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This position is assigned to Office of Safety and Mission Assurance for Planetary Protection. Planetary protection is concerned with the avoidance of organic-constituent and biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration. NASA maintains policies for planetary protection applicable to all space flight missions that may intentionally or unintentionally carry Earth organisms and organic constituents to the planets or other solar system bodies, and any mission employing spacecraft, which are intended to return to Earth and its biosphere with samples from extraterrestrial targets of exploration. This policy is based on federal requirements and international treaties and agreements.
Current Agency policy requires the SL appointments be time-limited. The initial appointment will be for 3 years, with the possibility of extending for an additional 2 years. The selectee for this position will receive a temporary promotion. Employee will then return to a grade level no lower than the grade previously held at the home center. This temporary promotion may be converted to permanent without further competition.
07/13/2017 to 08/14/2017
$124,406 - $187,000 per year
SL 00
1 vacancy in the following location:
Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
00
No
HQ17S0010
474414000
The Planetary Protection Officer (PPO) is responsible for the leadership of NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of their implementation by NASAs space flight missions. The PPO also supports the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Technical Authority and serves as a principal advisory resource for the Chief, SMA and other senior officials on matters pertaining to planetary protection. The PPO is the Agency's focal point for interactions with external organizations on matters related to planetary protection. Primarily the Planetary Protection Officer performs the following:
Leads planning and coordination of activities related to NASA mission planetary protection needs.
Leads independent evaluation of, and provides advice regarding, compliance by robotic and human spaceflight missions with NASA planetary protection policies, statutory requirements and international obligations.
Advises the Chief, SMA and other officials regarding the merit and implications of programmatic decisions involving risks to planetary protection objectives.
In coordination with relevant offices, leads interactions with COSPAR, National Academies, and advisory committees on planetary protection matters.
Recommends and leads the preparation of new or revised NASA standards and directives in accordance with established processes and guidelines.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS
1. Advanced knowledge of Planetary Protection, its requirements and mission categories. This includes
demonstrated technical expertise to independently form technically sound judgments and evaluations in
considerably complex situations.
2. Demonstrated experience planning, executing, or overseeing elements of space programs of national
significance. These elements include but are not limited to developing requirements, performing technical
assessments, and preparing recommendations to leadership.
3. Demonstrated skills in diplomacy that resulted in win-win solutions during extremely difficult and
complex multilateral discussions. This includes building coalitions amongst organizations to achieve
common goals.
Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire noncitizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
or
B. Combination of education and experience - education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above
that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree, preferably an advanced degree in engineering, physical science, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, or electronics.
All qualified candidates will be referred to a panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation against the NASA SL or ST Evaluation Criteria as stated in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Experience in these criteria MUST be addressed within the NASA-provided online form. Refer to the How to Apply section for complete instructions.
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.
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.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.
The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
All candidates will be referred to a panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation against the NASA SL Evaluation Criteria as stated in the NASA SL Evaluation Criteria section below. Experience in these criteria MUST be addressed within the NASA-provided online form. Refer to the How to Apply section for complete instructions. We strongly recommend you complete your answers to these five criteria off-line in a text document in advance of beginning the application process, so that you can insert them into the electronic form. Incomplete applications are not saved.
NASA SL Evaluation Criteria
1. Education Level and Training. In addition to degree information, please include your pattern of continuing development to maintain currency and level of skills.
2. Technical Excellence and Contributions. Please include a. through c. below in your response. Include the impact on key Center and relevant NASA and national programs.
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. Included in this criterion are leadership skills in directing or participating in technical team activities, as well as coordinating those activities within and outside the Center.
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 need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. You must also respond to both the Executive Core Qualifications (Managerial Qualifications) and the Technical Qualifications. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. 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 unless we make you an employment offer. 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 fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may use that as a basis for withdrawing our employment offer.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
This vacancy is being filled through NASA STARS, an automated Staffing and Recruiting System. NASA partners with USAJOBS in providing a seamless application process. Before you begin the application process, please read the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. 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 the equivalent of approximately SIX typed pages, or approximately 32,000 characters including spaces. NASA does not accept resumes uploaded to USAJOBS from a second source or documents attached through USAJOBS' document attachment feature. Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be asked to provide additional information, including statements addressing the NASA SL or ST Evaluation Criteria. Because your answers will not be saved until you complete the entire application, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN A SEPARATE TEXT DOCUMENT AND INSERT THEM INTO THE ONLINE FORM. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS ARE NOT SAVED. To receive consideration do NOT answer the questions with "see resume". You may edit a previously submitted application if the announcement is still open.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume and supplemental questions to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mailstop: HS50, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. DO NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are provided at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
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 in which you are interested.
All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
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 the individual identified in the Contact section.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/474414000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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