Duties

Summary

The Flight Projects Directorate, Exploration and Space Communications (ESC) Projects Division (Code 450) is looking for an individual to serve as a Contracting Officer Representative and an engineering expert/adviser. You will be a recognized authority for planning and issue resolution associated with ESC procurement vehicles and serve as a consultant in the rapidly evolving engineering field of space communications.

As identical vacancies are identified, additional selections may be made.
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Responsibilities

• As an Engineer specializing in Engineering and Program Management, you will be an authority for planning and issue resolution with ESC procurement vehicles associated with Space Communication and Navigation.
• You will serve as the Contracting Officer Representative and direct a full range of contractor administration actions required for the contract.
• You will issue contract modifications, negotiate contract changes, investigate and resolve contractor delays, monitor the technical work performed under the contract, and evaluate contractor performance.
• You will lead the definition of plans associated with the contract negotiation strategy, coordinate the strategy with the negotiation team and lead the negotiations with contractors to modify contract terms and prices.
• You will serve as the primary interface for the contractor and the Contracting Officer for all technical matters.
• You will report on contract status to program/project management and recommend corrective action when necessary.
• You will determine feasibility, timing, technical approach and management of specific study proposals.
• You will prepare and contribute to reports, schedules, risk and opportunity assessments, and other management tools necessary to insure efficient program planning and evaluation.
• You will present reports on plans and/or status to senior management, typically monthly.
• You will coordinate among Task Monitors to develop and establish task statements, cost estimates, and evaluation feedback.
• You will coordinate, develop materials for and conduct contract performance evaluation activities.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training or other work-related duties

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• A one-year probationary period may be required
• You must meet all qualification requirements by appointment date.
• You must possess at least a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent.
• You must complete a financial disclosure statement.
• You must successfully obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.

Qualifications

In addition to the basic education requirement, you must 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.

To qualify for the GS-15 grade level, you must have one year specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-14). Specialized experience is defined as (1) performing engineering management activities such as program/project planning and evaluation, analytical studies, risk/opportunity management, systems engineering, systems integration, reliability and quality assurance in the area of space and ground networks and space communications; (2) providing advice, and consultation to contractors on variables and unknowns affecting planning, coordination and critical aerospace engineering problems with respect to safety, costs and project performance in the area of space and ground networks and space communications; and (3) performing contractor oversight in order to assure technical proficiency and compliance with provisions of the contract.

To qualify for the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-13). Specialized experience is defined as (1) participating in engineering activities such as planning and evaluation, analytical studies, risk/opportunity management, systems engineering, systems integration, reliability and quality assurance in the area of space and ground networks and space communications; (2) providing advice, and consultation to contractors on variables and unknowns affecting planning, coordination and critical aerospace engineering problems with respect to safety, costs and project performance in the area of space and ground networks and space communications networks; and (3) assisting with monitoring, evaluating and assessing contractor technical work.

Education

Basic Education Requirement: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Architecture, Astronautical Engineering, Astronautics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Ceramics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science*, Life Science, Earth and Planetary Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Geology, Geophysics, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Mathematics (Pure or Applied), Applied Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Metallurgy, Meteorology, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Oceanography, Optical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, Space Science, Structural Engineering, Welding Engineering or other appropriate physical science or engineering field. Degrees in engineering technology are not considered to be qualifying for this position.

*Note: Curriculum must include 30 semester hours of course work in a combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science that provided in-depth knowledge of the following: (1) theoretical foundations 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; and (2) essential mathematical and statistical techniques. Of the 30 semester hours, 15 must be in any combination of statistics and mathematics which includes differential and integral calculus.

When there is a positive education requirement, or you are using education to qualify as a substitution for experience, official transcripts will be required at the time of selection to verify that you meet the educational requirement or substitution.

A degree(s) 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/.

Engineering degrees must have been awarded from a college or university school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). To find out if a degree meets this requirement, go to http://www.abet.org.

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

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 private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been 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://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

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 USAJOBS resume asks you to identify your ICTAP eligibility; the NASA Supplemental Information asks you to identify your CTAP eligibility.

Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. See 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for NASA's definition of well qualified.

Be prepared to submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP if you are selected for the position. This includes copies of your agency notice, most recent Performance Rating and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

Identification of promotion potential in this position does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher level duties.

The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This position is announced under Direct Hire authority. A Human Resources Specialist will review your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements as listed in 'Requirements'.

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be assessed using NASA STARS, an automated system that matches the competencies extracted from your resume to the competencies identified by the selecting official for the position. Based on the competencies you match, you are placed in one of three categories identified as 90, 80, or 70 point quality categories, which are defined as:

90 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and has experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.

80 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.

70 pt. Category - Fails to meet criteria described in the 80 pt. category.

For the purpose of the CTAP and ICTAP, candidates rated in the top quality (90 pt.) category are considered well-qualified.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. (For example you need not submit narrative 'KSA' statements; they are not required and will not be evaluated.) In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. For assistance in preparing your resume, consult the Applicant Guide . Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts or proof of Federal employment status. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.