Public Notice - Aerospace Engineer, AST, Safety & Mission Assurance (Direct Hire)

Public Notice - Aerospace Engineer, AST, Safety & Mission Assurance (Direct Hire)
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
John F. Kennedy Space Center
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Summary
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Duties
Requirements
How you will be evaluated
Required documents
How to apply
Summary

As a Safety and Mission Assurance Engineer in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Kennedy Space Center, you will conduct technical assessments of launch vehicles and associated systems, including safety- and quality-related products. You will advise on, coordinate, assess, and perform mission assurance activities involving launch vehicle hardware and related ground support equipment supporting multiple programs and missions.

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U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
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Duties

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.
Conducts and/or leads technically detailed, cross-disciplinary Safety and Mission Assurance assessments of launch vehicles and spacecraft supporting Launch Services Program missions.
Provides technical and programmatic consultation to KSC and Agency stakeholders to ensure technical and programmatic concerns are assessed and residual risk is identified and evaluated.
Provides mentorship and technical guidance to engineers on aerospace engineering concepts, launch vehicle systems, spacecraft processing, and Safety and Mission Assurance processes and principles.
Communicates and presents complex technical information, findings, and recommendations at boards and reviews to technical stakeholders and all levels of management.
Leads multidisciplinary teams during launch operations to assess concerns involving launch vehicle hardware and provides go/no-go recommendations to Safety and Mission Assurance management.
Requirements

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 or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
To be considered for employment, you must submit your complete application by 11:59 PM ET on October 5, 2026.
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:
a) You must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:

Assisting with technical evaluations of aerospace hardware or processes to determine acceptability for use; communicating technical findings through oral briefings or written reports; and applying aerospace industry processes or standards related to safety, risk, quality, certification, testing, or anomaly resolution.

OR
b) Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field
OR
c) Completed 3 full academic years of graduate education in an appropriate field
OR
d) 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:

Performing technical evaluations of aerospace hardware or processes to determine acceptability for use; communicating technical findings through oral briefings or written reports; and applying aerospace industry processes or standards related to safety, risk, quality, certification, testing, or anomaly resolution.

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

Performing or leading technical eval