As a Mission Assurance Engineer within the Launch Services Division, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), you will conduct technical assessments on all aspects of launch vehicles and associated systems, including safety and quality related launch vehicle products. You will advise on, coordinate, assess, and/or perform mission assurance activities for launch vehicle hardware and associated ground support equipment for Launch Services Program missions.

Duties

Duties 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. Lead and/or conduct technically detailed cross-disciplinary Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) assessments on launch vehicles and/or spacecraft utilized for Launch Services Program missions. Provide expert technical engineering and programmatic advice to Center and Agency stakeholders across organizational boundaries to ensure issues and concerns are assessed and appropriate level of risk is identified and evaluated. Provide mentorship and guidance to new and less experienced engineers on topics such as aerospace engineering concepts, launch vehicle systems, launch vehicle and spacecraft processing, and SMA processes and principles. Communicate and present complex technical engineering content at boards and reviews to a diverse audiences across all levels of management. Lead multidisciplinary teams during operations on console to assess concerns arising on launch vehicle hardware and presenting the go/no-go position to SMA management. 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

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/Directorate/Division/Branch requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, Bargaining Unit and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/Directorate/Division/Branch requirements.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period.
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. 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-11, you must have: a) You must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level: Supporting senior engineers with technical evaluations of aerospace hardware or processes to determine acceptability for use; Applying safety or mission assurance engineering principles and concepts to aerospace systems or processes; Documenting results and communicating findings to senior engineers/management. OR b) Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field OR c) Completed 3 full academic years of graduate education in an appropriate field OR d) Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b) and c) above OR To qualify for GS-12, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level: Assisting with technical evaluations of aerospace hardware or processes to determine acceptability for use; Utilizing and interpreting aerospace industry processes or standards such as: Risk Management, Design Certification, Hardware Qualifications, Hardware Acceptance Testing, AS9100, and/or Anomaly Investigations; Utilizing engineering theories, concepts, and methodologies to analyze data and communicating technical results/findings to senior engineers or other technical audiences. To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level: Leading or performing technical evaluations on launch vehicle and/or spacecraft flight or ground support hardware; Assessing commercial launch vehicle systems and processes such as: Flight systems/subsystems, Ground Support Equipment (GSE), manufacturing and/or launch site operations, and/or launch countdown processes; Communicating technical content though oral briefings or written reports to audiences of varied technical backgrounds. 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 https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process. Required college majors for applicants qualifying on the basis of undergraduate or graduate education only (GS-11): Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Astronautics, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Metallurgy, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, Structural Engineering, Welding Engineering. Other majors will qualify if the major includes or is supplemented as follows: Ceramic Engineering, Ceramics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mathematics (Pure or Applied) (or other related field), if it includes or is supplemented by nine semester hours (or the equivalent) in machine design, mechanics, hydraulics, dynamics, thermodynamics, mechanical design or mechanical measurement.

Education

Basic 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 http://www.abet.org.

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, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/.

Science and other related degrees earned 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 http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Contacts

• Address Kennedy Space Center Space Commerce Way Titusville, FL 32899 US
• Name: NASA Shared Services Contact Center
• Phone: 1-877-677-2123
• Email: [email protected]