Supervisory Aerospace Engineer

As a supervisor/manager, the selectee for this position will be eligible to receive a Manager Performance Incentive (MPI) provided eligibility requirements noted in agency policy are met. The MPI is an annual lump-sum incentive payment that considers agency performance, the manager’s individual performance, and available funding.

Serves as a Director in the AST, Office of Spaceports reporting to the Executive Director to propose policies and programs to ensure a robust spaceport infrastructure.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

Basic Requirements:

Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering
science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience — college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure — Current registration as an Engineer Intern (El), Engineer in Training (EIT) or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board’s eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.

2. Written Test — Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

3. Specified academic courses — Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

4. Related curriculum — Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

Responsible for coordinating the ongoing work in the establishment and development of national policies, regulations, standards and procedures for the operation and competitive viability of the federal role in commercial space transportation. Applies a comprehensive knowledge of policies, programs, Federal law and regulations to enhance AST’s ability to leverage and apply external research to address FAA requirements and gaps to establish effective policies and programs for spaceports infrastructure. Also applies a thorough understanding of the principles of management and strategic planning, and the ability to integrate the work of multiple organizational units/projects/programs to accomplish mission objectives.

Provides management oversight and direction for analyses and recommendations concerning broad and complex strategic issues involving internal management systems and functional assignments. Makes recommendations on operational topics and ensuring collaborative decision-making across the organization. Works under the broad program direction of the Executive Director (ASZ-001), with delegated authority to independently manage, direct and oversee the functions and activities of the office. Establishes and maintains communication with senior level internal and external stakeholders and represents the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in a variety of matters involving technical and operational issues.

Typically directs the work of subordinate employees and/or managers for more than one organizational unit/project/program within a major subdivision. Work usually includes a mixture of routine and complex projects/programs based on the objectives of the major subdivision/LOB/SO.

Managerial duties typically affect employees and managers in more than one organizational unit/project/program including: planning; communicating the organization’s vision and objectives; setting priorities; assigning tasks and responsibilities; monitoring and evaluating performance; coaching and developing employee capabilities; approving leave; and taking, recommending or approving corrective/disciplinary actions as appropriate.

Serves in a leadership position that influences a technical workforce by facilitating the integration of programs and policies, advocating the tactical use of concepts and technologies to advance the strategic goals of the organization. Coordinates with multiple internal/external customers, other lines of business, and industry on unique issues; and coordinates, monitors and tracks multiple activities and programs across the organization. Possesses the ability to create positive working relationship to ensure coordinated responses with counterparts at the appropriate levels of the Commercial Space organization, along with other organizations to enable problem solving at the lowest level.

Contacts are primarily internal to the Office of Spaceports. Internal contacts are with subordinates, peers, and higher-level management to discuss the statuses and results of projects/programs and plan for the future. May have frequent contact with customers, other government entities, and other external parties to interpret policies/procedures of for other project/program purposes. Has authority to make commitments for subordinate organizational units, within guidelines.

Applies an advanced knowledge of the technical aspects of the appropriate specialization as well as expert knowledge of FAA programs and missions, the commercial space transportation industry, the general principles of launch/reentry safety, and Federal laws, regulations, and policies governing launch/reentry safety. Evaluates new and emerging technologies to ensure public safety. Applies an advanced knowledge of budget, human resource, and other administrative policies and procedures, and an advanced understanding of the objectives of the major subdivision.

Work is typically governed by policies and organizational objectives that leave room for discretion.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS BELOW:

To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the FV-J, FG/GS-14 level. This experience is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

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SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE IS DEFINED AS:

• Experience with launch vehicles, launch sites, and launch operations, and the ability to define and resolve sensitive issues and complex problems affecting the regulation and licensing of commercial space transportation activities.
• Experience with advanced principles, concepts, methods, and techniques utilized in environmental, safety, or regulatory analysis in order to evaluate commercial launch activities and spaceport infrastructure with particular emphasis on processes and systems that primarily affect public health and safety.

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You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered.

Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD, OR HAVE HELD THIS POSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interviews, or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification.

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and/or selective placement factor(s) (SPF) may be further evaluated on the Leadership & Management Dimensions and/or Technical Requirements listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: (1) score order; (2) category grouping; or (3) alphabetical;or(4) priority grouping referred to the selecting official for selection consideration.

*Applicants who fail to demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position.*

**All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.**

Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA.