Senior Project Support Specialist - NASA HQ SMD Business Operations

ASRC Federal; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ASRC Federal AFSS is seeking a Senior Project Support Specialist to provide high-level project, program, and administrative support to NASA's Science Mission Directorate at HQ, Washington, DC. You will manage calendars, travel, meetings, and reporting for branch chiefs, ensuring efficient day-to-day operations.

Ideal candidates bring 7+ years of related experience, strong MS Office 365 skills, and an ability to collaborate across leadership teams while handling sensitive information with

Qualifications

• Ability to independently support senior leadership in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong project coordination, administrative management, and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with attention to detail.
• Judgment and decision-making with proactive issue anticipation.
• Ability to collaborate across leadership teams and organizational boundaries.
• Discretion in handling sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level project, program, and admin support to SMD Branch Chiefs.
• Manage complex calendars, scheduling, and priority conflicts.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel, including authorizations and vouchers.
• Arrange meeting logistics, agendas, attendees, and materials.
• Prepare materials, track attendance, document decisions, and follow up.
• Maintain action items, deadlines, and organizational commitments.
• Prepare and review presentations, reports, and briefing materials.
• Conduct quality reviews for compliance with NASA standards.
• Maintain electronic files, records, and information systems.
• Support consolidation of recurring reports and leadership deliverables.
• Coordinate with ABPs, program staff, and other orgs to enable information flow.
• Support special projects, events, and leadership activities.
• Review processes and identify efficiency improvements.
• Serve as a senior resource, mentoring within the SMD admin cadre.
• Maintain professionalism and discretion with sensitive information.
• Perform additional duties to support SMD needs.

Skills

Project coordination

Administrative management

Analytical skills

Written and verbal communication

Judgment and decision-making

Cross-functional collaboration

Confidential information handling

MS Office 365 proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree

11 years of related experience in lieu of degree

Tools

Outlook

Teams

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Job description

ASRC Federal AFSS is a premier provider of systems engineering, software engineering, system integration, project management, and mission support services for real-time, mission-critical government programs. We are seeking a Senior Project Support Specialist to support the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

Job Description

The Senior Project Support Specialist will provide high-level project, program, and administrative business support to Branch Chiefs within the Business Operations Organization of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. This position requires an experienced, proactive professional who can independently manage competing priorities, coordinate across organizations, and provide responsive support in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

The successful candidate will work closely with SMD leadership, branch personnel, administrative staff, and internal and external stakeholders to support day-to-day operations, meetings, travel, action tracking, reporting, special projects, and other organizational requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive project, program, and administrative business support to multiple SMD Branch Chiefs and their respective organizations.
• Manage complex calendars, scheduling, meeting coordination, and competing leadership priorities.
• Coordinate domestic, international, invitational, and other official travel, including preparation and processing of travel authorizations and vouchers in accordance with applicable NASA and Federal Travel Regulations.
• Coordinate meeting logistics, including agendas, attendees, conference rooms, virtual meeting platforms, presentation materials, and other meeting requirements.
• Support key leadership and organizational meetings by preparing materials, tracking attendance and actions, documenting decisions, and coordinating follow-up activities.
• Maintain and monitor action items, deadlines, and organizational commitments, providing status updates and ensuring timely completion.
• Prepare, review, format, and coordinate correspondence, presentations, reports, briefing materials, and other documentation for leadership.
• Conduct quality reviews of correspondence and materials to ensure completeness, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with applicable NASA standards.
• Maintain electronic files, organizational records, databases, presentation libraries, and other information-management resources.
• Assist with preparation and consolidation of recurring reports, organizational updates, travel reports, and other leadership deliverables.
• Coordinate with SMD Front Office personnel, Administrative Business Partners (ABPs), program staff, and other organizations to facilitate information flow and accomplish shared priorities.
• Support special projects, organizational initiatives, events, and leadership activities as assigned.
• Review existing administrative and business processes and recommend opportunities to improve efficiency, organization, and customer support.
• Serve as a senior resource and mentor within the SMD Administrative Business Partner/project support cadre, supporting knowledge sharing, training, and collaboration.
• Maintain professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• Perform additional duties as required to support SMD mission and organizational needs.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to independently support senior leadership and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Strong project coordination, administrative management, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated attention to detail.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to anticipate needs, identify potential issues, and take appropriate action.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships and collaborate across leadership teams, organizational boundaries, and functional areas.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Ability to quickly learn and effectively utilize NASA-specific systems, tools, policies, and processes.
• Knowledge of NASA Headquarters and/or Science Mission Directorate operations, policies, procedures, and organizational structure is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Federal Travel Regulations and NASA administrative policies and procedures is preferred.
• Must meet applicable government background investigation and citizenship/permanent residency requirements for access to NASA Headquarters.
• Ability to work onsite at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, 3-4 days per week.
• Some travel may be required.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of related professional experience, or
• 11 years of related professional experience in lieu of a degree.