentor junior Mission Directors, sit on the board of a major spacecraft/mission engineering review to assess ground system and/or operations readiness, and or develop/review operations concepts for spacecraft/mission proposals.Foster a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and innovation. Champion NASA's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to create an environment that promotes a commitment to safety, integrity, and teamwork.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentCurrent Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.If selected, you will be required to complete a financial disclosure statement. Qualifications
In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below and have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.
NASA utilizes OPM-approved qualification and rating requirements specific for Aerospace Technology (AST) positions which recognizes NASA's unique aerospace work. The specific qualifications and minimum education requirements are further described below and within the education section of the job announcement.To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:


Supporting spaceflight and mission operations by analyzing or developing operations concepts, engineering requirements, operations plans, project schedules, or engineering documentation;Developing, testing, or operating spacecraft, ground, or instrument systems in support of spaceflight/mission operation functions;Providing reports or meeting scheduled milestones for engineering programs or projects.To qualify for GS-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:



Leading engineering teams in support of the development, testing, or operation of spacecraft, ground or instrument subsystems;Guiding engineering teams in the resolution of anomalies during developmental testing or spacecraft operations;Developing or presenting reports, meeting scheduled milestones or deliverables for engineering programs or projects.
Experience serving as a Certified Contracting Officers Representative (COR),Task Monitor (TM), or performing work related to contracts (e.g., managing organizational resources, conducting cost estimation/analysis, modifying Statements of Work, evaluating contractor performance, or evaluating contract proposals) is preferred but not required.
Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.
EducationBasic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following:
a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs
b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science
c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus; and that provided an in-depth knowledge of theoretical and practical applications of computer science, including digital computer system architecture and system software organization, the representation and transformation of information structures, and the theoretical models for such representations and transformations.
If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above.
Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for this position.Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit .Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, .Science and other related degreesearned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to .Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: .
All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.
Additional information** This vacancy has been amended to extend the closing date from 08/12/24 to 08/14/24*
Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.
If you are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 1 grade lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible).Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year.
If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:
- Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
- Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
- Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'
For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://
Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility (Term Appointments | NASA) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.
This is a bargaining unit position. If additional selections are made, those positions may or may not be in a bargaining unit. To learn more about bargaining units at NASA please click here NASA Unions (Bargaining Units) | NASA. Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefitsEligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
You will be assessed on the following competencies:
General EngineeringInformation ManagementTechnical CompetenceWritten CommunicationMission AssuranceMission Execution
NASA considers paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Under NASA's quality grouping process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three groups identified and defined below:
Best Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.Highly Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Candidates eligible for ICTAP/CTAP, reemployment priority or priority consideration will be referred before other candidates, as necessary. If no such candidates apply or are eligible to be referred, the following candidates will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration:

Best Qualified merit promotion candidates. Highly Qualified merit promotion candidates may also be referred, if additional candidates are needed.Qualified candidates eligible for consideration under Schedule A or VRA in accordance with veterans' preference rules, as applicable.Qualified candidates that are eligible for special hiring authorities or non-competitive hiring authorities.
NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: Agency-FCCJ@NASA.gov.