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! 

Materials and Structural Systems Division Chief – NIST Engineering Laboratory, Gaithersburg, MD USA

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Engineering Laboratory is seeking candidates for an upcoming Division Chief position for the Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) in Gaithersburg, Maryland USA.

When the position is available, an official vacancy announcement will be posted on USAJOBS.gov. This announcement is also posted on the NIST Engineering Laboratory website at: https://www.nist.gov/el/about-el/careers.

Job Description:
The MSSD serves as the world-class resource for developing and promoting the use of science-based tools – measurements, data, models, protocols, and reference standards – to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. industry through innovations in building materials and construction technology; and the safety, security, and sustainability of the nation's buildings and physical infrastructure. The MSSD mission is carried out and supported by 60-75 federal staff, a varying number of associates and students, and an overall annual Congressionally-appropriated budget of approximately $25M.

The MSSD Division Chief provides technical and managerial leadership for the following research programs:

• Community Resilience
• Earthquake Risk Reduction in Buildings and Infrastructure
• Engineered Materials for Resilient Infrastructure
• Structural Performance for Multi-Hazards

This position also currently oversees the Disaster and Failure Studies Program, which includes leading and coordinating the following programs enacted by statute:

• National Construction Safety Team Investigations
• National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program
• National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program

However, these statutory responsibilities may be relocated to the Engineering Laboratory Headquarters Office in the future, pending administrative approval.

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

• Strategic planning
• Oversight and assessment of technical direction
• External and internal stakeholder engagement
• Budget planning and control
• Development of new funding opportunities
• Personnel management and succession planning
• Safety management for laboratories, offices, and field studies
• Leadership and employee development, and
• Division diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts.

Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $155,700 to $183,500 per annum. 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/.

Please note that only U.S. citizens can be considered for this position, and that this position is not eligible for full-time remote work (relocation would be required from outside the area). Relocation expenses may be considered.

Basic Requirements:
The position requires a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, physical science, or social science, in addition to at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience in managerial leadership and oversight of technical research programs in relevant areas such as structural systems, materials, and/or community resilience.

Submission of Interest:
For consideration, please send a resume to ELHQjobs [at] nist.gov (ELHQjobs[at]nist[dot]gov) by December 7, 2023. In your submission cover letter/email, please let us know how you learned about this position.