Fellowship Program Specialist

Position Summary

Supports NASA Langley Research Center's research and workforce development mission by serving as the primary coordinator for the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP). This position manages all aspects of the fellowship lifecycle, including opportunity development, recruitment, proposal coordination, onboarding, stakeholder engagement, compliance oversight, and participant support. The Fellowship Program Specialist serves as the principal liaison among Fellows, Advisors, NASA leadership, business management personnel, resource analysts, the NPP Program Management Office, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to ensure successful execution of fellowship activities and an exceptional Fellow experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Center's primary point of contact for all NASA Postdoctoral Program policies, procedures, requirements, and communications.
• Manage the complete fellowship lifecycle, including recruitment, proposal coordination, appointment processing, onboarding, renewals, and appointment closeout activities.
• Coordinate appointment approvals, authorizations, and administrative actions within the ORAU Zintellect system and through the NPP Program Management Office.
• Provide guidance and support to Advisors and prospective Advisors regarding opportunity development, proposal cycles, Zintellect account management, and program requirements.
• Develop and coordinate onboarding plans, orientation activities, badge processing, workspace readiness, and organizational integration for newly appointed Fellows.
• Administer foreign national appointment processes, including coordination of visa documentation, nondisclosure agreements, security requirements, and compliance reviews.
• Coordinate fellowship funding actions, administrative fees, procurement documentation, and funding package development in collaboration with Advisors, Resource Analysts, and Program Managers.
• Monitor program schedules, funding milestones, onboarding activities, and renewal actions to ensure timely completion of all requirements.
• Facilitate communication among Fellows, Advisors, NASA leadership, ORAU personnel, and Agency stakeholders by developing informational materials, maintaining distribution lists, and administering collaboration platforms.
• Organize and support program reviews, symposiums, town halls, stakeholder meetings, outreach activities, and Advisor engagement efforts that strengthen program awareness and participation.
• Develop and coordinate Fellow engagement, networking, professional development, and community-building activities that support integration into the NASA research environment.
• Identify process improvements, resolve complex administrative issues, and independently manage competing priorities to ensure compliance with Agency, Center, and program requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 5–10 years or a master's degree with 3–8 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Experience coordinating funding, budgets, procurement actions, grants, fellowships, research programs, or similar administrative processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior leadership, researchers, external organizations, and administrative stakeholders.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and collaboration tools.
• Ability to organize, analyze, and maintain detailed program records, reports, and tracking systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting NASA, Federal research organizations, universities, federally funded research programs, or aerospace organizations.
• Experience working with fellowship, internship, research participation, workforce development, or academic partnership programs.
• Experience coordinating foreign national onboarding, security processes, or compliance-related program activities.
• Familiarity with NASA organizational structures, program management practices, and research environments.