Aerospace Engineer (Direct Hire)

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation has a dual-purpose mission focused on ensuring safety and fostering the growth of the commercial space transportation industry. It achieves this by licensing and regulating commercial space launches and reentries, as well as the operations of launch and reentry sites. Additionally, the office develops public safety standards and requirements to keep pace with the commercial space transportation industry and emerging technologies.

Core Duties and Responsibilities Safety Analysis & Evaluations: Conduct technical reviews and safety evaluations for commercial space transportation activities, focusing on public safety, system/component reliability, and organizational safety procedures. Regulatory & Licensing Support: Review contractor work, technical documents, and applications for licenses, permits, or safety approvals. Assist in developing regulatory requirements for new and existing commercial space technologies. Field Inspections & Compliance: Support safety inspections of commercial launch, reentry, and site operations to ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements. Data & Technical Reporting: Collect and analyze operational data, perform trend analyses, conduct engineering testing, and author comprehensive technical and management reports. Stakeholder Coordination: Assist with the initial interface for government and industry stakeholders, as well as new commercial space transportation applicants requiring licensing. Key Areas of Expertise Sought Candidates should possess background experience or transferable skills in one or more of the following areas: Project Management & Systems Integration: Experience managing or participating in complex, multi-phase space engineering projects through certification, approval, or compliance. Background in systems engineering and integration, ensuring different technical disciplines (software, hardware, safety) align within a single project. Physics-Based Flight Safety & Hazard Analysis: Experience performing advanced calculations, trajectory modeling, orbital mechanics, aerodynamics, or ballistics. Background or familiarity with Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), system safety engineering (e.g., MIL-STD-882), software reliability, explosives/blast effects, structural dynamics, or toxic hazard modeling. Operational Monitoring & Field Inspections: Hands-on operational experience in flight testing, mission control, military flight operations, or aerospace manufacturing floors. Experience with quality assurance, field inspections, compliance monitoring, or conducting/participating in mishap, accident, and anomaly investigations.

Qualifications

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS BELOW: To qualify for this position at the FV-I level: Candidates must have one year (52 weeks) of SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (FV-H or FG/GS-12) that is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE at the next lower level- FV-H/GS-12: Experience designing, developing, evaluating, or integrating various complex technical products and analyses related aerospace systems or operations.; OR Experience conducting trajectory, debris, or quantitative safety risk analyses for aerospace vehicles to perform/evaluate system safety or hazard analyses for aerospace safety; OR Experience conducting inspections, investigations/compliance enforcement, or mishaps; writing reports sufficient to substantiate findings. To qualify for this position at the FV-J level: Candidates must have one year (52 weeks) of SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (FV-I or FG/GS-13) that is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE at the next lower level- FV-I/GS-13: Experience leading the design, development and/or evaluation or integration of various complex products and analyses related to aerospace systems, launch and reentry vehicles or operations.; OR Experience leading conducting advanced physics-based flight safety modeling, safety risk analyses, and developing or validating complex engineering simulation tools for aerospace safety; OR Experience leading a team on conducting inspections, investigations/compliance enforcement, or mishaps; writing reports sufficient to substantiate findings. You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD OR HAVE HELD THIS POSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interviews, or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification. Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and/or selective placement factor(s) (SPF) may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) and/or Quality Ranking Factor (QRF) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: (1) score order; (2) category grouping; (3) alphabetical; or (4) priority grouping, and referred to the selecting official for selection consideration. *Applicants who fail to demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position.* Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA. **All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.**