Director ISS Vehicle Office

Lyndon B. Johnson Space CenterHouston, Texasusajobspublished 09/09/2026
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Must-have:AISeniorLead

Incumbent serves as Director, International Space Station (ISS) Vehicle Office in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Program and reports to the LEO Program Manager. The incumbent manages the overall development and implementation for the integrated vehicle systems (crewed and uncrewed) required by the Program to develop, deliver, and sustain a functional Space Station vehicle and associated hardware.

Major duties

The Director ISS Vehicle Office: Chairs the ISS Vehicle Control Board to manage vehicle development and resolve design, development, operations, and maintenance issues. Manages establishment of end-to-end integrated vehicle systems requirements, verification methods, interface specifications, and operations modes. Directs end-to-end hardware lifecycle activities including design, development, integration, testing, certification, flight readiness, and operations. Manages sparing and logistics planning to ensure minimum on-orbit sparing and mitigate ISS failures and anomalies.

  • Oversees integration of ISS vehicle systems designs across NASA, the prime contractor, and International Partners to ensure architecture and functionality requirements are met. Manages and sustains the Russian FGB Module, including technical coordination and contract negotiation with Russian partners. Leads requirements development and establishes flight integration and on-orbit use plans for Exploration-related technology demonstrations, including budget and workforce management. Addresses technical and risk-related issues associated with ISS-attached commercial vehicles, including interface requirements and certification plans. Manages multidisciplinary international teams designing ISS deorbit, including trajectory analysis and systems configuration requirements, certification, and implementation. Directs preparation of long-range plans, schedules, and budget estimates for ISS integrated vehicle systems and commits the Vehicle Office to actions within program policy.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment, you must clearly articulate and describe within your 2-page resume that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications MTQ(s) related to this position. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and MTQ(s), you may be disqualified. Any additional pages over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed. Your resume should include evidence of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent. If you are (1) currently serving under a career SES appointment, (2) eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period), OR (3) have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and certified by OPM, you do not need to address the ECQs in your resume. However, your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for SES reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification. Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the ECQs or MTQ(s). Only your 2-page resume will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs) For more information on the ECQs, please visit OPM's ECQ webpage.

ECQ 1 - Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people. Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, and Civic-Mindedness

ECQ 2 - Driving Efficiency: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology

ECQ 3 - Merit and Competence: This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. Competencies: Technical Skill, Problem Solving, Agility and Resilience

ECQ 4 - Leading People: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. Competencies: Accountability, Developing Others, Executive Judgment

ECQ 5 - Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. Competencies: Operational Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (MTQ): Your resume must include accomplishments that address the MTQ(s). MTQ: Demonstrated experience leading the development, integration, testing, technical risk trades, and lifecycle management of complex, multidisciplinary vehicle systems, including hardware and software, for large-scale international human spaceflight programs. This includes overseeing requirements definition, verification methods, interface design, hardware certification, cost and risk, contracts, operations, logistics, and sparing. Competencies: Program/Project Management and Risk Management

Your application package must be in your own words. 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.

Education

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 college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. 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 is required. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

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.