Aerospace Engineer

at  US Federal Aviation Administration

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.
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EXPERIENCE RELATED TO THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION OF LAUNCH VEHICLES.

• OR-¿

EDUCATION

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a
school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and
integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the
following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of
materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e)
electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and
aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering
science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience - college-level education, training, and/or technical
experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences
underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the
engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.
The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
1. Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (El),
Engineer in Training (EIT) or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District
of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those
applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather
or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the
specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a
State Board’s eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only
for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)
2examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering
licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in
the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the
basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the
requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree in an
appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture,
computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s
degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering
experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there
should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering
competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in
interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)
Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted
under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors
indicate otherwise.
Preview Job Questionnaire
Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

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.

• How to Apply

You must apply online to receive consideration. Your application must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must be submitted at the time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with a register.

DETERMINING LENGTH OF GENERAL OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE IS DEPENDENT ON THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND FAILURE TO PROVIDE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION MAY RESULT IN A FINDING OF INELIGIBLE.

You may upload completed documents to your USAJOBS Account. This will provide you the opportunity to utilize the uploaded information again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide, Document Upload Guide, for more information on uploading and re-using the documents in your applications.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

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.
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DUTIES

Performs multiple, varying and complex assignments and plans the implementation of projects/programs under limited direction of a manager, project/program manager, or more experienced engineer. May act as a contributing specialist on large work activities or as a team leader for single or small work activities. Supports the analyses and conducts safety evaluations for proposed space transportation activities that involve the launch or reentry of expendable and reusable launch vehicles, specializing in Flight Safety Systems. Supports the conduct of safety inspections of commercial launch, reentry, and site operations to ensure that systems and processes do not pose unacceptable risks to the public and can operate in compliance with established safety, environmental and regulatory requirements.
Applies experience and advanced knowledge of engineering principles, theories, and concepts applicable to his/her discipline to accomplish assignments-and to develop plans and techniques to improve programs and policies. Typical assignments may include: analyzing data, system design and integration; extensive research.
The analyses and evaluations include those aspects of the launch operations that may affect public safety such as reliability of critical systems and components, safety policies and procedures, and safety personnel and organization. Provides assistance for technical reviews and regarding the adequacy of technical documents, analyses, procedures, or policies submitted by an applicant seeking a license, permit or safety approval.
Contacts are internal and external. May act as a key technical point of contact for assigned activities. Contributes to the preparation of management/technical reports or contractual documents and may be called upon to communicate the overall results of a project or work activity to FAA management, the commercial space transportation industry and other external agencies.
Established policies/procedures provide guidance for most assignments, but allow considerable discretion to select the most appropriate approach or to recommend new approaches. Provides assistance in enabling licensed and permitted operations to be safely and efficiently integrated into the National Airspace System. Assists in the development of regulatory requirements for new and existing technologies and concepts for commercial space transportation involving expendable and reusable launch vehicles. Assists with the initial interface for government and industry stakeholders as well as new commercial space transportation applicants requiring FAA licensing.
Work is reviewed periodically, typically at major milestones and at completion, for technical compliance and alignment with the requirements of the project or other work activity.