The Planetary Protection Officer (PPO) is responsible for the leadership of NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of requirement implementation by NASA's space flight missions. Planetary protection refers to the policy and practice of assuring no harm from biological or organic-molecular contamination to Earth and solar system bodies resulting from robotic and human space exploration.
Summary
The Planetary Protection Officer (PPO) is responsible for the leadership of NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of requirement implementation by NASA's space flight missions. Planetary protection refers to the policy and practice of assuring no harm from biological or organic-molecular contamination to Earth and solar system bodies resulting from robotic and human space exploration.
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—NASA may consider reimbursement of relocation expenses based on Agency discretion and/or organizational needs; relocation expense reimbursement is not guaranteed.
- Assess NASA's planetary protection technical capability, challenges, and opportunities. Lead planning and coordination of activities related to NASA mission planetary protection needs.
- Oversee the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) planetary protection research and development activities to advance scientific knowledge, tools, methods, processes, training and guidance materials. Work in coordination with the program scientist for planetary protection research to annually establish funding priorities for proposals submitted to Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES).
- Lead independent evaluation of, and provide advice regarding, compliance by robotic and human spaceflight missions with NASA planetary protection policies, statutory requirements and international obligations on behalf of the Chief, OSMA.
- Advise the Chief, OSMA and other officials regarding the merit and implications of programmatic decisions involving risks to planetary protection objectives. Serve as NASA liaison to inter-agency, international and commercial planetary protection forums to promote consistency with international and science-based guidelines. In coordination with relevant offices, lead interactions with Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), National Academies, and NASA's Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) committees on planetary protection matters.
- Promote internal and external awareness of planetary protection objectives and practices considering scientific discoveries, emerging technical capabilities, return to human exploration, and the growth of private sector space activities.
The individual selected will be required to file an Executive Branch Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
Successful completion of a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.
Successful completion of pre-employment and random drug screening may be required.
Must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Qualifications
Candidates must be a recognized subject matter expert with at least 1 year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-15 level below:
(1) Demonstrated experience with the requirements and mission categories of Planetary Protection, which is the policy and practice of assuring no harm from biological or organic-molecular contamination to Earth and solar system bodies resulting from robotic and human space exploration. This includes demonstrated technical expertise to independently form technically sound judgments and risk assessment in considerably complex situations.
(2) Demonstrated experience planning, executing, or overseeing elements of programs of national significance related to scientific exploration and resource utilization across the solar system or in relevant analogue environments on Earth. These elements include but are not limited to developing requirements, performing technical assessments, and preparing recommendations to leadership.
(3) Demonstrated experience building coalitions amongst organizations to achieve common goals and deliver win-win solutions during extremely difficult and complex multilateral discussions.
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.
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you MUST address each Senior Level (SL) Evaluation Criteria separately not to exceed a total of ten (10) pages. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible. For the full definition of the SL Evaluation Criteria and Process click here. Please include your full name on all documents submitted.
SL EVALUATION CRITERIA:
1. Education Level and Training
2. Technical Excellence and Contributions
a. Experience/Accomplishments
b. Technical and Strategic Problem Solving
c. Information Transfer
3. Awards and Recognition
4. Outside Professional Activities
5. Corporate Cooperation and Technical Leadership Skills
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. To be eligible, you must clearly state in your resume the following: degree, major and/or minor, and college/university.
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in engineering, physical science, mathematics, life sciences, computer science, or other field of science.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: 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, click here.
Additional information
This position is full-time remote and the duties can be performed from anywhere. The candidate's duty station location will be determined after selection.
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.
All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications above. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or assessment questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
You will be assessed on the following competencies:
Astrobiology
Conflict Management
Contamination Control
External Awareness
Oral Communications
Partnering
Policy Management
Program and Project Management
Risk Management
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 referred to a panel of subject matter experts (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 veterans' preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. The panel will further evaluate candidates against the Senior Level (SL) evaluation criteria under the "Qualifications" section of this vacancy announcement.
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.
You must provide a complete application package. If you do not provide all required information and requested supporting documents, you will not be considered for this position.
1. Resume showing relevant work experience (start/end dates stated in month/year, description of duties), applicable education at a minimum, and your contact information. For current or previous Federal employees, it should also include the Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry. Please limit your resume to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
2. SL Evaluation Criteria narrative responses. Please limit your responses to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request transcripts, SF-50s, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. 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 a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference, we may request a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For more information on veterans' preference and possible other supporting documents that you may have to submit, please visit https: NASA's SL Application Process and Evaluation Criteria or FedsHireVets.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US
Next steps
Although you may or may not be contacted during the selection process, we will always advise you about the outcome of the announcement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact NASA Executive Staffing at Agency-Executive-Staffing@mail.nasa.gov.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
You must provide a complete application package. If you do not provide all required information and requested supporting documents, you will not be considered for this position.
1. Resume showing relevant work experience (start/end dates stated in month/year, description of duties), applicable education at a minimum, and your contact information. For current or previous Federal employees, it should also include the Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry. Please limit your resume to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
2. SL Evaluation Criteria narrative responses. Please limit your responses to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request transcripts, SF-50s, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. 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 a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference, we may request a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For more information on veterans' preference and possible other supporting documents that you may have to submit, please visit https: NASA's SL Application Process and Evaluation Criteria or FedsHireVets.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US
Next steps
Although you may or may not be contacted during the selection process, we will always advise you about the outcome of the announcement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact NASA Executive Staffing at Agency-Executive-Staffing@mail.nasa.gov.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
