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NASA is accepting applications for its next flight-director class through October 12, 2026. Apply through the USAJOBS vacancy announcement and submit the complete package by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time that day. The opening is based at Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the live announcement controls the exact eligibility and submission requirements.
What NASA flight directors do
Flight directors lead flight controllers, astronauts, and commercial and international partners during real-time human-spaceflight operations. They integrate technical and operational teams, make risk-informed decisions, and direct responses as missions unfold. Before launch, they work with engineering, safety, and program partners to ensure plans align with spacecraft capabilities and mission objectives.
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NASA describes the job as planning, directing, and controlling an integrated multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include setting mission objectives and flight plans, establishing mission rules, managing preflight and real-time risks, leading contingency responses, certifying readiness, and training flight-control teams and crew. The current announcement covers missions to the International Space Station and Artemis missions to the Moon, with human Mars missions part of NASA’s longer-term horizon. NASA’s October 2, 2026 announcement and its flight-director FAQ describe the role and upcoming mission context.
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NASA’s FAQ says candidates must be U.S. citizens and hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics. Candidates also need substantial, progressively responsible professional experience related to the role, including time-critical decision-making in high-stress, high-risk environments. Previous NASA flight-controller experience is not a prerequisite.
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For this particular opening, however, use the USAJOBS announcement as the authority. It is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and people who owe allegiance to the United States, and advertises GS-14 and GS-15 levels. Applicants must satisfy the announcement’s grade-specific specialized-experience and education requirements; meeting a broad degree description alone does not establish eligibility.
GS-14 experience
The GS-14 qualification calls for at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-13. The experience must demonstrate relevant technical operations and risk decisions, integration of ground, crew, and spacecraft capabilities, mission planning or execution, and coalition-building.
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GS-15 experience
The GS-15 qualification calls for at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-14. It includes leading technical operations, providing technical and team leadership through planning, procedures, training, or real-time execution, and working across stakeholder organizations.
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Education details
The announcement specifies ABET accreditation for U.S. engineering programs, coursework requirements for science and computer-science degrees, and circumstances in which graduate education, exceptional relevant experience, or foreign credentials may be considered. Read its education section carefully and provide the required evidence rather than assuming that a degree title is sufficient.
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How to apply for the 2026 opening
The vacancy is a full-time, permanent, non-remote position at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It is listed at GS-14/15, with a posted salary range of $145,052–$197,200 per year for this announcement. Mission operations may require nights, weekends, and holidays. Confirm the live posting for any updates before applying.
- Open the vacancy: Go to the Flight Director announcement on USAJOBS and review its eligibility, grade, education, and submission instructions.
- Prepare the required documents: Submit a resume of no more than two pages and a transcript showing the education requirement, along with the completed online application and vacancy questionnaire.
- Write evidence-based experience descriptions: Use your own words to explain how dated experience meets the specialized-experience requirements for the grade you seek. The announcement warns that copied experience statements may be treated as plagiarism and can result in disqualification.
- Complete the application online: NASA assesses Mission Assurance, Mission Execution, Problem Solving, Technical Competence, and Decision Making. Your questionnaire answers should accurately match your resume and supporting documents; overstating qualifications may remove you from consideration.
- Submit by the deadline: The complete online application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 12, 2026. This announcement does not accept materials by fax, email, or mail.
NASA’s general career application guidance may help with federal application basics, but the vacancy announcement’s instructions govern this application.
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What happens after selection
NASA says selected candidates receive instruction across spacecraft systems, extensive simulations, on-the-job assignments, and mentoring from senior flight directors. Initial certification can take up to 16 months, followed by continuing learning as missions evolve. Flight directors are based at Johnson Space Center; the work can include training at facilities such as the Neutral Buoyancy Lab and operating on console in Mission Control.
NASA said on October 2, 2026, that it plans to announce selections by the end of 2026. The current FAQ, vacancy, and announcement do not publish an applicant success rate or selection odds, so there is no substantiated percentage to use when weighing an application.
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