Technical Fellow Loads and Dynamics

The NASA Technical Fellows Program recognizes Agency-wide technical excellence and leadership, with Fellows serving within the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC); advising the Office of the Chief Engineer, NASA programs and Mission Directorates. Also serves as a voting member on the NESC Review Board. Fellows perform value-added testing, analysis, and assessments of NASA's high-risk projects to ensure safety and mission success.

• Serves as the Agency's authoritative technical resource in Loads and Dynamics, applying advanced engineering theory and operational expertise, frequently leading teams and providing the technical foundation for evaluating and reducing mission risk.
• Provides Agency-wide technical leadership and collaboration in Loads and Dynamics, leading independent assessments and partnering with recognized researchers and engineers across NASA centers, academia, national laboratories, industry, and the Department of Defense to conduct and sponsor work that informs Loads and Dynamics mission risk.
• Communicates and fosters Loads and Dynamics knowledge, publishing engineering findings through NASA channels, journals, seminars, NESC Academy courses, or domestic/international universities; serve as an invited presenter at conferences and promote participation in engineering academies.
• Provides senior technical leadership for independent technical reviews, serving as the national/international expert in Loads and Dynamics.
• Establishes, leads, and stewards a Technical Discipline Team (TDT) of the Agency's foremost Loads and Dynamics experts, and augmenting by external specialists‑to support independent assessments and ensure discipline stewardship across NASA.
• Provide advanced static and dynamic structural analysis expertise, including strength/stiffness evaluation, nonlinear behavior, thermal mechanical integration, optomechanical and tribology assessments, joint analysis, vibroacoustics, modal/frequency response, shock, aeroelastic effects, and coupled loads environments.
• Develop, review, and independently validate structural models and simulations, ensuring sound assumptions, boundary conditions, and analytical methods for hardware performance across mission scenarios.
• Leads Agency-wide Loads and Dynamics discipline stewardship activities, including technical workshops, knowledge‑sharing forums, identification and cataloging of critical skills and facilities, assessment of emerging technical challenges, and periodic reporting of discipline health, capability, and risk to Agency leadership.

• The individuals selected will be required to file an 'Executive Branch Personnel Financial Disclosure Report' (OGE-278e) within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
• Successful completion of a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.
• Successful completion of pre-employment and random drug testing may be required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance as required by the position.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period. See additional information section.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.

Candidates must be a recognized subject matter expert with at least 1 year of directly related experience equivalent to the GS-15 level in leading independent technical reviews and serving as an authoritative expert in loads and dynamics for high-risk aerospace programs. Must have experience developing,…