RF Photonics Electronics Engineer

About the Role

NIST is seeking an Electronics Engineer to advance electro-optic measurement science for high-frequency electronics, enabling more accurate characterization of next-generation devices and strengthening the Nation's measurement capabilities. This position is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent for occupations where NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Responsibilities

• Develop electro-optic measurement and characterization systems in support of the metrology of high-frequency electronics.
• Apply electro-optic characterization techniques to high-frequency phase references such as photodiodes.
• Contribute to the development of accurate high-frequency on-wafer characterization systems including electronic phase noise and high-sensitivity systems for high power nonlinear on-wafer devices.
• Communicate developments and collaborate with NIST researchers, as well as with industry, academic, and other non-NIST government entities.
• Present and publish research results, contributing to technical documentation, publications, and conference materials to disseminate research findings to the broader electro-optic and RF metrology communities.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

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

• Lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
• 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:
  • statics, dynamics;
  • strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
  • fluid mechanics, hydraulics;
  • thermodynamics;
  • electrical fields and circuits;
  • nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and
  • 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:

• A thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and
• 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, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.
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.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences, including the courses specified in the basic requirements under 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 at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

In addition to the basic qualifications above, applicants must possess one of the following:

A. One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level (ZP-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as:

• Experience using and synchronizing optical frequency combs;
• Experience designing, developing, and conducting experimental measurements involving optical and high-frequency electronic systems above 110 GHz;
• Analyzing experimental data using scientific computing and programming tools; and
• Applying modeling, simulation, calibration, or measurement techniques to support scientific research or technology development.

OR

B. Master's or equivalent graduate degree.

OR

C. Combination of education and experience.

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.