Aerospace Engineer, AST - Liquid Propulsion Systems (Direct Hire)

Summary

As an Aerospace Engineer in the Chemical and Thermal Propulsion Systems Branch within the Propulsion Division, Research and Engineering Directorate, at NASA Glenn Research Center, you will be involved in researching, developing, designing, analyzing, testing, certifying, and operating space propulsion systems for human spaceflight applications.

Duties



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• 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.
• Exercise technical leadership over multidisciplinary teams in design, development, integration, test, evaluation, operation, and maintenance of flight vehicle propulsion systems and associated ground operations requirements/concepts.
• Exercise engineering judgment, creativity, and technical leadership to resolve technical issues and prove/disprove the feasibility of ideas, innovations, and modifications to liquid propulsion system components and overall performance.
• Provide technical oversight to aerospace engineering studies with elements or components from related disciplines such as systems engineering, thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and integrated propulsion system design and operation.
• Provide recommendations on the development and production of human-rated liquid propulsion systems while navigating dynamic and unpredictable environments with multiple variables and unknowns affecting planning, design, risk, cost, and schedule.
• Provide technical oversight to the development and design of complex aerospace liquid propulsion technology, equipment, or systems that impact major programs and result in major advancements in the state-of-the-art of broad technologies.
• Serve as point of contact for project and program offices in executing assigned responsibilities as the Center's engineering expert for development and design of complex aerospace liquid propulsion systems.
• Manage and further develop partnerships with external organizations integral to propulsion system research, development, and production (e.g., international counterparts, prime contractors, subcontractors, academia).
• Manage engineering efforts for programs/projects involving human space flight propulsion systems and vehicles, including design and operational requirements definition, hardware testing, safety, integration, flight certification, and operations.
  
  

Requirements



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Conditions of employment

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary/trial period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation.
• If selected, you will be required to complete a financial disclosure statement.
  
  

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:

• You must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:
• Working on a multidisciplinary team or project to develop, produce, or operate aerospace systems;
• Assisting senior engineers in troubleshooting technical issues associated with aerospace systems.
  
  

OR

• Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field.
  
  

OR

• Completed 3 full academic years of graduate education in an appropriate field
  
  

OR

• 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:

• Working in at least two of the following phases of aerospace hardware development and/or production: design, build, test, evaluation, or operational planning;
• Collaborating with external partners (e.g., international partners, contractors, suppliers, etc.) or representatives from multiple disciplines on aerospace systems;
• Troubleshooting technical issues associated with aerospace systems in at least two of the following disciplines: propulsion, thermodynamics, heat transfer, structural mechanics, and/or engineering modeling/analysis.
  
  

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

• Working in at least two of the following phases of aerospace propulsion hardware development and/or production: design, build, test, evaluation, or operational planning;
• Collaborating with external partners (e.g., international partners, contractors, suppliers, etc.) on aerospace system development and/or production;
• Presenting recommendations and resolving technical issues associated with aerospace systems in at least two of the following disciplines: propulsion, thermodynamics, heat transfer, structural mechanics, and/or engineering modeling/analysis.
  
  

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, Astronautics, Chemistry, Applied Mechanics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics.

Other majors will qualify if the major includes or is supplemented as follows:

Electronics Engineering, Applied Mathematics (or other field), if the major includes or is supplemented by one course in thermodynamics, nuclear physics, rocket propulsion fundamentals, gas dynamics or modem or molecular physics; Astronautical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pure Mathematics (or other related field), if includes or is supplemented by nine semester hours (or the equivalent) in physics, thermodynamics, chemistry or closely related fields.

Education


Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following:

• Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs
• Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science
• 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.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

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 questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Meet the minimum qualifications requirements for the position
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'
  
  

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap

Per Executive Order 14251, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

Probationary/Trial Period

You may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
  
  

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



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