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AST - Planetary Studies

Headquarters, NASAHuntsville, Alabama, Edwards AFB, California, Moffett Field, California, Washington, District of Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Greenbelt, Maryland, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Cleveland, Ohio, Houston, Texas, Hampton, Virginiausajobspublished 10/23/2026
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3 more positions at Headquarters, NASA →
Must-have:AISeniorPrincipal

Your tasks

You will serve as NASA's Orbital Debris Mitigation Officer, leading oversight of orbital debris mitigation efforts by NASA's programs and projects, developing and maintaining standards and processes, overseeing mission compliance, coordinating technical assessments and activities, advising leadership as the agency's expert, and fostering collaboration across NASA and the federal government.

  • 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.
  • Serves as NASA's senior program authority and principal advisor to the Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, on Agency-wide orbital debris mitigation matters.
  • Provides leadership for the development, implementation, interpretation, and continuous improvement of NASA internal directives, standards, and technical requirements governing orbital debris mitigation for flight programs and projects.
  • Advises on programs and projects regarding orbital debris mitigation practices and compliance with Federal standards and NASA requirements governing orbital debris mitigation.
  • Provides authoritative technical and policy interpretation to Mission Directorates, Centers, Program Managers, and Technical Authorities regarding compliance obligations, risk acceptance decisions, and technical standards.
  • Exercises Agency-level review responsibility for orbital debris mitigation, ensuring consistency in policy implementation and independent safety oversight across NASA programs and projects.
  • Represents NASA in high-visibility interagency, national, and international forums involving orbital debris mitigation, space sustainability, and related policy matters.

Requirements

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement (in the Education section below), to qualify for this position you must meet the requirements below and have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above. NASA utilizes OPM-approved qualification and rating requirements specific for Aerospace Technology (AST) positions which recognizes NASA's unique aerospace work. The specific qualifications and minimum education requirements are further described below and within the education section of the job announcement. To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Applying models and tools to characterize the orbital debris environment and assess the risk of orbital debris generation and disposal methods; Developing and implementing orbital debris mitigation requirements for NASA programs and projects in accordance with NASA orbital debris policies and standards; Generating Orbital Debris Assessment Reports (ODAR) and End of Mission Plans (EOMP) for NASA programs and projects in accordance with NASA orbital debris policies and standards. To qualify for GS-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level: Leading or conducting technical assessments, reviews, and compliance activities related to orbital debris mitigation measures for spaceflight missions; Planning, developing, and implementing orbital debris mitigation activities of major agency programs of national scope and impact; Consulting and advising on developing and implementing policies, guidelines, and orbital debris mitigation practices for spaceflight projects. 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. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in one of the following: a) Engineering from a college or university that has ABET accredited engineering programs b) Physical Science, Mathematics, Life Science or other field of Science c) Computer Science that included 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of course work in any combination of mathematics, statistics and computer science with at least half of those hours in mathematics and statistics courses that included differential and integral calculus; and that provided an in-depth knowledge of theoretical and practical applications of computer science, including digital computer system architecture and system software organization, the representation and transformation of information structures, and the theoretical models for such representations and transformations. If you did not complete a qualifying bachelor's degree, you may be eligible if you have obtained a graduate degree in an AST qualifying field, as listed above. Applicants who do not fully meet the basic education requirement may still be considered if they possess exceptional relevant experience, or a combination of education and experience, that clearly demonstrates significant full performance-level achievement directly related to the duties of this position. Engineering degrees earned within the United States: Engineering degrees earned within the United States must be from a college or university that has at least one ABET accredited engineering program. To find out if a school has at least one ABET accredited program, please visit http://www.abet.org. Engineering degrees earned outside the United States: Engineering degrees earned outside the United States must be recognized by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), often known as accords. These are non-governmental agreements among organizations that accredit academic degree programs. MRAs recognize the substantial equivalence of mature accreditation systems and programs accredited by signatory organizations within their jurisdictions. For a listing of Signatories, please visit, https://www.abet.org/global-presence/mutual-recognition-agreements/is-your-program-recognized/. Science and other related degrees earned within the United States: Science and other related degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. Science and other related degrees earned outside the United States: 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, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.