Duties

Summary

NASA Headquarters, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Division has two opportunities to serve as an Engineering Manager or Systems Engineer. The Engineering Manager provides strategic guidance, approaches, and strategies that includes both technical and budgetary considerations to meet existing or emerging user needs. The Systems Engineer executes Program Systems Engineering (PSE) processes and initiatives for the division.
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Responsibilities

• Manages the technical and systems engineering approaches and requirements development.
• Supports the Directors of SCaN Network Services or SCaN Program Systems Engineering and works with the rest of the division and across directorates to ensure HEO meets its obligations to all human and science missions at all stages of life.
• Serves as an expert consultant on challenging technical problems related to the NASA networks. Evaluates and infuses advanced technologies.
• Maintains close contact with field centers, commercial industry representatives, and international partners to integrate resource planning elements in the areas of advanced technology and engineering application.
• Responsible for the engineering integrity of the NASA networks to ensure reliable and cost-effective communications and navigation services to meet NASA and other Government requirements for human and robotic space exploration programs.
• Provides authoritative technical and management advice and consultation on variables and unknowns affecting the planning, integration, coordination, and critical management issues with respect to systems engineering, safety, and costs.
• Oversees the overall engineering efforts with multiple interfaces that encompass extensive technical and management scope and variety.
• Makes substantial and continuing contributions to long-range network, technology, and standards development planning.
• Serves as an authoritative source of information for decisions and guidance concerning engineering changes in program objectives relating to the NASA networks.
• Sets the organizational climate for the overall effort. Establishes strategic direction and systems engineering approaches.
• Evaluates and develops requirements, policy, and procedures.
• Plans, develops, and negotiates budget, schedule, and resource allocations.
• Reviews and assesses the networks' strategic plans to ensure reliable and cost-effective support to current and future NASA missions.

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

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• A one-year probationary period may be required.
• Position subject to a pre-employment drug test.
• Successful completion of a security investigation will be required.
• This position may require the incumbent to successfully obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.

Qualifications

In addition to the basic education requirement, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-14), which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.

Specialized experience includes performing duties such as leading engineering projects in the areas of space communications and/or navigation; managing budget and resources for engineering projects; and providing strategic direction and technical advice for systems engineering activities.

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.

Please spell out all acronyms.

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

U.S. 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.

Foreign Engineering degrees 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 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/.

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://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

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

Official transcripts will be required at the time of selection to verify that you meet the educational requirement or substitution.

Additional information

This position is announced under Direct Hire authority. Recruitment for this position will follow guidelines established by the Office of Personnel Management for use of Direct Hire authority.

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.

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

You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

This position is included in a collective bargaining unit.

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
Top 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.