Duties

Summary

This Supervisory position is located in the Inorganic Materials Group of the Engineering Laboratory at NIST.

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Your application package may be shared with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like the one you are applying to. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.

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Responsibilities

The Infrastructure Materials Group has nationally-recognized expertise in characterizing the initial and long-term performance of concrete and polymeric materials exposed to accelerated laboratory and outdoor environments. The group has expertise in characterizing these complex materials and in developing mathematical models for predicting the engineering properties throughout the service life of these materials. The Group's program objectives are intended to have impact (a stakeholder community changed its practice as a direct result of the work), and the technical work is communicated to the research community and to the industry through journal articles, presentations, workshops and webinars, software tools, standardized testing methods, industry guides, etc.

The Group Leader will have a number of duties that contribute towards developing and maintaining world-class leadership in the long-term performance of infrastructure materials: lead a nationally recognized research group that focuses on developing knowledge, tools, and standards for industry to make meaningful characterizations of the performance of new and existing infrastructure materials that are subject to natural and man-made degradation mechanisms; work with stakeholders (e.g., government agencies, industry practitioners, standards development organizations, and academia) to identify major measurements science needs in the building industry; work with organizational leadership and collaborators, both internal and external to NIST, to develop robust, insightful technical programs and projects that deliver accurate, objective, and impactful results; and identify present and future technical capability needs for the group, develop hiring plans and laboratory equipment purchasing plans, and mentor staff to help ensure their professional development. In addition, the Group Leader will use his/her breadth of training in physical science, engineering, or mathematics to maintain the high level of technical research from the group through technical engagement and through reviews of publications.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel to conferences, standards meetings, and stakeholder meetings as required for professional development and relationship building and to disseminate research findings.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
05

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen
• You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• You must be suitable for Federal Employment
• Merit applicants must meet time-in-grade/band requirements, as applicable

Applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
or

Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENT LISTED ABOVE applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the federal service (ZP-IV for NIST) Specialized experience is defined as experience in: (1) managing the development, improvement, and coordination research projects including programs and budgets; (2) leading complex research teams; (3) developing impactful programs by building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders; and (4) conducting materials-based research on civil infrastructure materials.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains Federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the OPM website located at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Applicants may request reconsideration of their qualifications determination within three business days from the date their applicant status was changed. Applicants should email the Agency Contact listed in this vacancy announcement with their written request listing the announcement number; explaining why the original determination was improper; what factors were not considered; and, should provide any other pertinent information that would enable reevaluation.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to the final offer of employment.

Foreign education: Individuals educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for a U.S. equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. View a listing of these accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website . Provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing.

Additional information

A 1-3 year probationary period may be required.


This position is covered by an Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). This system replaces the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and grade with career paths and pay bands. For information regarding how the pay bands correspond to the General Schedule, click here.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the job opportunity announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). Your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered.

Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, salary, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band.

Please also include in your resume a list of all publications and patents/patent applications on which you are a named inventor and provide the title and patent/patent application number for each.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

* Ability to develop and manage projects that meet the objectives and achieve impact.
* Ability to develop and maintain collaborative stakeholder relationships across the organization and throughout the materials industry, including external research sponsors.
* Ability to manage people in a complex organizational environment, and to provide meaningful technical guidance and feedback in ways that ensure high quality research and technical products.
* Knowledge of materials based research that relates formulation, properties, and performance.
* Ability to develop and promote a safety culture that ensures a thoughtful approach to laboratory safety.
* Ability to proactively manage a research budget to ensure effective use of resources and fiscal solvency.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

Applying under a Special Appointing Authority (i.e., VRA , 30% or more disabled veterans , Peace Corps, Schedule A/persons with disabilities ): if you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, you will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration and may be contacted for an interview. If two or more VRA candidates apply and one or more is a preference eligible, Veterans' preference will be applied.

Applying as a Merit Candidates: Your responses to the job questionnaire will serve as the basis for identifying best qualified candidates. Best qualified Merit and Veterans Employment Opportunity Act ( VEOA ) eligibles (i.e., candidates in the GOLD category) will be forwarded for consideration to the selecting official and may be contacted for an interview. Candidates must also meet time-in-grade/pay band requirements for consideration. Non-competitive consideration will be given to those Merit candidates that have held a position with the same promotion potential as the position advertised. Documentation (in the form of an SF-50) is required to show proof of promotion potential or highest grade held. In the merit promotion selection process, due weight will be given to incentive awards and performance appraisals.

Applying as an Agency Based candidate (i.e., outside the Federal government), your application package will be placed in one of three categories based on your responses to the assessment questions; Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. If non-veterans can be referred, the Best qualified (i.e., candidates in the GOLD category) will be forwarded for consideration to the selecting official and may be contacted for an interview. More information about the three categories can be found at: Category Rating

Applying as a CTAP or ICTAP candidate: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information regarding CTAP and ICTAP appointments and eligibility can be found at - CTAP/ICTAP

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The documents you are required to submit vary based on how you're applying (i.e., as a veteran or disabled veteran, current or former Federal employee, etc.). Please review the information on the following link to determine if there are any documents you need to provide - https://www.nist.gov/careers/applying-jobs-required-forms

Failure to submit required documents, based upon how you apply, may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Official documents are not required at the time of application, copies are sufficient. If selected, official documentation must be submitted prior to appointment.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.