AST - Experimental Facilities Techniques (Direct Hire)
What you'd do
You will manage the reliability-centered maintenance program for the Ames Research Center jet facility, overseeing Computerized Maintenance Management System driven maintenance planning, asset health, and system availability. Provides technical leadership for industrial support systems and ensures safe, reliable operation of high-energy test facility infrastructure.
Major duties
Lead the branch’s reliability-centered maintenance planning and execution for heater assets and industrial support systems (e.g., cooling water, deionized (DI) water, cryogenics, vacuum, high-voltage (HV) power, gas distribution). Develop and maintain asset criticality rankings, condition-based maintenance strategies, failure modes and effects analyses, root cause analyses to drive reliability, availability, and maintainability outcomes aligned to test mission needs. Configure and administer the computerized maintenance management system to manage the asset hierarchy, preventive maintenance plans, predictive maintenance tasks, and work control. Track and report Mean Time Before Failure, Mean Time To Repair, schedule adherence, backlog health, Periodic Maintenance/Corrective Maintenance ratio, and spare parts turns; generate dashboards to inform facility readiness. Build integrated maintenance schedules coordinating with test operations to protect throughput. Deploy Performance Testing and Inspection methods to transition to condition based maintenance. Establish critical spares lists and stocking strategies for long lead, high-risk components. Manage obsolescence, vendor relations, and parts qualification; plan refurbishment cycles, mid-life overhauls and recapitalizations. Implement work control processes (planning, permits, Lock out tag out) per NASA safety requirements. Ensure compliance with pressure, electrical, hoisting, fall protection, confined space, and hazmat standards; coordinate hazard analyses. Maintain configuration control and make recommendations to update as-builts, periodic maintenance procedures, and verification records. Collaborate with engineering on design changes, risk acceptances, and reliability upgrades. Lead maintenance inputs to Facility Readiness Reviews and readiness assessments. Lead technicians and contractors; define qualification matrices, On the Job Training plans, and refresher training. Maintain system drawings, Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams, single-line diagrams, and configuration control baselines; update as-builts, maintenance procedures, and verification records; coordinate engineering design and reliability changes.
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. 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-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Supporting the development or improvement of reliability-centered or condition-based maintenance strategies for complex industrial or facility systems, including applying methods such as failure modes and effects analyses, root cause analyses, or asset criticality assessments. Supporting technicians, engineers, and/or contractors in planning and executing maintenance programs; coordinating schedules with operational requirements to sustain facility or system readiness. Using a Computerized Maintenance Management System or equivalent asset management system to plan, schedule, and track maintenance activities; using metrics such as availability, Mean Time Before Failure, Periodic Maintenance compliance, or backlog health to improve maintenance performance. 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.
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