Chief Aircraft Operations Division

Duties
The Chief Aircraft Operations Division:
Is responsible for flight activities including astronaut flight readiness training, human spaceflight support, airborne science, and management of the aircraft maintenance and operations support contractor.Serves as the primary liaison to the NASA/JSC Astronaut Office for establishing training requirements and operating practices and maintaining and providing aircraft and instructor pilots for astronaut flight readiness training.Provides project management for all aircraft and develops the project support plans necessary to document all known requirements which include: flight personnel necessary to execute assigned aviation missions, support standard proficiency checks (initial, standardization, instrument) to maintain pilot proficiency in all assigned aircraft, support the test requirements of all JSC and other Governmental organizations where JSC aircraft are suitable and available for this use, and provide the flight characteristic inputs for all aircraft utilized by JSC in test programs.Determines and allocates resource needs (financial, workforce, equipment, facilities, contract management, etc.), and maintains rigorous resource accounting in close coordination with FOD leadership and the FOD business office.Serves as the official responsible for coordinating with Ellington Joint Reserve Base, Houston Airport Authority, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Agency Aviation community, internal and external stakeholders.Participates in the selection and acceptance of aircraft to support National, Agency, and Center programs that are compliant with applicable NASA, FAA, and military regulations and directives.Provides basic engineering support for JSC aircraft modification and development programs, aircraft maintenance (including maintenance test flights), configuration control and quality assurance coverage during inspection, maintenance and modification activities.Flies as a crew-member or observer where practicable and as necessary, to observe performance of assigned flight crews.Promotes aviation safety culture, ensuring a safe work environment and adequate training on safety issues for all employees.Fosters and continually drives a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence, and innovation within and outside of the organization and NASA. Champions the Agency's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) and creates an environment and culture that promotes and enables the Agency's commitment to safety, inclusion, integrity, teamwork, and excellence.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentThe individual selected will be required to file an 'Executive Branch Personnel Financial Disclosure Report' (OGE-278) in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.Initial Senior Executive Service (SES) Career appointee is subject to a one-year probationary period.Successful completion of a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.Successful completion of pre-employment and random drug testing may be required.Must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.The position requires the incumbent to be able to successfully complete an FAA First-Class medical certificate, military pilot flight physical, or obtain a NASA flight medical certification. Qualifications
This position requires the incumbent to have the following current license and/or certification and specified flight hours. Your resume MUST indicate that you meet the following requirements. You may be asked for further documentation to support your eligibility.Current license and/or certification: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial pilot's license with an instrument rating or a pilot and instrument rating from the armed services, NASA Pilot-in-Command (PIC), a military rating as an Aircraft Commander, or an FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate.Flight Hours: A minimum of the following flight time hours:
1,500 hours of flight time as a pilot-in-command (or co-pilot) in aircraft of any weight or category and that includes at least 500 hours in jet aircraft250 hours of pilot-in-command75 hours of night flying
You must also have the skill and ability to perform the duties described above as demonstrated by progressively responsible supervisory/leadership experience, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent.
Your application package must be in your own words. 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.
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you MUST address each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) separately. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible. We recommend you provide two (2) examples of relevant experience for each ECQ. Responses to ALL ECQs must not exceed ten (10) pages; MTQ responses must not exceed one (1) page per MTQ. Please include your full name on all documents submitted.
If you are currently serving under a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period), or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) you MUST submit a resume and in a separate document address the MTQs. Any ECQs submitted will not be considered. Your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification.
When preparing your responses to the ECQs and MTQs, you are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action, and Result model outlined in the OPM's Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualification. For a sample template on how to format your ECQ narrative visit NASA's Executive Leadership Opportunities.EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: ECQ 1 - Leading Change: The ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.ECQ 2 - Leading People: The ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.ECQ 3 - Results Driven: The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: The ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.ECQ 5 - Building Coalitions: The ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: MTQ 1- Demonstrated experience in aircraft operations similar to T-38, Gulfstream 5, or WB-57 and a high level of familiarity with aircraft operations. Ten years of relevant aviation-related experience (instructor and research pilot) is desired, three of which are in supervisory or managerial experience in aircraft operations.MTQ 2- Demonstrated experience with safely directing the implementation and maintenance of a comprehensive flight program consisting of high performance and unique aircraft designed to prepare qualified flight crews for human space flight missions.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. To be eligible, you must clearly state in your resume the following: degree, major and/or minor, and college/university.
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in engineering, physical science, mathematics, life sciences, computer science, or other field of science.SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: 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 credential evaluation service 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, click here.
Additional informationMust be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance. 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.
All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on your narrative statements addressing the ECQs and MTQs. Your application may then be referred to and evaluated by an Executive Resources Panel (ERP) and will be placed in one of the following categories: Not Qualified, Qualified, or Highly-qualified. Candidates may receive an interview and/or be asked to provide a list of references. The ERP will make a recommendation to the appropriate approving authority.