Aerospace Engineer, AST, Safety & Mission Assurance
What you'd do
You will serve as the Deputy Planetary Protection Officer, leading NASA's Office of Planetary Protection, developing and maintaining policies, overseeing mission compliance, coordinating technical activities, advising leadership as the agency's expert, and fostering collaboration to advance planetary protection standards and technologies.
Major duties
Provide day-to-day leadership of the Office of Planetary Protection within NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance; lead or support the development of planetary protection policy, technical standards, and protocols. Maintain planetary protection policies and standards and oversight of their implementation by space flight missions; Ensure the coordination of mission oversight activities and reporting with relevant Technical Authority personnel. Provide flight program and project oversight, technical assessments, and implementation reviews of NASA's planetary protection policies and guidelines by spaceflight missions of national or international significance. Identify and propose solutions to management problems which are of major importance to planning program direction and compliance with international treaty obligations; evaluate the acceptability of planetary protection plans and reports. Facilitate collaborative projects involving planetary protection personnel from multiple NASA centers and commercial spaceflight industries to advance biological cleanliness technology and share best practices for spacecraft assembly and launch. Offer expert technical advice and serve as an authoritative source of information for decisions and guidance concerning the management of the total planetary protection program effort. Publish and present on lessons learned and technical advances in the field of planetary protection; Keep pace with current scientific methods, emerging technologies and mission objectives in collaboration with NASA and external stakeholders. Serve as an expert consultant providing technical engineering advice on planetary protection policies and practices regarding flight projects with NASA involvement and commercial space activities.
What you need to qualify
In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below and 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. 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-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level: Leading or conducting technical assessments, reviews, and verification activities related to bioburden contamination control for spaceflight missions. Planning, developing, and implementing contamination control and planetary protection of major agency programs of national scope and impact. Consulting and advising on developing and implementing policies, guidelines and practices for spaceflight projects. 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.
Before you apply
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