The Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley Research Center is currently seeking interested applicants for two Vehicle Configuration Specialist (Aerospace Engineer) positions in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) (E403). For more information about the directorate, please visit their website at http://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/.
Summary
The Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley Research Center is currently seeking interested applicants for two Vehicle Configuration Specialist (Aerospace Engineer) positions in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB) (E403). For more information about the directorate, please visit their website at http://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/.
Two vacancies will be filled through this announcement. One Vehicle Configurator will be responsible for supporting general analysis of air vehicles and specific detailed analysis in the discipline area of vehicle performance and mission analysis.
The other Vehicle Configurator will be responsible for supporting analysis of air vehicles focused specifically on vehicle performance and mission analysis for novel operations.
(Novel operations may include urban air mobility, on-demand mobility, and other operations with increasingly automated or autonomous aircraft.)
These positions support the execution of systems analysis, mission analysis and technology assessment for the entire size/speed range of advanced atmospheric missions, vehicle concepts, and aeronautical technologies.
The initial focus is to function as part of a systems analysis team as a vehicle configurator to design and analyze advanced aircraft concepts and conduct studies of advanced vehicle configuration impacts on the future air transportation system.
ASAB's vehicle analysis typically consists of sizing/optimization of a configuration for a given figure of merit. Figures of merit include minimizing takeoff gross weight, fuel burn, time to climb, and cost, or maximizing range.
Procedures consist of mass prediction; aerodynamic estimates to converge wing design and wing-body-tail-gear configuration; basic static stability and control surface sizing; and powerplant consideration to achieve best airframe/propulsion match.
Products include mission analysis, environmental impacts (noise, emissions), technology trade studies and sensitivities, cost-benefits analysis, and portfolio analysis.
A secondary focus will be to function as an integrated vehicle/transportation system analyst designing and analyzing future transportation concepts of operation that take advantage of advanced vehicle concepts.
The incumbent serves on a technical team to conduct inter-disciplinary design and analysis studies in the following ways:
Supports the development of new designs, or techniques that are of material significance in the solution of important applied problems with unprecedented or novel aspects.
Conducts configuration studies to assess technical feasibility.
Supports the development and analysis of new and unique tools and methods for unconventional configurations.
Performs requirements development and analysis, trade studies and sensitivity analysis.
Utilizes Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) tools and techniques to design and analyze advanced aerospace concepts.
Participates in cooperative efforts and consultations with technical groups as necessary.
Integrates various study and analysis results into comprehensive technical papers/briefings.
Position subject to pre-employment background investigation
A one-year probationary period may be required
Applicants must possess at least a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent
Qualifications
Knowledge required to perform the work within this specialty spans celestial mechanics, propulsion dynamics, aerodynamics, and guidance and control to achieve a practical projection of the movement and flight paths of human-made bodies in atmospheric and space environments, and the application of numerical analysis and computer simulation techniques.
To qualify for the GS-7 level, applicants must meet one of the following requirements in addition to the Basic Education Requirement:
a. One year of appropriate professional experience at least equivalent to the GS-5 grade level; Examples of specialized experience include: demonstrated experience supporting work in engineering analysis methods and procedures; aerospace or related engineering principles and analytical methods relating to atmospheric vehicles and/or systems; OR
b. One full academic year of graduate level education in an appropriate field, or any equivalent combination of experience and graduate study; or
c. Completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree which meets one of the following SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS STANDARDS:
1. Standing in the upper third of college class or major subdivision at time of application; or
2. Grade point average of 2.9 of a possible of 4.0 or its equivalent for all courses completed at time of application or during last two years of undergraduate curriculum; or
3. Grade point average of 3.5 of a possible 4.0 or equivalent for all courses completed in a qualifying major field of study at time of application or during last two years of undergraduate curriculum; or
4. Election to membership in a national honorary society (other than freshman society) that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies.
d. Twelve months of student trainee experience that includes at least one work period equivalent to GS-5 or at least 15 months of appropriate student trainee experience which includes one work period equivalent to the GS-4; or
e. Successful completion of a five year program of study of at least 160 semester hours; or
f. A professional engineering degree and up to 12 months experience as a technician or technologist equivalent to at least the GS-5 level; or
g. Successful completion of all requirements for two bachelor's degrees, one in an appropriate field of science or engineering; or
h. Six months aggregate of specialized experience or training, including three months gained after the junior year in a sub-professional, semiprofessional or technician status; or
i. Honors or elective positions indicating leadership other than scholastic, provide that academic standing was in upper half of graduating class; or
j. Patterns of courses which have unusual preparatory value or direct relatedness to the advertised position.
To qualify for the GS-9 level, applicants must meet one of the following requirements in addition to the Basic Education Requirement:
a. One year of professional specialized experience in an appropriate field at least equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to GS-7 in the Federal service within or closely related to the specialty for which application was made; Examples of specialized experience include: demonstrated experience with engineering analysis methods and procedures; aerospace or related engineering principles and analytical methods relating to atmospheric vehicles and/or systems; OR
b. Completion of all requirements for a master's or equivalent graduate degree in an appropriate field; or
c. Two full academic years of graduate education in an appropriate field; or
d. An equivalent combination of experience and graduate study.
Education
Basic Education Requirement: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in engineering, physical science, mathematics, computer science, or other appropriate field of engineering or physical science. Degrees in engineering technology are not considered to be qualifying for this position.
Required college majors for applicants qualifying on the basis of undergraduate or graduate education only: Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Astronautics, Astrophysics, Electrical Engineering (except power), Electronics Engineering, Applied Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics. Other appropriate physical or computer science, mathematics or engineering fields are qualifying if the major includes or is supplemented by at least 12 semester hours (or the equivalent) of appropriate physical science or engineering courses including nine semester hours (or the equivalent) of physics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics or gas dynamics.
Applicants must complete the following fields in USAJOBS Resume Builder, Step 2, Education section in order for education qualifications to be considered for this position: School Name, City/Town, Country, Degree/Level Attained, GPA, Completion date, Major, and Minor.
FOREIGN EDUCATION Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to the education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. If selected, a written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided to the Human Resources official making the offer. Please indicate in your resume that you have had your foreign education formally evaluated. For a listing of services that can perform this evaluation, see the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website at http://www.naces.org/members.htm. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in your being found unqualified for the position.
PLEASE NOTE: If your foreign education has already been accepted by an accredited U.S. educational institution as part of a degree program with that institution, you do not need to provide an evaluation of foreign education but must submit a copy of the transcripts listing the degree from the U.S. accredited institution that accepted your foreign education if you are selected.
Position may be filled at either the GS-7 or GS-9 level. The full performance level for this position is GS-13. If selected at the lower levels, employee may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade when qualified and recommended by management.
Deliberate attempts to falsify your application information may result in you being removed from consideration for this position. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Copying portions of a position description, vacancy announcement, or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.
As identical vacancies are identified, additional selections may be made.
Additional information
Any applicant tentatively selected for this position may be required to undergo a pre-employment background investigation. Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. See 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for definition of well qualified. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP consideration must indicate their eligibility when applying for a position. The USAJOBS resume asks you to identify your ICTAP eligibility; the NASA Supplemental Information asks you to identify your CTAP eligibility. If you are selected for the position, you must be prepared to submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. In order to receive preference in hiring, you must clearly identify your claim for veterans preference on your resume.
NASA's Applicant Guide provides the information needed to assist you in determining whether or not you can claim 5 or 10 point veterans preference. You should not submit documents to prove your eligibility for veterans preference at this time. However, you must be prepared to submit proof of veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form) as requested by the Human Resources Office. Veterans preference will only be considered based on what is supported For instance, if you claim 10-point preference, but are only able to document 5-point preference, you will be considered accordingly. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
Your USAJOBS account asks you to assign a name to each of your resumes. When you apply to a NASA position, we will show you the text of the resume you have submitted, but we do not maintain the name you have assigned to that resume. If you wish to keep track of that information, we recommend you make note of it at the time you apply.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
NASA uses an automated system (Resumix) that matches the competencies extracted from your resume to the competencies identified by the selecting official for the position. Based on the competencies you match, you are placed in one of three categories identified as 90, 80, or 70 pt. quality categories, which are defined as:
90 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and has experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.
80 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.
70 pt. Category - Fails to meet criteria described in the 80 pt. category.
Additional application guidance is available in NASA's Applicant Guide.
Information for Veterans: The Category Rating Process protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed at the top of the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.
For the purpose of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), candidates rated in the top quality category are considered well-qualified
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. (For example you need not submit narrative 'KSA' statements; they are not required and will not be evaluated.) In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. For assistance in preparing your resume, consult the Applicant Guide. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts or proof of Federal employment status. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
This vacancy is being filled through NASA STARS, an automated Staffing and Recruitment System. NASA partners with USAJOBS in providing a seamless application process. Before you begin the application process, please read the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. You may begin the process of submitting your resume by clicking on the 'Apply Online' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to approximately 32,000 characters including spaces. NASA does not accept resumes uploaded to USAJOBS from a second source or documents attached through USAJOBS' document attachment feature. Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be asked to complete a short series of additional questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Application Status Not Available', you have not successfully applied. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. Only an email from NASA confirms a successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume and supplemental questions to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 4200 Rideout Road Resume Operations Center/Mailstop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 DO NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resumes requirements are provided at:Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
If you are a first time applicant, we recommend that you review NASA's Applicant Guide to ensure that you are providing a complete resume. Failure to submit the supplemental data and a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration for positions. All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
Candidates for NASA positions are evaluated using our automated staffing and recruitment system, NASA STARS, which compares your skills and experience as described in your resume with the requirements of the position. If you are found to be a highly qualified candidate, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. At NASA, we pride ourselves on efficient and timely recruitment actions, and you can normally expect to learn the outcome of the selection process in a fairly short period of time. In addition, to ensure that you can measure progress for yourself, NASA provides you with regularly updated information on the status of the vacancy announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. (For example you need not submit narrative 'KSA' statements; they are not required and will not be evaluated.) In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. For assistance in preparing your resume, consult the Applicant Guide. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts or proof of Federal employment status. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
This vacancy is being filled through NASA STARS, an automated Staffing and Recruitment System. NASA partners with USAJOBS in providing a seamless application process. Before you begin the application process, please read the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. You may begin the process of submitting your resume by clicking on the 'Apply Online' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to approximately 32,000 characters including spaces. NASA does not accept resumes uploaded to USAJOBS from a second source or documents attached through USAJOBS' document attachment feature. Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be asked to complete a short series of additional questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Application Status Not Available', you have not successfully applied. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. Only an email from NASA confirms a successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume and supplemental questions to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 4200 Rideout Road Resume Operations Center/Mailstop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 DO NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resumes requirements are provided at:Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
If you are a first time applicant, we recommend that you review NASA's Applicant Guide to ensure that you are providing a complete resume. Failure to submit the supplemental data and a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration for positions. All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
Candidates for NASA positions are evaluated using our automated staffing and recruitment system, NASA STARS, which compares your skills and experience as described in your resume with the requirements of the position. If you are found to be a highly qualified candidate, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. At NASA, we pride ourselves on efficient and timely recruitment actions, and you can normally expect to learn the outcome of the selection process in a fairly short period of time. In addition, to ensure that you can measure progress for yourself, NASA provides you with regularly updated information on the status of the vacancy announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
