Aerospace Engineer, AST, Safety and Mission Assurance (Direct Hire)

Full Job Description

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.

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 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 engineering hardware or processes to determine acceptability for use; Utilizing and interpreting aerospace engineering 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 engineering 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 engineering 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): Code 725 Flight: 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.

Major 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.