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Aerospace Engineer, AST, Heat Transfer

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Serve as an Aerospace Engineer in the Propulsion Thermal Analysis Branch responsible for planning, conducting and participating in theoretical and experimental study of radiation, convection, and conduction heat transfer within solids, fluids, and vacuums and the effect on the design and operation of aerospace and propulsion systems, rockets, and space vehicles.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2020 to 03/23/2020
Salary
$66,162 to - $122,592 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Huntsville, AL
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training or other work-related duties
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Not to exceed 4 years, with option to extend or make permanent without further competition.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
MS20D0022
Control number
561991200

Duties

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  • Provide engineering expertise and analysis in applied fluid mechanics, thermal analysis, and environments to other disciplines; support propulsion system design providing engineering insight into contracted efforts.
  • Plan and conduct analysis and development studies in support of major organization programs, including analysis of novel, unprecedented, or controversial problems.
  • Conduct and coordinate theoretical and experimental investigations into fluid mechanics and thermal problems applicable to the spectrum of aerospace systems and vehicles.
  • Plan and conduct specialized testing of unique or leading-edge technology, equipment, or systems to meet specific mission requirements.
  • Develop detailed test plans and procedures, monitor tests, interpret and analyze data, and report results.
  • Generate engineering models of physical phenomena that can be used to design the thermal and performance characteristics of advanced systems.
  • Determine the operating limits and requirements of components and systems used in a variety of extreme aerospace environments.
  • Review plans, specifications, and cost estimates for technical adequacy in areas such as flight systems, fluid and flight mechanics, or propulsion and power, or materials and structures.
  • Provide technical advice on complex analysis issues or problems where new analytical techniques must be developed to identify and evaluate findings.
  • Build and maintain professional relationships with colleagues, subject matter experts (SME), multi-discipline engineers, and technical specialists to further develop awareness of state-of-the-art innovations in related fields.
  • Duties described above are for full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope and complexity, performed with less independence and will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Position subject to pre-employment background investigation
  • A one-year trial period may be required.

Qualifications

You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For GS-11, in addition to the Basic Education Requirement, you must meet one of the following requirements:

(a) One year of professional experience in an appropriate field at least equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to GS-9 level work in the Federal service which included: design and development of conventional aerospace components for propulsion applications through analysis, design, fabrication, and testing; conducting tests and reviewing data to evaluate performance; and performing and interpreting calculations, analyses, and computations on specialized information; OR
(b) Completion of all requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field; OR
(c) Completion of three full academic years of graduate education in an appropriate field; OR
(d) An equivalent combination of experience and graduate education.

For GS-12 and GS-13, in addition to the Basic Education Requirement, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.

For GS-12, specialized experience is professional working experience that included:

* providing engineering advice and analysis in the disciplines of applied fluid mechanics, thermal analysis and environments to other disciplines
* planning and conducting experimental studies into fluid mechanics and thermal problems applicable to propulsion/power systems, aerospace systems, or vehicles and that result in new guidelines.
* developing detailed test plans and procedures, monitoring tests, interpreting and analyzing data, and reporting results

For GS-13, specialized experience is professional working experience that included:

* reviewing, advising on and conducting complex analysis and development studies of thermal dynamics and heat generation and it's effects on propulsion/power systems, aerospace systems, or vehicles
* developing detailed test plans and procedures, monitoring tests, interpreting and analyzing data, and reporting results
* providing technical advice on complex analysis issues or problems where new analytical techniques must be developed to identify and evaluate findings

Your resume must fully support how you meet the specialized experience in order to be found qualified for this position.

You may lose consideration for the position if your application does not include all the information requested on the vacancy announcement. The USAJOBS Resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you met the required specialized experience. Experiences 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: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics, Aerospace Engineering, Architecture, Astronautical Engineering, Astronautics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Ceramic Engineering, Ceramics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science*, Earth and Planetary Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Geology, Geophysics, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Mathematics (Pure or Applied), Applied Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Metallurgy, Meteorology, Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Physics, Oceanography, Optical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, Space Science, Structural Engineering, Welding Engineering or other appropriate physical science or engineering field. Degrees in engineering technology are not considered to be qualifying for this position. *Note: Curriculum must include 30 semester hours of course work in a combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science. Of the 30 semester hours, 15 must be in any combination of statistics and mathematics which includes differential and integral calculus.

Please indicate the name of your college, major, degree and completion date in the education section.

For engineering degrees, the degree must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation. To find out if a school has an ABET accreditation, go to ABET accredited schools (http://www.abet.org).

The accreditation, type of degree, and course work taken will determine if the basic education requirements are met.

If your education is completed outside of the United States, you must provide evidence that it has been deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

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, 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 they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service Law.

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. Veterans preference will only be considered based on what is supported, i.e., 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 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.


Fair Employment Opportunities for Applicants
NASA Credit for National Service

TERM APPOINTMENTS UNDER NASA FLEXIBILITY: Under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004, individuals appointed under this announcement may be converted to permanent appointment, either non-competitively or through internal agency competitive placement procedures. Conversion is not guaranteed, and term conversion eligibility is contingent on the employee meeting all legal requirements.

Identification of promotion potential in this position does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher level duties.

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

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