Aerospace Engineer (Direct Hire

Aerospace Engineer (Direct Hire)

Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration

Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, Office of Operational Safety

As an
Aerospace Engineer your work will directly impact the safety of expendable and reusable launch/reentry vehicles, launch/reentry sites, and their integration into the National Airspace System. You will apply engineering principles, theories, and concepts to support safety evaluations and analyses for proposed commercial space transportation activities.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Safety Analysis & Evaluations: Conduct technical reviews and safety evaluations for commercial space transportation activities, focusing on public safety, system/component reliability, and organizational safety procedures.

• Regulatory & Licensing Support: 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.

• Field Inspections & Compliance: Support safety inspections of commercial launch, reentry, and site operations to ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.

• Data & Technical Reporting: Collect and analyze operational data, perform trend analyses, conduct engineering testing, and author comprehensive technical and management reports.

• Stakeholder Coordination: Assist with the initial interface for government and industry stakeholders, as well as new commercial space transportation applicants requiring licensing.

Key Areas of Expertise Sought

Candidates should possess background experience or transferable skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Project Management & Systems Integration: Experience managing or participating in complex, multi-phase space engineering projects through certification, approval, or compliance. Background in systems engineering and integration, ensuring different technical disciplines (software, hardware, safety) align within a single project.

• Physics-Based Flight Safety & Hazard Analysis: Experience performing advanced calculations, trajectory modeling, orbital mechanics, aerodynamics, or ballistics. Background or familiarity with Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), system safety engineering (e.g., MIL-STD-882), software reliability, explosives/blast effects, structural dynamics, or toxic hazard modeling.

• Operational Monitoring & Field Inspections: 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 conducting/participating in mishap, accident, and anomaly investigations.

You may be eligible for an FAA recruitment incentive of up to $20,000, with a two-year service commitment, when needed to support AST workforce growth and meet the increasing demands of the commercial space transportation industry. Recruitment incentives may be used as a hiring tool for all grades/bands (FV-G through FV-K and equivalent) as needed to meet hiring goals. Recruitment incentives may not exceed 25% of the employee's annual rate of basic pay.

This blanket authorization expires on September 30, 2026.

• US Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Designated or Random Drug Testing required.
• This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.
• Travel Required:
  
  25% (Domestic)

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS BELOW:

To qualify for this position at the FV-I level: Candidates must have one year (52 weeks) of SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (FV-H or FG/GS-12) that is typically related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression…