Astromaterials Research Section Manager

Amentum; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits (401(k) matching)

Educational reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Amentum is seeking an Astromaterials Research Section Manager to oversee a NASA-focused group, drive safety programs, and coordinate tasks and reporting across centers. You will manage staffing, budgets, and performance within a dynamic space exploration environment.

Requirements include a BS in a physical sciences field and 5–10 years of leadership experience, with strong communication and organizational skills.

Qualifications

• BS degree in a relevant field and 5–10 years of experience.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and coordination with managers and customers.
• Ability to review Task Orders and prioritize tasks with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Report to the Group Manager for Basic and Applied Science.
• Review and approve timecards and travel requests.
• Conduct personnel performance reviews and resolve issues.
• Perform recruiting activities.
• Ensure proper team reporting to NASA customer on tasking.
• Lead safety efforts in Research labs and promote a culture of care and safety.
• Provide regular status reports to the Department Director and DTM: staffing, schedule/budget highlights, risk, actions.
• Perform other duties as required.

Skills

Communication skills

Coordination

Negotiation

Time management

Organizational skills

Task order review

Education

BS degree in Physical Sciences / Geosciences / Materials Sciences

Job description

Are you passionate about human space exploration, understanding the origins of the universe, and working with a passionate and diverse team to make a difference? If you are, we need you! We need your talent, teamwork, and energy to help us achieve great things that inspire people all over the globe. We need you to bring creative ideas and diverse backgrounds to help us envision, shape, and deliver systems that will enable the exploration of space while benefiting people here on Earth. We are excited about what we do, and we need you on our team as we take on exciting challenges for NASA’s pursuits in deep space exploration.

Astromaterials Research Section Manager

As NASA’s largest engineering solutions provider working together with NASA at centers across the United States.

Key Responsibilities

• Report to the Group Manager for Basic and Applied Science
• Ensure employees in functional areas follow established policies and procedures
• Review and approve timecards and travel requests.
• Conduct personnel performance reviews and resolve employee performance issues
• Perform recruiting activities
• Ensure proper team reporting to the NASA customer on tasking
• Lead safety efforts in Research labs in ARES and generally promote a culture of caring and safety
• Maintain a positive, constructive, professional relationship with the NASA customers
• Demonstrate excellent communication, collaboration, and coordination skills
• Provide regular status reports to the Department Director and DTM: staffing, schedule/budget highlights, risk, technical and employee issues, corrective actions
• Perform other duties as required

Qualifications

• A BS degree and a minimum of 5-10 years experience are typically required.
• A BS degree in a relevant field, e.g. Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Materials Sciences
• Excellent communication, negotiation and coordination skills and strong customer service attitude with a history of effectively interacting with managers and customers
• Ability to review and understand Task Orders (TOs) or similar contractual work scopes (scope, schedule cost, risk)
• Must be able to organize and prioritize tasks in order to meet deadlines and schedules with limited supervision
• Ability to prepare written documents/presentations and to verbally present at various meetings
• Must have strong time management and organizational skills

Preferences

• Prior responsibility for multi-person leadership technical reviews and customer engagement
• Experience working laboratory operations or space mission support environments
• Experience and knowledge of planetary materials
• Experience working in the NASA/Contractor environment as a manager or a contributor

Compensation

Salary starts at $95,100. Final pay will be commensurate with the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications.

Why Join Our Team?

• Excellent personal and professional career growth
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off), when applicable
• Onsite cafeteria (breakfast & lunch)
• Much, much more!

Benefits Overview

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off and holidays
• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)
• Educational reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Tax-saving options
• Disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance

Physical Requirements

Work may involve sitting or standing for extended periods (90% of time). May require lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs. (5% of time). Standard office equipment (PC, telephone, printer, etc.).

Work Environment

Generally, an office environment, but can involve inside or outside work depending on task.

Statuses & Deadlines

Original Posting: 11/03/2026 - Until Filled

Equal Opportunity Statement

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low-income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.

Accommodation Request

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please complete our Accommodation Request. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Contact Information

If you need assistance, please reach out to [e-mail].

About Amentum

Amentum has tackled the world’s toughest challenges to deliver agile and steadfast solutions to the U.S. government and its allies. With more than 50,000 employees on all seven continents and in more than 60 countries, Amentum delivers a broad range of operational support services to meet the critical needs of our clients. Our headquarters are in Chantilly, VA. Find us online at https://www.amentum.com/.