Careers

Why Work for EL?   

NIST's Engineering Laboratory (EL) is one of the Nation's primary federal laboratories serving the manufacturing, construction, and building industries, with a focus on high-leverage, high-impact measurements and standards efforts to foster U.S. manufacturing and construction industry innovation, productivity, and competitiveness, improve building and fire safety, and reduce the environmental impact of buildings and manufacturing activities.  EL provides exciting opportunities in areas of national impact, access to excellent research facilities and work environment, exposure to top notch peers and mentors, and competitive benefits.  

EL's strategic goals include cyberphysical systems; disaster-resilience buildings, infrastructure, and communities; advanced manufacturing; and sustainable and energy-efficient, manufacturing, materials, and infrastructure.  EL also has specific statutory responsibilities for fire prevention and control, earthquake hazards reduction, windstorm impact reduction, and building and fire safety investigations.  

EL carries out mission-related measurement science research in

• Fire prevention and control
• Earthquake hazards reduction
• Windstorm impact reduction
• Building materials and structures
• Smart Grid
• Systems integration and engineering,
• Intelligent systems and control, robotics and automation,
• Cyber-physical systems
• Sustainability and energy efficiency
• Economic analysis and life cycle assessment

We urge you to browse our website and view the list of current NIST Vacancies announced on USAJobs.  We look forward to hearing from you! 

Upcoming Opportunities

Fire Research Division Chief, NIST Engineering Laboratory, Gaithersburg, MD USA

We are seeking candidates for the position of Chief of the Fire Research Division in the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland USA. The Fire Research Division Chief provides technical and managerial leadership for measurement science research programs that reduce fire risks and consequences in buildings and communities, including wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities, through advances in measurement capabilities, predictive tools, fire resistance and protective technologies, and response technologies and tactics. The Fire Research Division is a premiere fire science research organization with approximately 47 federal staff and 26 associates, an overall budget of approximately $17.5M, and a number of world-class fire research laboratories and large-scale facilities, including the National Fire Research Laboratory.  The Fire Research Division and its predecessor organizations at NIST/NBS have a long history of research impact that have resulted in significant reductions in losses of life and property due to fire.

The position includes a full range of division management responsibilities, including:

• Strategic planning
• Technical direction, review, and assessment
• External and internal stakeholder engagement
• Budget planning and control
• Development of new funding opportunities
• Personnel management
• Laboratory and office safety
• Leadership and employee development, and
• Division diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

The position also includes responsibilities associated with deploying National Construction Safety Teams to perform investigations after events causing the failure of a building or buildings that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential for substantial loss of life.

The position requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or physical sciences, plus at least one year of appropriate experience in conducting and managing complex interdisciplinary technical research in fire science/engineering.

The salary range for this position is $148,484 to $176,300; exact compensation may vary based on skills and experience.

The position is eligible for Alternate Work Schedule and Telework flexibilities. Additional information on Federal benefits can be found at  https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/ )

For consideration, please send resumes to ELHQjobs [at] nist.gov by September 2, 2022. In your submission email, please let us know how you learned about this position. Please note that only U.S. citizens can be considered for this position.