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C 4.0 Professional and Leadership Development

Supporting the development of professional and leadership qualities among all members of the program/project team. This includes mentoring and coaching; supporting NASA culture and functional training opportunities; managing oral and written communication to ensure all individuals are aware of status and decisions that affect them; recognizing and rewarding individuals for their personal achievements; and behaving ethically and complying with federal government policies at all times.

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Categories and Competencies

Common Competencies



C 4.1 Mentoring and Coaching

Activities designed to help less experienced members of the team to advance their knowledge and careers by acting as an advisor, sponsor, or confidant who shares knowledge about NASA’s functional, social, cultural, and political aspects or provides counseling to cultivate skills in order to enhance individual, team, and organizational performance and growth.

Underlying Skills

  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Agency mission, goals, and objectives
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of mentoring and coaching aspects and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • Secure their own mentor(s) or coach(es) to receive advice and guidance.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Provides mentoring and coaching to the subsystem team.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Serve as coach or mentor to at least one individual.
  • Apply coaching and/or mentoring skills to improve or sustain the performance of team members for a simple project or subsystem.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Provides mentoring and coaching at the project level.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Establish a coaching and mentoring climate within the project team.
  • Advocate for and support coaching and mentoring resources for their project team members.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Provides mentoring and coaching at the program level and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Provide coaching or mentoring to members of the project team.
  • Encourage coaching and mentoring within the project team.

C 4.2 Communication

Implementing effective strategies for clear and constructive communication, both internally within the team and externally to stakeholders, other experts, contractors, and others. Also involves communicating decisions in a timely manner.

Underlying Skills

  • Clear communications
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • Team organization and makeup
  • Stakeholder expectations
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of the aspects of communication on projects and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • Develop their ability to effectively present technical and non-technical information both verbally and in writing.
  • Develop their ability to effectively present technical and non-technical information in formal and informal settings.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) in ensuring reports and other informational material are clear and communicated to internal teams.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Review Team Practitioners’/ Discipline Engineers’ reports for accuracy and clarity.
  • Write and present reports that effectively communicate technical status, challenges, problem solutions, and/or accomplishments for a subsystem in order to provide a comprehensive account of a particular phenomenon.
  • Design and facilitate effective team meetings to reduce errors and redundancies.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level in ensuring reports and other informational material are clear and communicates to project teams.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Review Team/Subsystem Leads’ reports for accuracy and clarity.
  • Lead and manage the presentation of information and decisions relating to the project’s/ system’s activities.
  • Lead and manage the development and presentation of reports that clearly and concisely communicate the results of technical assessments.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort, reviews and approves products, resolves issues, and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Define the communication procedures for their program.
  • Develop and present clear and concise reports to agency and center management.
  • Establish and maintain an environment characterized by positive communication.

C 4.3 Leadership

Influencing, inspiring, and motivating individuals and teams to accomplish goals; creating conditions in which individuals and teams can be effective; and recognizing and rewarding individual and team achievements.

Underlying Skills

  • Clear communications
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams
  • Change management
  • Creative thinking

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • Project architectures and concepts
  • Scope of work
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of leadership behaviors and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • How influence, motivation, and vision are related to project success.
  • The relationship between leading and managing.
  • In addition, Technical Practitioners/Discipline Engineers are expected to track and manage their own performance.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) in the execution of project activities.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Assign, delegate, and periodically reassess technical tasks/work assignments.
  • Establish and evaluate progress toward success criteria for technical tasks/work assignments.
  • Provide vision, direction, and guidance for work activities.
  • Motivate and inspire Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers.
  • Establish and maintain a collaborative work environment within the subsystem team.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level in the execution of project activities. Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
  • Assigns, delegates, and periodically reassesses technical tasks/work assignments.
  • Establishes and evaluates progress towards success criteria for technical tasks/work assignments.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Provide vision, direction, and guidance for work activities.
  • Motivate and inspire Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers.
  • Establish and maintain a collaborative work environment within the subsystem team.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort, reviews and approves products, resolves issues, and maintains relationships with highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Define success criteria for performing program technical tasks/work assignments.
  • Develop tasks/work assignments for the program leadership team.
  • Provide vision, direction, and guidance for program activities.
  • Empower leadership team members.
  • Establish and maintain an environment characterized by positive recognition, collaboration, consensus building, and the expression of minority opinion.

C 4.4 Ethics

Demonstrating integrity, ethical conduct, and acceptable behavior in all project activities in line with federal government principles.

Underlying Skills

  • Clear communications
  • Leadership
  • Strategic thinking
  • Ethics
  • Win-win negotiations
  • Working in teams

Fundamental Knowledge of:

  • Project mission, goals, and objectives
  • NASA and federal regulations on ethics
  • Political, economic, and other factors that influence project goals

Explore proficiencies for each role.

Team Practitioner / Discipline Engineer
Proficiency Level
Participates as a project team member to gain an overall understanding of ethical behaviors and to gain initial experience in the competency.
Illustrations
Team Practitioners/Discipline Engineers should be able to describe, identify, or define:

  • Tell the truth, whether delivering good news or bad news.
  • Honor commitments and promises.
  • Behave in a fair and consistent manner.
  • Accept responsibility for actions and admit mistakes.

Team Lead / Subsystem Lead

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams (intact and at a subsystem level) displaying ethical behavior.
  • Provides guidance and expertise to team members, assisting in resolving ethical issues.
Illustrations
Team Leads/Subsystem Leads should be able to:
  • Follow federal government ethical conduct and services principles in all project activities.

Project Manager / Project Systems Engineer

Proficiency Level

  • Leads teams at the project level displaying ethical behavior.
  • Provides guidance and expertise at the project level, resolving project issues.
Illustrations
Project Managers/Project Systems Engineers should be able to:
  • Demonstrate integrity and ethical performance in all project activities.

Program Manager / Chief Engineer

Proficiency Level
Leads overall effort displaying ethical behavior, resolves issues and maintains relationships with the highest level internal, external, and international contacts.

Illustrations
Program Managers/Chief Engineers should be able to:

  • Create a culture of integrity and ethical performance.