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Supervisory Computer Engineer/Electronics Engineer/Physicist ZP-0854/0855/1310-V

Department of Commerce
National Institute of Standards and Technology
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Serve as Division Chief of the NIST RF Technology Division (RFTD) in Boulder, CO.

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. 

This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/12/2019 to 01/02/2020
Salary
$134,629 to - $166,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 05
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Boulder, CO
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - International and Domestic Conferences, Symposiums, Standards Organizations meetings, Management Meetings and other meetings as required in the execution of the positions duties.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses may be authorized
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
05
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
NISTCTL-2020-0005
Control number
554220800

Duties

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Serve as Division Chief of the NIST RF Technology Division (RFTD) (https://www.nist.gov/communications-technology-laboratory-ctl/rf-technology-division). Located in the NIST Communications Technology Laboratory, RFTD has more than 65 permanent scientific and engineering staff, students, postdoctoral assoicates, and contractors. Its permanent scientific and engineering staff consist primarily of electrical engineers and physicists with advanced degrees. The CTL mission is to conduct research supporting global leadership of the U.S. Communications Industry with emphasis on wireless communication technologies and systems. This position requires a broad knowledge of Communications and Radio Science as well as understanding of emerging technologies in these fields. Division staff develop theory, metrology, and standards for the technologies upon which the future of wireless communications depends. The RFTD research portfolio spans traceable measurements of fundamental microwave quantities; the testing of free-field signals and the antennas that send and receive them; characterization of high-speed waveforms and network analysis for integrated systems-on-a-chip designs; and the metrology for wireless systems to address spectrum sharing issues. The Division Chief responsibilities include oversight of the division research portfolio; promoting the activities of the Division to NIST management, colleagues and external stakeholders; effectively allocating funding, staff and other resources; providing supervision to Division staff and direct reports. The principal duties for the division are on the Boulder campus of NIST.

Requirements

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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
  • Must be able to pass a drug test
  • This position requires submission of a Financial Disclosure Form, OGE-450

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

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Qualify as either 0854 - Computer Engineer or 0855 - Electronics Engineer

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 succesfully 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.)

Qualify as a 1310 - Physicist

A. Degree: physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to the basic requirements for any series: Applicants must also have 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 (ZP-IV at NIST) level. Specialized Experience is defined as experience in leading a research program related to wireless communications technologies. Expertise in theory or measurements related to wireless communications systems and/or RF metrology.

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 one to three 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.

Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. 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. Qualified candidates will be considered in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Guidelines. Veterans' Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures. Selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. You may not be considered for the position if any part of the application is incomplete. Your application may not receive appropriate consideration without the required supporting documentation. 


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