Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Smart Grid Program Office of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Are you ready to explore your future with NIST?

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.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The individual selected for this position will be working with a multidisciplinary team of technical experts from the private and public sector to develop testbed data, networking, computation, or engineered system capabilities to support measurement science research for cyber-physical systems such as smart grid, automated transportation, and smart city technologies. Additional duties include expert technical guidance and contributions to support multi-disciplinary, data-enabled cyber-physical systems research and standards efforts, including in testing and certification methods. In addition, this position requires program planning and management, including development of program and project proposals for annual budget requests, management of programs and projects to achieve results on schedule and within budget, and development of partnerships with other divisions, laboratories, Federal and state agencies, and the private sector.


Travel Required

25% or less - Occasional travel as directed to domestic and international conferences, workshops and similar events, or to meet with research collaborators.

Supervisory status
No

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 REQUIREMENTS

Computer Engineer ZP-0854: Degree: professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

• Professional registration -- Current registration as a professional engineer by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
• Written Test-- Evidence of having successfully passed the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) examination, or the written test required for professional registration, which is administered by the Boards of Engineering Examiners in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Applicants who have passed the EIT examination and have completed all the requirements for either (a) a bachelor's degree in engineering technology (BET) from an accredited college of university that included 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, or (b) a BET from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) may be rated eligible for certain engineering positions at GS-5. Eligibility is limited to positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of the engineering technology program. Applicants for positions that involve highly technical research, development, or similar functions requiring an advanced level of competence in basic science must meet the basic requirements in paragraph A.

Because of the diversity in kind and quality of BET programs, graduates of other BET programs are required to complete at least 1 year of additional education or highly technical work experience of such nature as to provide reasonable assurance of the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for professional engineering competence. The adequacy of this background must be demonstrated by passing the EIT examination.

• Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A.

• Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field, e.g., physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

NOTE: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise, or unless he/she qualifies under the provisions of B.2 related to the EIT examination or BET degree.

Computer Scientist ZP-1550: Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. (Evaluation of Education: Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable. Courses or experience in teaching elementary, business, or shop mathematics are not acceptable.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

ZP-IV: In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, APPLICANTS MUST HAVE one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-12 (ZP-III for NIST) level in federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience in using one or more of the following systems: data, networking, computation, or engineered systems suitable for testbed applications. Experience contributing to development or review of research project technical reports and contributing to technical reports for publications or meeting/conference presentations. Experience participating in research project planning, including contributing to defining project goals and milestones.

ZP-V: In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, APPLICANTS MUST HAVE one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-14 (ZP-IV for NIST) level in federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience in designing or developing one or more of the following systems: data, networking, computation, or engineered systems suitable for testbed applications. Experience leading the development or review of research project technical reports and guiding the development of technical reports for publications or meeting/conference presentations. Experience leading research project planning, including defining project goals and milestones.

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.

Education

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.

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:

ZP-IV

* Ability to work within a collaborative team of researchers from varying scientific disciplines and organizational settings.

* Knowledge of relevant testbed measurement science technologies.

* Ability to complete assigned research project reports and review reports from contractors or grantees.

* Ability to present technical information both orally and in writing.

* Ability to develop research project plan components.

ZP-V

* Ability to lead a collaborative team of researchers from varying scientific disciplines and organizational settings.

* Ability to develop relevant testbed measurement science technologies.

* Ability to develop comprehensive research project reports and review reports from contractors or grantees.

* Ability to present complex technical information both orally and in writing.

* Ability to develop comprehensive research project plans, including all relevant goals and milestones.

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

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.