Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Safety and Occupational Health Specialist

Department: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Location(s): Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Salary Range: $62181 - $97809 Per Year

Job Summary: The Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate, Institutional Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is seeking applicants for a safety and occupational health specialist. The incumbent of this position provides institutional safety support for KSC across a broad range of program areas inclusive of facility inspection, safety consultation, mishap investigation, emergency response, construction safety, contractor insight, and trend analyses.

Major Duties:

• Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• Monitors and promotes improvement of safety programs. Assists in ensuring government and contractor compliance with safety requirements.
• Assists in ensuring institutional safety compliance with all applicable safety requirements to those program areas requiring remedial action.
• Performs analyses of compliance with safety regulations and procedures instituted by OSHA with oversight from a higher graded safety specialist.
• Develops, coordinates, and reviews center safety capabilities, authorities, plans, procedures, training, and exercises.
• Makes recommendations on any changes or improvements to the current system or systems which will ensure Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are prepared for any incidents and/or emergencies, mishaps, disasters, etc.
• Assists in the implementation of a major agency program dealing with complex hazardous conditions that involve a variety of safety considerations.
• Recommends modifications and/or revisions to NASA and contractor safety policies, procedures, and guidelines. Prepares basic instructions to implement newly developed or modified guidance.
• Prepares updates to safety regulations, documents, and requirements manuals with assistance from a higher graded safety specialist.

Qualifications: Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. To qualify for GS-09 level, you must have: a) One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level: Applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, and procedures to assist in resolving technical safety and health issues; Identifying workplace hazards and recommending corrective actions to ensure compliance with occupational safety and health requirements; Communicating safety policies, procedures, and requirements to supervisors, facility managers, or employees OR b) Completed all requirements for a master's or equivalent graduate degree in an appropriate field OR c) Completed 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in an appropriate field OR d) LL.B or J.D, if related OR e) Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b), c) and d) above. To qualify for GS-11, you must have: a) One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level: Applying safety and occupational health principles, practices, and regulatory requirements to evaluate, develop, or adapt safety procedures and operating practices; Conducting safety inspections and hazard analyses in areas such as facilities safety, construction safety, institutional safety, risk management, or systems safety; Identifying hazards, recommending corrective measures, and preparing reports, briefings, or other documentation to advise management on safety and occupational health matters OR b) Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field OR c) Completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in an appropriate field OR d) LL.M., if related OR e) Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b), c) and d) above. 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. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. 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. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. 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-CONTACTCENTER@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: 2026-03-10