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Computer Engineer, AST - Software Systems (Direct Hire)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Goddard Space Flight Center
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As the Core Flight Software (cFS) Product Development Lead (PDL) in the Software Engineering Division's Flight Software Systems Branch (Code 582) you will be responsible for leading and managing the cFS product team including planning, design, development, integration, test, validation and verification, operation, and maintenance of software systems for use in flight data systems.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 01/24/2023
Closed date: 02/01/2023
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$132,368 - $183,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Promotion potential
15
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Term - Not to exceed 2 years with the option to extend to a maximum of 6 years
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
GSFC-23-DE-11798960-AD
Control number
701276600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

** This vacancy has been amended to extend the closing date from 1/30/2023 to 2/1/2023.**

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Duties

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  • Duties described below are at the full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
  • Lead the development and delivery of a product that meets technical requirements within the approved cost and schedule.
  • Identify risks to the schedule or design and devising contingency plans to mitigate the risk.
  • Provide technical or management/leadership in flight software design, development, and testing.
  • Develop and manage product schedule and budget, including prioritizing and delegating work and organizing reviews and conducting meetings.
  • Provide overall technical insight into the cFS flight software systems development and management of policies, procedures, and operational schedules necessary for new systems and functions through all phases of software development.
  • Monitor cFS progress and provide updates to the supervisor on status and problem areas. Lead troubleshooting efforts on particularly unusual engineering problems.
  • Provide authoritative technical decisions, advice, and consultation to contractors on variables and unknowns affecting planning, coordination, and critical problems for safety, costs, and economics.
  • Initiate investigations and studies to prove or disprove design criteria and find solutions to fundamental design, construction/production, or operation issues.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
  • You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • If selected, you will be required to complete a financial disclosure statement.
  • This position may require a one year trial period.
  • Position subject to pre-employment background investigation.

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.

GS-14: To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

  • Participating in software development activities including the design, implementation, and/or testing of complex systems/system software;
  • Supporting projects including aerospace vehicles, spacecraft, ground systems, instruments;
  • Providing inputs to decisions that have major areas of uncertainty in approach and/or methodology such as new technological developments.
GS-15: To qualify at the GS-15 level, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:
  • Leading software development activities associated with the development, testing, and/or implementation of complex systems/system software;
  • Leading or supporting multiple projects including aerospace vehicles, spacecraft, ground systems, and/or instruments;
  • Making decisions when there is uncertainty in approach, methodology, or interpretation and/or evaluating processes subject to continuing changes in program, technological developments, unknown phenomena, or conflicting requirements.
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.

Education

Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following:
a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs
b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science
c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus.

If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above.

Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for this position.

Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit http://www.abet.org.

Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/.

Science and other related degrees earned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

This appointment may be extended beyond the initial appointment date, for a period not to exceed a total of six years.

Current Federal civilian employees may apply for this position. If selected, a break in service of at least 4 calendar days may be required prior to appointment to this position.

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:
- Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
-Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
-Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'

For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap.

This is a bargaining unit position. If additional selections are made, those positions may or may not be in a bargaining unit. To learn more about bargaining units at NASA please click here NASA Unions (Bargaining Units) | NASA.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Program/Project Analysis
  • Software Engineering
NASA considers paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Under NASA's category rating process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three categories identified and defined below: :
  • Best Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
  • Highly Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
  • Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Names of all qualified candidates in the Best Qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration (unless a sufficient number of qualified veterans are found - in which case only those names will be initially certified ). Candidates within the Best Qualified category who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

Goddard Space Flight Center

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Explore the extraordinary, every day; explore a career at NASA!

Agency contact information

NASA Shared Services Contact Center
Phone
1-877-677-2123
Fax
1-866-779-6772
Email
nssc-contactcenter@mail.nasa.gov
Address
Goddard Space Flight Center
8800 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20771
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Goddard Space Flight Center, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.nasa.gov/careers

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