This position is in NASA’s Pathways Intern Program which provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain meaningful developmental work experience. This position is for an Engineering Student Trainee in the Electric Propulsion Systems Branch located in the Propulsion Division of the Research and Engineering Directorate at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).
The Electric Propulsion Systems Branch conducts research, technology development, design, development, test and evaluation of electric propulsion components and subsystems. Performs research and technology development of advanced plasma-based propulsion technologies. Provides the discipline engineering required to develop and fly electric propulsion components and subsystems onboard NASA human and robotic spacecraft, including requirements development, component and system analysis, specification development, test and verification and flight operations support. Executes propulsion subsystem manager engineering functions. Develops innovative design and analysis tools, techniques, and research facilities to maintain and enhance Glenn Research Center’s leadership in electric propulsion technology.
Summary
This position is in NASA’s Pathways Intern Program which provides students with the opportunity to explore NASA careers and gain meaningful developmental work experience. This position is for an Engineering Student Trainee in the Electric Propulsion Systems Branch located in the Propulsion Division of the Research and Engineering Directorate at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).
The Electric Propulsion Systems Branch conducts research, technology development, design, development, test and evaluation of electric propulsion components and subsystems. Performs research and technology development of advanced plasma-based propulsion technologies. Provides the discipline engineering required to develop and fly electric propulsion components and subsystems onboard NASA human and robotic spacecraft, including requirements development, component and system analysis, specification development, test and verification and flight operations support. Executes propulsion subsystem manager engineering functions. Develops innovative design and analysis tools, techniques, and research facilities to maintain and enhance Glenn Research Center’s leadership in electric propulsion technology.
The Pathways Intern will be assigned electric propulsion projects being performed within the Electric Propulsion Systems Branch. Specific tasks may include the design, development and test of electric propulsion components or the associated experimental apparatus, implementation of plasma probes and measurement of plasma parameters and the collection and post processing of experimental data.
Be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment.
Enrolled/accepted in an accredited educational institution.
Pursuing a degree with a minimum of 30 semester hours completed.
Maintain enrollement at least half time as defined by the institution.
Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.9 on a 4.0 scale.
• Available to work at least 640 hours prior to completion of degree. • Required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement. • Have at least one year remaining before completing degree requirements. • Expected to start no earlier than January 2018. Applicants who indicate a graduation date prior to January 2019 will be found ineligible.
Qualifications
Starting GS grade levels are determined by education level:
GS-4: Enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program and have completed at least 30 semester hours or at least 45 quarter hours of undergraduate education.
GS-5: Enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program and have completed at least 60 semester hours or at least 90 quarter hours of undergraduate education.
GS-6: Enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program and have completed 90 or more semester hours or 135 or more quarter hours of undergraduate education.
GS-7: Accepted into a master’s or juris doctor program OR in the first year of a master’s or juris doctor program.
GS-9: Completed one academic year of a master’s or juris doctor program OR accepted into a doctorate program OR in the first year of a doctorate program.
GS-11: Completed one year of doctorate-level study.
Education
To be eligible for this position, you must be pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering at an accredited educational institution. Degrees in engineering technology are not qualifying for this position. Engineering degrees must be from a college or university school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum. To find out if a degree meets this requirement, go to http://www.abet.org.
Additional information
You must meet eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
You will only be considered for the highest grade for which you qualify.
Interns may be promoted to higher grades based on the amount of education completed and acceptable performance, however, promotions are not guaranteed.
You will serve a trial period for the duration of the Intern appointment.
Interns may work schedules not to exceed 1,040 hours per year (part-time or full-time on an intermittent basis). The supervisor and Intern will agree on a formally-arranged schedule of school and work rotations. A rotation is a defined period of work or school study, usually a semester, a summer, or a quarter in length.
Although this vacancy announcement is advertised for multiple grade levels, it is not intended to convey any implication nor expectation that positions will be filled at all grade levels.
This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional positions within 90 days of the closing date of the announcement.
Interns may be considered for conversion to a term or permanent appointment within 120 days of completion of degree requirements provided they: • Successfully completed an academic course of study with a GPA of at least 2.9 (on a 4.0 scale); • Complete a minimum of 640 hours of work experience before completing degree requirements; • Meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are converted; and • Maintain acceptable performance.
Eligibility for conversion does not guarantee that NASA will offer conversion. At NASA, term appointments last from one to six years. If an Intern is converted to a term appointment, they may later be converted to a permanent appointment without competing.
The intern may be converted to an Electrical Engineer with full performance to the GS-13.
The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
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.
We will review your application, including your answers to the NASA-specific questions, to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications. Candidates may be further evaluated based on required areas of study described above.
Veterans' preference applies in the hiring process. In order to receive preference in hiring, you must clearly identify your claim for veterans' preference when you apply. Veteran's 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. For more information about Veterans' Preference, please visit this link.
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 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 NASA supplemental questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. 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. 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.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the “Apply” 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 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS’ document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm 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 to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: 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 resume requirements are provided at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
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 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 NASA supplemental questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. 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. 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.
Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin the application process, click on the “Apply” 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 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS’ document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm 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 to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: 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 resume requirements are provided at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
