General Engineer, AST, Launch and Flight Operations

General Engineer, AST, Launch and Flight Operations

Department: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Location(s): Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Salary Range: $126711 - $164729 Per Year

Job Summary: As a Mission Manager (MM), you will be the primary customer interface for the management of aerospace missions managed by the Launch Services Program (LSP). Your responsibilities include managing the performance of all analytical and engineering tasks associated with commercial launch vehicle services. Additionally, you will represent the program and address all matters pertaining to launch services provided by LSP.

Major Duties:

• Participate in and chair major mission integration meetings involving highly complex technical, programmatic, and business criteria concerned with all aspects of the integration of spacecraft to launch vehicle.
• Responsible for day-to-day technical management of all aspects of mission integration including analytical studies, trade studies, engineering evaluations, contract management, change processing, change negotiations, budget formulation and execution.
• Assure assigned missions receive technical/administrative support to assure mission success. Missions include advanced planetary programs and Earth-orbital missions, some with potential military, commercial, or international cooperative applications.
• Prepare presentations for mission status reviews. Represent the Launch Services Program (LSP) at these reviews and present status of the launch vehicle and/or spacecraft systems, delineating problem areas and feasible solutions.
• Responsible for the management/development of mission-unique hardware and software to support mission requirements. Lead a multi-discipline team responsible for the integration of the spacecraft to launch vehicle.
• Develop/execute resource requirements to provide launch service with mission guidelines. Organize mission readiness reviews for senior NASA management. Participate in launch preparations, the launch, and subsequent flight operations as required.
• Resolve highly technical, complex compatibility problems between the various systems and/or organizations associated with the mission.
• Manage in-house mission trade studies/system analysis in support of NASA initiatives/activities. Perform independent technical checks on contractor, commercial, or other government generated mission studies to evaluate future mission feasibility.

Qualifications: In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below and 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. 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. To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Providing technical guidance on mission requirements, such as design, development, integration, test, evaluation and/or operation of commercial launch vehicles or flight systems; Determining launch capabilities within the government and private sector considering cost/performance trades for a wide variety of launch services; Providing insight/oversight of commercial launch vehicle processing for government payloads. 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. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application 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. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, you will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application process. Once logged in to your account, click on the "Apply" link. Follow the prompts to select your resume (2 pages or fewer) and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. Resumes longer than 2 pages will be rejected by the system. Resumes submitted via other document types will not be forwarded to the hiring manager, nor will they be used in the review of your qualifications. We strongly encourage you to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder when creating your resume. Using the resume builder will help you ensure your resume includes important information related to your qualifications and eligibility for this position. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. During the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. 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 vacancy questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify all required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. NASA's online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact NSSC-STAFFING@MAIL.NASA.GOV for assistance. Be advised - application materials faxed, emailed, and/or mailed to Kennedy Space Center will not be accepted for this announcement. NASA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact center listed on the job vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.

Application Deadline: 2026-04-30