NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Mechanical 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.

Duties

The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is looking for a mechanical engineer in the Reactor Operations and Engineering team responsible for operating and maintaining a 20MW nuclear research reactor. We are seeking an experienced mechanical engineer for a role in the Plant Engineering group. This individual will provide mechanical engineering support for all plant systems, including reactor SSCs (Structures, Systems, and Components), cold neutron sources, rotating equipment, valves, and piping. Engages with team members and organizational stakeholders to ensure integrity, reliability, and safe operation of the plant. This is a diverse role with a mix of office activities, hands-on work in the plant, and project management. The incumbent will be required to successfully work and interact with staff ranging from reactor operators and technicians up to the NCNR Director and external stakeholders. Duties include but are not limited to: At both performance levels the incumbent will: 1. Actively support a positive safety culture at NCNR. This includes the use of tools such as the Hazard Review and Approval System to document process hazards and the controls required to mitigate those hazards. 2. Use tools such as the Engineering Change Notice system, Corrective Action Program, and other programs to maintain plant configuration. 3. Use software such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Inventor, ANSYS, and Office products to develop, analyze, and document work. 4. Once trained and qualified, assess and analyze proposed plant configuration changes for impacts to our license to operate the reactor (10 CFR 50.59 reviews). 5. Support initiatives in Aging Reactor Management. This includes participating as a member of assigned System Review Teams to assess plant health and advise on maintenance priorities. In addition, at the PB III level the incumbent will: 1. Provide troubleshooting to support resolution of emergent operational problems of moderate complexity. 2. Develop work packages to support elements of moderately complex planned maintenance outages. 3. Review, markup, and approve work products such as engineering drawing packages produced by CAD technicians. 4. Provide engineering support for major upgrade and maintenance projects comparable to the Liquid Deuterium Cold Source upgrade and the Thermal Column replacement project. 5. Establish requirements, develop technical acceptance criteria for work products, conduct market research, and write statements of work to support contracting of external resources for projects up to $250k . 6. Act as technical representative for assigned contracts up to $250k. 7. Conduct independent quality assurance inspections on materials and items provided by contractors, vendors, and suppliers. 8. Assist with final acceptance inspections of critical reactor components following assembly or installation. At the PB IV level the incumbent will be capable of performing all tasks expected of a PB III. In addition, the incumbent will: 1. Provide troubleshooting to support resolution of emergent operational problems of high complexity. 2. Develop work packages to support elements of complex planned maintenance outages. 3. Provide engineering leadership for major upgrade and maintenance projects comparable to the Liquid Deuterium Cold Source upgrade and the Thermal Column replacement project. 4. Establish requirements, develop technical acceptance criteria for work products, conduct market research, and write statements of work to support contracting of external resources for projects up to $10M. 5. Act as technical representative for assigned contracts up to $10M. 6. Develop and brief reports and presentations to inform senior management and external review panels regarding progress and results of major projects. 7. Conduct final acceptance inspections of critical reactor components following assembly or installation. 8. Review and approve the work products of junior engineering staff and engineering technicians. 9. Mentor and develop the capabilities of junior engineering staff. For more information about NCNR, you can visit our public website at https://www.nist.gov/ncnr

Requirements

• 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: 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: (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 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)1 , 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)2 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. 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. 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. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive) For ZP-3: In addition to the above basic requirements: All applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of the specialized experience at the GS-9 level (ZP-II at NIST). Specialized Experience is defined as experience in the engineering design, operation, and maintenance of mechanical and fluid systems throughout the system lifecycle. Experienced member of project teams throughout the full project lifecycle, including planning, requirements, design development, and implementation. 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 specialized experience and graduate education. For ZP-4: In addition to the above basic requirements: All applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of the specialized experience at the GS-12 level (ZP-III at NIST). Specialized Experience is defined as experience in the engineering design, operation, and maintenance of nuclear reactor mechanical and fluid systems throughout the system lifecycle. Experience with managing projects throughout the full project lifecycle, including planning, requirements, design development, and implementation. 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.

Contacts

• Address NIST Center for Neutron Research 100 Bureau Drive Building 235/Room K108 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 US
• Name: Amanda Reliford
• Phone: (202) 309-8886
• Email: [email protected]