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Electronics Engineer

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

Summary

NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Electronics Engineer to join our team!

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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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/15/2024 to 03/20/2024
Salary
$80,665 to - $176,620 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 3 - 4
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Boulder, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
4
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PML-688-24-12308707-DH
Control number
775426000

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Duties

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If hired as an Electronics Engineer for NIST's Time Realization and Distribution Group,

at the ZP-III level, you will:

  • build, test, and calibrate time distribution systems and support the maintenance of the UTC(NIST) time scale
  • monitor UTC(NIST) and NIST's time distribution services online, after hours, and onsite
  • effectively communicate measurement and calibration results through reports and team meetings

at the ZP-IV level, you will:
  • lead projects in the development and continuous monitoring of time and frequency calibrations, time distribution systems, and future time scales
  • seek opportunities in time and frequency metrology as well as develop plans to address those opportunities
  • effectively communicate measurement and calibration results through reports, publications, and presentations at national and international conferences

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Suitable for Federal employment
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for both the ZP-III and ZP-IV level:

A. Degree in Engineering: To be acceptable, the program must:

  1. lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; 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:
    1. statics, dynamics
    2. strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
    3. fluid mechanics, hydraulics
    4. thermodynamics
    5. electrical fields and circuits
    6. nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties)
    7. any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. 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 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:
  1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) 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.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's 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.

At the ZP-III level, in addition to the basic requirements applicants must have:
One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-10 (ZP-II at NIST) in federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:
  • Detailed knowledge in signal measurement and processing
  • Experience with experimental laboratory techniques
  • Experience with computer programming languages for measurement and analysis
OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

OR

Combination of graduate education and specialized experience.

At the ZP-IV level, in addition to the basic requirements applicants must have:

One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 (ZP-III at NIST) in federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:
  • Expertise in signal measurement and processing
  • Experience with time and frequency measurement systems
  • Advanced expertise with computer programming for measurement and analysis
  • Demonstrated project leadership of a sophisticated precision measurements laboratory.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done. We will credit all qualifying volunteer experience in your application.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

Applicant Reconsideration

Education

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required prior to a final offer of employment.

Education completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course by course listing) is required with your application.

Additional information

This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). The APMS is a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Find out more about the APMS here!

  • Your application package may be shared with other selecting officials at NIST for similar opportunities and additional selections may be made from this vacancy.
  • Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
  • All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible in order to make qualification or eligibility determinations.
  • A probationary period may be required.

We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.

NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:
  • Telework
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid vacation
  • Sick leave
  • Family-friendly leave
  • Childcare subsidy program for qualifying families
  • Child and elder-care resources
  • On-site childcare center
  • Lactation spaces
  • Wellness programs
  • Fitness center
  • Employee assistance programs

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. Please be sure that your resume and supporting documents include detailed information to support your qualifications for this position. Failure to provide sufficient and/or legible evidence in your resume or supporting documents may result in a "not qualified" determination. You MUST also selected at least ONE eligibility (i.e., how you wish to be considered) in order to receive consideration for this position.

REFERRAL
All applicants that meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under Direct Hire Authority, applicants are not rated and ranked and veteran's preference does not apply.

CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must be determined eligible and rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well Qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher. Please review the following site regarding required documents to support CTAP or ICTAP eligibility and additional information regarding this authority - CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility

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