Public Notice - Psychologist (Direct Hire)

About the role

The Operational Psychologist serves as a subject matter expert related to high-performance individuals and teams. You will provide psychological assessment and operational countermeasure implementation and support to astronauts and their dependents, and operational personnel. This includes astronaut applicant screening and selection; training of astronauts; provision of interventions; monitoring pre-flight readiness; in-flight wellness; post-flight psychological repatriation; and resource management.

Responsibilities

• Help Provide real-time clinical and operational psychological support to NASA crew pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight.
• Aid in the development and implementation of the behavioral health and performance portion of astronaut selection.
• Develop and deliver psychological training and countermeasures for human space flight.
• Provide input to the development of design criteria, standards, and operational requirements for the human system, including habitability, cognition, and human performance.
• Assist in providing oversight, direction, and mentoring of contract operational psychologists and monitor contractor performance on Behavioral Health and Performance tasks.
• Contribute to the development of novel clinical countermeasures to mitigate mission safety risks related to human performance.
• Provide aeromedical expertise in individual psychological testing and assessment, with emphasis on neurocognitive testing and psychological suitability assessments for mission-critical positions.
• Mentor less experienced operational and clinical psychologists in the advanced practice of psychological assessment, training, and psychological support in operational settings.

Requirements

Conditions of employment: This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. This position may require a one-year probationary/trial period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section** You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements. Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements. Must obtain or maintain a current License and/or Certification: Active/Unrestricted state license to practice Psychology in Texas.

Qualifications

• To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level: Conducting clinical psychological testing, behavioral health evaluations, and psychological suitability assessments to determine the readiness of personnel serving in high-risk operational environments; Developing and implementing psychological assessment methods, behavioral health countermeasures, and operational support strategies to enhance human performance and mission readiness; and Providing operational psychological consultation and behavioral health support to identify performance risks and support mission operations.
• To qualify for GS-14, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Leading clinical psychological assessment programs and behavioral health evaluations to improve personnel readiness and mitigate human performance risks in high-risk operational environments; Designing and integrating psychological assessment methodologies, behavioral health countermeasures, and operational support programs to improve operational performance and mission success; and Advising senior leadership on behavioral health, psychological assessment, and human performance to inform mission operations, human performance, and operational effectiveness.
• To qualify for GS-15, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level: Directing advanced clinical psychological testing and behavioral health evaluation activities to establish standards for assessing personnel serving in high-risk, complex operational environments; Developing psychological methods, measures, and assessment strategies to assess and select high-performance personnel for spaceflight and other high-risk operational deployments; and Translating behavioral health and human performance knowledge into operational requirements to improve mission safety, human performance, and operational effectiveness.