The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Policy Branch at NASA Headquarters is seeking a skilled individual to provide space policy analysis, program planning, strategic planning and messaging, and independent review implementation in support of congressional, Executive Branch, and science advisory committee activities.
Summary
The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Policy Branch at NASA Headquarters is seeking a skilled individual to provide space policy analysis, program planning, strategic planning and messaging, and independent review implementation in support of congressional, Executive Branch, and science advisory committee activities.
Serve as a space policy expert to develop and maintain relationships with various stakeholders in the government, private industry, and universities to further the agency's research or technology development efforts.
Provide space policy advice and guidance on broad projects and science programs.
Provide extensive analysis and interpretation of space policy documents such as executive, legislative or judicial papers or draft legislation, and advising management on revisions to existing agency policies and programs to meet requirements.
Conduct a wide variety of comprehensive space policy studies and detailed analysis of complex functions, processes and space policy issues related to science program planning in order to advise on organizational or process changes.
Produces complex space policy analyses and written reports; including draft policies, briefing papers, congressional testimony, correspondence, congressional reports, staff briefings.
Response to Legislative and Executive Branch review actions used by key Agency Officials in planning domestic and international Earth and space science research.
Develop or foster cross-agency activities or organization of special committees.
Duties described above 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.
Position subject to pre-employment background investigation
A one-year probationary period may be required
Qualifications
You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12), which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.
To qualify for the GS-13: Specialized experience includes performing duties such as writing space policy analyses and reports; including draft policies, briefing papers, congressional testimony, congressional reports, staff briefings, and responses to Legislative and Executive Branch review actions; participating in the development of strategies, policies, or recommendations to senior management; supporting cross-cutting reviews or the implementation of recommendations from cross-cutting reviews, and participating in the assessment of trade-offs between program requirements and stakeholder priorities and providing expert policy advice and guidance on projects and programs with to management.
You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-13), which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.
To qualify for the GS-14: Specialized experience includes performing duties such as writing complex space policy analyses and reports; including draft policies, briefing papers, congressional testimony, congressional reports, staff briefings, and responses to Legislative and Executive Branch review actions; developing alternative agency strategies, policies or recommendations for senior management; leading cross-cutting reviews or the implementation of recommendations from cross-cutting reviews, and assessing trade-offs between program requirements and stakeholder priorities and providing expert policy advice and guidance on projects and programs to senior management.
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.
Please spell out all acronyms.
Education
There are no education requirements for this position.
Additional information
As identical vacancies are identified, additional selections may be made.
You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
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.
To receive consideration, you must submit a resume and answer NASA-specific questions. The NASA questions appear after you submit your resume and are transferred to the NASA web site. 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.
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 the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. Failure to submit a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
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 uploaded resumes created outside of the USAJOBS resume builder process. Additionally, NASA does not accept documents attached through the USAJOBS' document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be transferred to a NASA website and asked to complete a short series of NASA-specific questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Unavailable', 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.
Due to COVID-19, we are unable to take hard copy applications at this time. If you are having issues applying, please reach out to msfc-staffing@mail.nasa.gov and let them know the announcement number and issue BEFORE the announcement closes. The NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) staffing unit will review the request and, if accepted, The NASA Resume Operations Center (ROC) will work with you to have your resume and supplemental information scanned into the system.
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
This position is announced in conjunction with a Merit Promotion vacancy announcement number HQ20C0065. Current and former Federal employees and employees with special hiring authorities may apply. Only one position will be filled as a result of these two vacancy announcements.
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.
To receive consideration, you must submit a resume and answer NASA-specific questions. The NASA questions appear after you submit your resume and are transferred to the NASA web site. 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.
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 the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. Failure to submit a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
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 uploaded resumes created outside of the USAJOBS resume builder process. Additionally, NASA does not accept documents attached through the USAJOBS' document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be transferred to a NASA website and asked to complete a short series of NASA-specific questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Unavailable', 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.
Due to COVID-19, we are unable to take hard copy applications at this time. If you are having issues applying, please reach out to msfc-staffing@mail.nasa.gov and let them know the announcement number and issue BEFORE the announcement closes. The NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) staffing unit will review the request and, if accepted, The NASA Resume Operations Center (ROC) will work with you to have your resume and supplemental information scanned into the system.
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
This position is announced in conjunction with a Merit Promotion vacancy announcement number HQ20C0065. Current and former Federal employees and employees with special hiring authorities may apply. Only one position will be filled as a result of these two vacancy announcements.
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.
