An official website of the United States government
This position is located in the Cellular Engineering Group, B&BD, MML, NIST in Gaithersburg, MD.
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.
03/05/2020 to 03/11/2020
$72,030 - $112,240 per year
ZP 03
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Term
Full-Time
Competitive
03
No
No
NISTMML-2020-0035
561838800
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
* All qualified U.S. citizens * Current Federal employees serving under a career or career- conditional appointment in the competitive service; * Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; * CTAP/ICTAP eligible; * National Service (Peace Corps & VISTA); * Applicants eligible under special hiring authorities (i.e., Appointment of certain military spouses, Schedule A); OR * Veterans who are eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA).
The incumbent will plan and conduct research to advance measurement capabilities to aid in the predictive engineering of biological systems, such as cellular and cell-free systems, as a part of the NIST Engineering Biology Program. Support the automation and protocol development of wetlab procedures, as well as the development of platforms for new, quantitative measurements and validated methods for evaluating the functional performance of engineered biological parts and systems. Engage stakeholders and identify opportunities for standards development.
Applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
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:
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.
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
IN ADDITION: To qualify, applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level (or ZP-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience with synthetic biology wet lab techniques, single molecule techniques, laboratory automation for biology experiments, design of experiments, microscopy, nanofabrication, and scientific and automation computing software packages.
OR
Master’s or equivalent graduate degree
NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.
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.
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.
A two year trial period may be required.
This appointment may be extended up to four years without further competition.
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.
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.
What documents do I need to submit? In addition to your resume, 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.
How do I submit my documents: You may submit required and/or supplemental documents through any ONE of the following methods:
All required supporting documentation mentioned in this vacancy announcement, and all vacancy applications submitted electronically or via fax must be submitted and received by 11:59 pm ET on the closing date of this announcement. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.
Are you CTAP or ICTAP Eligible? If you are a Federal employee claiming special priority selection rights under DOC's Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or your Agency's Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must meet the threshold of "well qualified" for the position to receive priority consideration. DoC defines well qualified as receiving an overall score of "85". In order to be eligible and considered under CTAP or ICTAP procedures, you must submit proof that you meet the requirements of 5CFR 330.605 (a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of your agency's notice, a copy of your most recent Performance Rating and a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting current position, grade level, and the duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible. If you are determined eligible for CTAP and ICTAP consideration, you may be required to respond to job-related questions in order to assess your “well qualified” status. Responses to the questions must be reflected in your resume. If the your responses are not supported by information in your resume, they may be modified and, as a result, your score may be lowered.
For more information about CTAP and ICTAP, please refer to the following web site: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ctap.
Please review the information on the following link to determine if there are any documents you need to provide - https://www.nist.gov/careers/information-new-employees/applying-jobs-required-forms
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of the announcement.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
2. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
3. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
4. To verify the status of your application, log in to your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
5. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/. and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application."
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online to receive full consideration, however if you are unable to apply online, please contact the Agency Contact identified for this vacancy.
Problems Completing Your Application
If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by email at mgshelp@monster.com or by phone at 866.656.6831. The help desk is available Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET.
After the announcement closes, your application package will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements. We expect to make a final job offer within 45 days from the closing date of the announcement.
You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Applications." The status will be visible next to the corresponding position. The four points of notification are:
1. Application Received or Application Incomplete;
2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Requirement Not Met;
3. Referred or Not Referred; and
4. Selected or Not Selected
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/561838800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
