Performance Engineering Intern

Amentum company; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off and holidays

401(k) matching

Educational reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Tax-saving options

Disability and life insurance

Pet insurance

Job summary

The NASA COSMOS program is seeking a Performance Engineering Intern to join a dynamic team responsible for measuring and evaluating system performance across ground systems, training systems, and mockups. You will contribute to refactoring, automation, and SDLC understanding while supporting mission-critical operations and interactions with NASA engineers and software developers.

You will learn performance diagnostic techniques, assist with scripts, and potentially handle simpler incident

Qualifications

• Pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field.
• Familiarity with scripting and/or automation.
• Familiarity with the software development life cycle (SDLC).
• Willingness to OJT real-time mission ops during second/third shift, nights and weekends.
• Must be able to obtain a NASA PIV badge.

Responsibilities

• Refactor code and move to version control; help establish a test/development location.
• Create new automation tools/scripts and assist with automation.
• Assist with software acceptance review package first look analysis and script creation for automation.
• Collaborate with team on deep dive analysis steps and performance diagnostics.
• Review and update team documentation and learn performance diagnostic techniques.

Skills

Curious and willing to learn

Strong communication skills

Team player

Self-motivated

Detail oriented

Ability to work under deadlines

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, MIS, Math or related area

Tools

Python

C++

Linux

Windows

Docker

Pod

Power BI

Office 365 Tools

Wireshark

Job description

Job Description

The Contract for Organizing Spaceflight Mission Operations and Systems (COSMOS), NASA’s next-generation mission operations contract, has an excellent opportunity for an intern to join the Performance Engineering team. System Performance Engineering encompasses the techniques applied during the system development life cycle to ensure the non-functional requirements for ground systems within the Mission Control Center Systems (MCCS), Training Systems (TS), Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) are met. Adherence to the non-functional requirements is also validated post-deployment by monitoring the production systems. The applicant will work in a dynamic team environment and will be responsible for working with the NASA customer, other systems engineers, and software engineers to understand system requirements and to determine the operation of the system through measuring and evaluating its system performance characteristics. The applicant could have the unique opportunity to support human spaceflight during the mission operation critical phases of launch, rendezvous, and landing. COSMOS ensures the continuity of critical human spaceflight support by providing mission control services, advanced training systems, and full-scale spacecraft mockups for astronaut preparation and engineering analysis.

Description of Duties

The Performance Engineering Intern will work in a dynamic team environment helping with code refactoring, moving to using version control, and work to move to have a test/development location for the team. The successful applicant will help create new automation tools/scripts. The applicant could assist with software acceptance review package first look analysis possibly helping with the creation of scripts to automate this process. Work with team members on deep dive analysis steps. The team will work to train the intern on performance diagnostic work and possibly allow them to handle simpler Incident Report (IRs). The intern will help review and update team documentation.

The intern will be exposed to the NASA customer, other systems engineers, users, and software engineers to determine the operation of the system through measuring and evaluating its system performance characteristics. The candidate may be assigned other integration assignments within the Integration Services department to help achieve department, directorate, and contract goals. An understanding of the full software development life cycle from planning, design, building, testing, deployment and maintenance (SDLC) is a plus.

Successful candidates will:

• Be curious and willing to learn
• Collect raw resource utilization data from workstations, servers and networks from the development, integration and production environments
• Develop automation scripts for handling big data
• Perform script creation and maintenance, as well as process improvement/automation to advance overall system performance capabilities
• Possess strong team-building skills across multi-functional areas that establish a collaborative operational structure including active listening, prompt service and follow-up
• Exhibit proven track record of working under tight deadlines
• Have a high degree of self-motivation and the ability to work independently
• Have a keen attention to detail/be detail-oriented
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Exhibit professional behavior that promotes teamwork, fosters cooperation, and enhances productivity in the workplace.
• Be well organized with the ability to coordinate, prioritize and execute multiple tasks simultaneously in a high-pressure environment.

Job Requirements

Must be working towards one of the following: Bachelor’s/Master’s degree

• Preferred candidates will be working towards a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Technology, MIS, Math or a related area
• Familiarity with scripting and/or automation
• Familiarity with the software, development life cycle (SDLC)
• Be able to work a flexible and dynamic work schedule
  • Could OJT (On the Job training) real-time mission ops during second or third shift, nights and weekends
• Must be able to obtain a NASA Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Badge for NASA credentials

The individual should possess strong initiative, be a team player (teamwork), be flexible to changing program needs, and possess strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. The job requires close communication and collaboration with other engineers, the software development community and NASA customer to successfully perform analysis and monitor systems. The successful candidate will be a self-learner, curious and familiar with SW engineering; will possess coding skills (Python, C+, Linux, Windows), be detail oriented and have clear concise communication (able to explain technical performance data and metrics/data visualization). To be successful, the candidate shall have the ability to work towards deadlines and deliver quality products.

Desired Requirements

• Data visualization skills like Power BI, or Python virtualization (venv)
• Experience with software containers (Docker, Pod)
• Experience with Office 365 Tools; Windows Admin skills
• Previous experience with automation, Linux, and Python
• Previous experience with data mining and data management
• Familiarity with scripting languages and monitoring tools
• Familiarity with Requirements verification methodologies
• Familiarity with Service Now, SolarWinds, Big Fix, Splunk or similar tools
• Leadership skills
• Understanding of data structures
• Data Science and Statistical learning
• Data Programming
• Experience with networking (familiarity with Wireshark is a plus)

This position is expected to pay $24.52 hourly; depending on experience, education, and any certifications that are directly related to the position.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or other legally protected status.

Final compensation is determined through a comprehensive evaluation of several key factors, including the candidate’s educational background, specialized technical expertise, and relevant professional experience. We also consider internal equity, prevailing market data, and specific contractual or funding requirements to ensure competitive and equitable offer alignment.

Compensation Details:

Salary starts at $24.52. Final pay will be commensurate with the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications.

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good‑faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview:

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

• 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

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.

Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.