Space Environments Engineer

Space Environments Engineer

This position will assist the Space Environments Team at the MSFC Natural Environments Branch through providing support to the space environments program leads. Specific support to be provided includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Coordinate and interface with programs and project teams and personnel in reviews, meetings, technical interchange meetings, technical performance meetings, teleconferences, working groups, and trade studies.
• Provide space environments expertise to programs and projects, including consultation on space environments specifications and updates.
• Perform oversight/insight activities to ensure subsystem and spacecraft designs are implementing space environment program requirements.
• Review delivered products to verify they sufficiently document the environment definition and implementation in design, testing, and analysis.
• Provide information and deliverables for key systems engineering program/project milestones.
• Develop, prepare, and deliver technical programmatic briefings, as requested.
• Coordinate with space environments subject matter experts for technical support, analysis, product reviews, and environments development.
• Report to program leadership on technical milestones and accomplishments on a regularly approved basis.
• Evaluate risk implications and communicate risk at the program level.
• Assist in the book management of the Design Specification for Natural Environments.

A degree in physics, space science, or a related science or engineering discipline is required. Typically, educational requirements are the equivalent of a BS with 5-9 years of experience, a master's with 3-7 years of relevant experience, or a Ph.D. Experience and interest in both space environments and systems engineering is highly desired. The candidate is required to have:

• Familiarity with the systems engineering life cycle end-to-end development ranging from requirements development, functional design, hardware integration, requirement verification, and flight readiness that ultimately lead to flight hardware certification.
• Knowledge of the development and documentation of requirements, processes, and/or procedures associated with aerospace flight and ground hardware design, development, production, test, verification, evaluation, integration, and/or operations.
• Knowledge of natural space environments applicable to human spaceflight missions, such as ionizing radiation, space plasma, lunar surface properties, etc.
• Experience participating in project lifecycle reviews.
• Intermediate skills using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams & Outlook) are required.
• Excellent written and oral technical communication skills, with the ability to clearly define and describe a technical subject to peers across various engineering disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering project briefings.
• Experience negotiating and collaborating to resolve complex technical problems and breaking down complex problems or issues into manageable pieces.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and effective team player with customer relation skills, familiar with working in a dynamic work environment.

Desired qualifications and experience (presence of one or more of these qualifications will be used as a selection factor):

• Knowledge of NASA's Human Landing System, its Elements, Interfaces, and Mission Configurations.
• Knowledge of the Artemis Program.
• Experience with the Gateway, Human Landing System, International Space Station, Space Launch System, Orion, or other similar space vehicles and programs is highly desired.

Essential Functions Work Environment: Office environment. Requires ability to provide clear, concise, accurate and timely communication, both verbally and in writing (100%). Requires ability to interact professionally with co-workers, management, and client (100%). Requires travel in the domestic USA (5%). Requires ability to work at a computer for long periods of time (100%).

Physical Requirements: Requires sitting for extended periods of time in meetings with peers, management, and with our client at NASA facilities to discuss technical issues (10%). Also, requires sitting for extended periods of time at a desk to write reports and perform engineering tasks (80%). Requires ability to use stairs or elevators for access between floors and multiple buildings at NASA and our facilities (10%).

Equipment and Machines: Requires ability to operate a personal computer, a telephone, fax machine, copier, calculator, and other general office equipment (100%).

Attendance: Normal workday 7:30-4:30, Monday thru Friday. Minimal overtime may be required (10%) to meet schedule milestones and to support technical demands of the job. Regular attendance is a necessity, and adequate arrangements for delegating duties during absences are required.

Other Essential Functions: The ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and to make rational decisions, and to exercise good judgment is essential (100%). Grooming and dress must be appropriate for the position and must not impose a safety risk/hazard to the employee or others. Proof of U.S. Citizenship is required.