Job Summary

The Department of Commerce ranked top 5 in the 2024 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government amongst large agencies for the 12th year in a row! The ranking showcases the Department's continued commitment to increasing our employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and positive perceptions. Come 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.

Job Description

Basic Requirements: Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. ZP-II: In addition to the above basic requirements: All applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of the specialized experience at the GS-5 level (ZP-I at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience with: Experience applying AI/ML principles and methods to assist in the development of Test, Evaluation, Validation, and Verification (TEVV) processes for multimodal datasets (e.g., text, image, audio). Experience in frontend (HTML/CSS, JavaScript) and backend development (e.g., Python, Java, Docker, or Kubernetes) to create tools for data validation and analysis. Experience with cross-platform development (Linux, macOS, Windows), shell scripting, and database management (PostgreSQL, MongoDB) to support research infrastructure. Experience with collaborating on technical briefs and research publications, translating programming tasks into clear oral and written formats. OR Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate-level education, or Applicants may qualify based on superior academic achievement and completion of a bachelor's degree. ZP-III: 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 with: Experience independently planning and executing AI/ML R&D and TEVV processes, including the management of large-scale multimodal datasets. Experience independently designing and maintaining complex web applications using containerization (Docker/Kubernetes) and interactive tools (Jupyter/Shiny) for automated reporting. Experience serving as a technical authority in distributed systems (REST, microservices) and database architecture across multiple platforms and languages (C/C++, Python, Java). Experience leading the production of technical briefs and publications and providing authoritative programming expertise to steer group research initiatives. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR A 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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration