Senior Atomic Clock Research Physicist

About the role

NIST's Time & Frequency Division is hiring a Senior Atomic Clock Research Physicist to lead research on microwave and optical atomic clocks, advance primary and secondary frequency standards, and support the UTC(NIST) timescale. This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

What you will do

• NIST's Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) sets the definitive U.S. standards for nearly every kind of measurement employed in commerce and research, spanning more than 20 orders of magnitude.
• This position is in PML's Time Realization and Distribution Group, which operates an ensemble of commercial atomic clocks and purpose-built atomic frequency standards to provide the U.S. with official sources of time or frequency.
• If hired as the Senior Atomic Clock Research Physicist, you will: Determine optimal solutions and designs for primary and secondary frequency standards and pursue these solutions.
• Conduct systematic research on microwave or optical atomic clocks and their use in generating and steering standards of official time and frequency for the United States.
• Maintain the continuous operation and contribute to ongoing development of the UTC(NIST) timescale.
• Provide technical leadership with a high degree of insight and ingenuity to operate, maintain, and improve existing primary and secondary frequency standards.
• If you apply, please make sure your resume/CV clearly demonstrates the relevant experience described in the Requirements section below, particularly the requirements outlined under Basic and Additional Requirements.
• These include transcript requirements.

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 before a final offer of employment. Use of foreign education for qualifications.

An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. 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 course-by-course listing) is required with your application.

How you will be evaluated

Please prepare a resume that is no longer than two pages; only the first two pages will be considered during the review process. Ensure your font is 11 points or larger and upload your resume as a .pdf document. This helps ensure your formatting looks exactly the way you intended.

How you will be evaluated: You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) may be used to review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume.

SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume. Applications will be assessed on the following competencies: Communications and Media Leadership Physics Technical Competence Referral: All applicants may be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under Direct Hire Authority, applicants are not rated and ranked, and veteran preference does not apply.

CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee who may be eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must: Be determined eligible for CTAP or ICTAP; and Be rated well qualified for the position to receive special selection priority.

For this announcement, well qualified means you must meet all minimum qualification requirements and any applicable selective placement factor(s), and receive a score of 85 or higher. For information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, including the documents you must submit, visit the CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility page.

Documents you must provide

• The documents required may vary based on how you're applying (i.e., as a veteran or disabled veteran, current or former Federal employee, etc.).
• Please review the Required Documents for this position to find out if there are any documents required with your application.
• Failure to submit required documents, based on how you apply, may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• A complete application includes: 1) A resume (not to exceed two pages), 2) responses to vacancy questions regarding your technical qualifications, and 3) submission of any required documents.
• Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, or if the documents submitted are illegible, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
• Resume: All applicants must submit a resume by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their choosing.
• Please prepare a resume no longer than two pages; only the first two pages will be considered during the review process.
• Ensure your font is 11 points or larger and upload your resume as a .pdf document.
• This helps ensure your formatting looks exactly the way you intended.
• Cover letters are optional.
• To ensure your relevant experience can be fully considered, please list the month/year and the number of hours worked for each experience listed on your resume.
• We suggest reviewing the qualification requirements for this position because you may need to customize your resume to ensure it supports the position qualifications.
• Please refer to the Resume Guidance on how to build an effective resume.

What to expect next

We will update applicant statuses when: A qualification determination is made. If found not qualified/eligible, no additional updates will be provided. Applications are referred to the selecting official.

A selection decision has been made. Please notify us if your contact information changes after announcement's closing date. Also, note that if you provide an inaccurate email address or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication, which could affect your consideration for this position.

Additional information

This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Learn more about the APMS here! We may share your application package with other selecting officials.

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy. Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.

You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position.

All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations. A probationary period may be required. 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. For more information, please visit our Careers website.