Director Engineering Directorate

NASA•Virginia, IL 62691, US• Full Time

Posted 2 months ago• Business & Finance• Mechanical

Compensation

$217,333–$223,379/year

Job Description

Summary

The Director, Engineering Directorate (ED) at NASA's Langley Research Center is responsible for providing systems engineering and discipline engineering capabilities to the Center. The incumbent provides technical leadership and systems management to engineers, technicians, and business personnel required to deliver and/or compete effectively for, and meet commitments on, engineering and technology development work that support the research, science, and technology needs of the Center.

Open & closing dates

02/11/2026 to 02/26/2026

Salary $217,333 to - $223,379 per year Pay scale & grade ES 00

Location

Duties

The Director Engineering Directorate is responsible for:

Infusing a systems engineering approach across the Center's space flight development and technology development activities, such as developing high-quality systems engineering and discipline engineering specialist skills and cost-effective product development processes needed to create concepts.
Conducting trade studies and designing, developing, fabricating, and integrating hardware for research systems for Langley-assigned efforts. This includes performing physical system integration, functional and environmental testing, and preparation of the system for shipment.
Serving as a member of the Center Leadership Team and working closely with other Center organizations to ensure that all Center plans and work are consistent and well-integrated within the overall Center strategy and operating plan.
Defining long range goals and measures for the Engineering Directorate and ensuring development of strategically selected capabilities (people and facilities) needed to support programs and build future capabilities, programs, and elements that are aligned with NASA mission needs.
Executing funded program/project elements; identifying ED user and funder needs; and establishes the desired balance of concept, technology, and hardware development work. Also, strengthens existing partnerships and establishes new partnerships critical for success.
Maintaining and building market intelligence, technical intelligence, and competitive intelligence.
Developing, maintaining, and promoting the use of a lessons-learned knowledge capture system.
Collaborating and negotiating with other organizational Directors to supply resources to meet Center commitments and develop future systems engineering capabilities.
Cultivating and nurturing a relationship with the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate and the Research Directorate to jointly provide concept-to-flight services for Langley deliverables.

Requirements

The individual 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.
Initial Senior Executive Service (SES) Career appointee is subject to a one-year probationary period.
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.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

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 includeevidence 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. Only your 2-page resume will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs)

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 should demonstrate accomplishments that would address the MTQ(s).

MTQ 1 - Demonstrated experience in the leadership and management of systems engineering and discipline engineering in the design, development, fabrication, and integration (such as performing physical system integration, functional and environmental testing, and preparation of the system for shipment) of hardware for research, science, and technology. Competencies: Systems Engineering and Technical Work and Team 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. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

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.

Evaluation

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

We will review your resume to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your application will be referred to and evaluated by an executive panel. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and/or be asked to provide a list of references or additional documents to confirm eligibility.

Upon selection, if the selectee does not have Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), he/she must undergo an ECQ based structured interview with OPM before appointment to this position.

Required Documents

A complete application includes items described below. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may be removed from consideration for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application.

RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a two (2) page resume showing all relevant experience. Applicants seeking initial career appointment to the SES must include evidence of the ECQs and MTQ(s) within their resume. Please see this guidance: . Note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package may be disqualified:

Classified or government sensitive information.
Social Security Number (SSN)
Photos of yourself
Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
Encrypted and digitally signed documents.

If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application

VACANCY QUESTION/ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES: Responses are automatically submitted through USAJOBS when you apply to this vacancy.

You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request academic transcripts, SF-50s, SES Candidate Development Program certificate, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.