Aerospace Engineer (Direct Hire)

Federal Aviation Administration•Los Angeles County, CA

About The Position

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation works to ensure safety and foster the growth of the commercial space transportation industry. It licenses and regulates commercial space launches and reentries and launch and reentry site operations, and develops public safety standards and requirements to keep pace with industry developments and emerging technologies. The Aerospace Engineer conducts technical reviews and safety evaluations of commercial space transportation activities, considering public safety, system and component reliability, and organizational safety procedures. The role supports regulatory and licensing reviews, field inspections, operational data analysis, engineering testing, technical reporting, and coordination with government and industry stakeholders and applicants seeking licensing. Candidates may bring relevant experience or transferable skills in project management and systems integration; physics-based flight safety and hazard analysis; or operational monitoring and field inspections. The position may be filled at the FV-G or FV-H level. The FV-G level requires general engineering experience. The FV-H level requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, such as applying regulations and standards to review or analyze information, evaluating information and developing solutions, or participating in investigations or compliance enforcement and writing reports. This position has a positive education requirement. Applicants must meet the stated engineering education requirements or an allowed combination of education and experience, and must submit transcripts and any required certificates. U.S. citizenship is required. The position requires domestic travel of 25%, drug testing, and a background investigation; a one-year probationary period may also be required.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
The position is subject to designated or random drug testing.
Applicants must meet the positive education requirement through an eligible engineering degree or an allowed combination of education and experience, as specified in the announcement.
Applicants must submit college or university transcripts and certificates by the announcement closing date; an official transcript is required before appointment if selected.
At the FV-G level, general experience in engineering is required.
At the FV-H level, one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to FV-G or FG/GS-11 is required.
FV-H specialized experience must be related to the work and may include using regulations, standards, and guidance to review, research, investigate, or analyze data; evaluating information and making sound judgments or developing solutions; or participating in investigations or compliance enforcement and writing reports substantiating findings.
Travel required: 25% domestic.
A favorable background investigation is required before appointment unless a waiver is obtained.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing or participating in complex, multi-phase space engineering projects through certification, approval, or compliance.
Background in systems engineering and integration across software, hardware, and safety disciplines.
Experience with advanced calculations, trajectory modeling, orbital mechanics, aerodynamics, or ballistics.
Background or familiarity with Probabilistic Risk Assessment, system safety engineering such as MIL-STD-882, software reliability, explosives or blast effects, structural dynamics, or toxic hazard modeling.
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 mishap, accident, and anomaly investigations.

Responsibilities

Conduct technical reviews and safety evaluations of commercial space transportation activities, including public safety, system and component reliability, and organizational safety procedures.
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.
Support safety inspections of commercial launch, reentry, and site operations for compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
Collect and analyze operational data, perform trend analyses, and conduct engineering testing.
Author comprehensive technical and management reports.
Assist with initial coordination and communication with government and industry stakeholders and new commercial space transportation applicants requiring licensing.