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NASA leads the nation on a great journey of discovery, seeking new knowledge and understanding of our planet Earth, our Sun and solar system, and the universe out to its farthest reaches and back to its earliest moments of existence. The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters is seeking a qualified individual to serve as the Director of the Astrophysics Division. The goal of the Astrophysics Division is to seek to understand the universe and our place in it.
Learn more about this agency12/22/2021 to 03/21/2022
$188,303 - $194,126 per year
ES 00
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—NASA may consider reimbursement of relocation expenses based on Agency discretion and/or organizational needs; relocation expense reimbursement is not guaranteed.
Permanent
Full-time
Senior Executive
None
Yes
Yes
HQ-22-ES-11334214
628265700
- Reports directly to the SMD Associate Administrator (AA) and provides support in determining and presenting the Astrophysics Program to NASA senior management, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Executive Office stakeholders, and Congress.
- Supports the AA in partnership with other SMD Directors in providing the overall guidance, strategy, focus advocacy, and budget for NASA's Science Program. The Astrophysics Division has an annual budget of around $1.6 billion dollars.
- Leads a division of approximately 35 people, including scientists, engineers, and administrative professionals who help plan and manage NASA's Astrophysics Program, consistent with and leveraging interagency and international activities.
- Provides scientific and technical leadership required to guide implementation of relevant activities and flight projects at the NASA Field Centers, other Government research laboratories, academia, and private industry.
- Formulates future programs, develops a strategy for their implementation which is consistent with available resources, and establishes the feasibility of the flight mission portfolio, all in conjunction with a robust research and analysis program.
- Ensures an effective and innovative portfolio of research and technology activities; serves as a liaison with the science communities through advisory committees and the National Academies of Sciences; communicates science results to the public.
- Promotes diversity and inclusiveness within the workplace, within NASA appointed teams and committees, and within the science community.
- Responsible for all aspects of organizational management, including selection of employees, assignment of duties, evaluation of performance, planning of training, and recommendation of awards, promotions, discipline and adverse actions.
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.
1/3/2022 - Amended vacancy to updated salary.
As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the agency, if after November 22. We will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exception from this requirement.
Due to COVID-19, NASA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within 30 days. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the agency's telework policy.
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.
We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on your narrative statements addressing the ECQs and MTQs. Your application will then be referred to and evaluated by an Executive Resources Panel (ERP) and will be placed in one of the following categories: Not Qualified, Qualified, or Highly-qualified. Candidates may receive an interview and/or be asked to provide a list of references. The ERP will make a recommendation to the appropriate approving authority.
You must provide a complete application package. If you do not provide all required information, you will not be considered for this position. Only provide the following:
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. 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. Executive Core Qualifications narrative responses, if applicable. Limit your response to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
3. Mandatory Technical Qualifications narrative responses. Limit your response to 1 page per MTQ. If more than 1 page per MTQ is submitted, only the first pages for each MTQ 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, SES Candidate Development Program certificate, 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.
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.
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.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/628265700. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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