Planetary Defense Officer

Summary

NASA's Planetary Science Division, within the Science Mission Directorate, leads robotic exploration across the solar system-excluding the Sun and Earth-to advance understanding of planetary formation, evolution, and the potential for life. The Division also includes NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which oversees efforts to detect, track, and characterize asteroids and comets that may pose a threat to Earth.

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Duties

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The Planetary Defense Officer:

• Advises the Associate Administrator (AA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) on issues pertaining to NASA's Planetary Defense.
• Serves as a Program Executive for managing assigned programs/projects and provides strategic leadership to all Planetary Defense activities.
• Serves as Agency's senior executive and principal authority for planetary defense, establishing strategic vision, policy direction, and long-range planning to protect the United States and the global community from near-Earth object (NEO) impact hazards.
• Advises senior Agency leadership and Executive Branch officials on planetary defense strategy, risk posture, and response options; represents NASA in high-level interagency forums as well as national and international preparedness activities.
• Leads and provides executive oversight of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office ensuring integration of detection, tracking, characterization, risk assessment, and mitigation activities across the Agency and with domestic and international partners.
• Directs formulation and execution of program plans, policies, budgets, and performance measures for planetary defense initiatives, ensuring alignment with national space policy and Administration priorities.
• Oversees development of mitigation mission concepts and technologies, ensuring technical rigor, risk-informed decision-making, and readiness to execute time-sensitive response missions if required.
• Ensures effective communication of planetary defense risks and strategies to stakeholders, policymakers, the media, and the public, maintaining transparency and credibility in matters of national and global importance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.

Qualifications

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 hat 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(s). Only your 2-page resume will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs)

For more information on the ECQs, please visit OPM's ECQ webpage.

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 must include accomplishments that address the MTQ(s).

MTQ 1 - Demonstrated experience managing programs or projects and providing strategic leadership in planetary defense or planetary science activities, including collaborating across national and international planetary communities. Competencies: Planetary Science, 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 to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Education

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.

Additional information

Veterans' preference is not applicable to the SES.

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.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.