Summary

As an Engineering and Physical Science professional, you will use your skills to create the systems and tools that will be used to enhance the operation of intelligence. You will advise, administer and perform scientific projects, such as planning, designing, and constructing specialized equipment, and ensuring adherence to sound engineering and scientific standards and principles. Apply your science and engineering skills to protect the nation.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.
Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Duties

With the ever-increasing technological complexities in the world of supercomputers, we need talented computer and electrical engineers to be part of our team architecting, designing and verifying the next generation of high performance computing solutions (HPCS) that will support of our mission. Our goal is to provide supercomputers of the highest quality to ensure the success of the NSA and its partners.

The areas of responsibility may include one or more of the following:

- Accelerating application performance using Register Transfer Level (RTL) design
- Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) firmware development and integration
- RTL design closure using logic simulation, functional verification, synthesis, and timing analysis
- Printed Circuit Board (PCB) logic design, simulation and test
- PCB layout
- Signal Integrity / Power Integrity
- Commercial systems acquisition and contracting
- Create and maintain documentation on technical information
- Operate specialized scientific and technical equipment
- Attend conferences and communicate with people in a particular technical field to keep abreast of new technologies and information
- Conduct research including studies, experiments, and investigations
- Research emerging technologies for application(s) within the Agency
- Serve as a subject matter expert to support research and development efforts
- Work with customers to clarify their needs and to determine how their needs can be met
- Modeling and simulation to evaluate design alternatives

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph.

Qualifications

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.

Degree must be in professional Engineering, Physics or Astronomy from an accredited college or university, or a relevant professional technical field (e.g. chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, geology).

For all of the above degrees, if program is not ABET accredited, it must include specified coursework.*

*Specified coursework includes courses in differential and integral calculus and 5 of the following 18 areas: (a) statics or dynamics, (b) strength of materials/stress-strain relationships, (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics, (d) thermodynamics, (e) electromagnetic fields, (f) nature and properties of materials/relating particle and aggregate structure to properties, (g) solid state electronics, (h) microprocessor applications, (i), computer systems, (j) signal processing, (k) digital design, (l) systems and control theory, (m) circuits or generalized circuits, (n) communication systems, (o) power systems, (p) computer networks, (q) software development, (r) Any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, or soil mechanics.

FULL PERFORMANCE
With a degree in Engineering, entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience.

With a degree in either (1) Physics or Astronomy from an accredited college or university or (2) a relevant professional technical field (for example, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, geology), entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, or a Master's or Doctoral degree plus 1 year of relevant experience.

Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: digital equipment design, assembling computers, electronic design automation (EDA) tools, hardware description language (HDL), or printed circuit board (PCB).

SENIOR
Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 3 years of relevant experience.

Degree must be in either (1) professional Engineering, (2) Physics or Astronomy from an accredited college, or (3) a relevant professional technical field (for example, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, geology).

Relevant experience must be in one or more of the following: digital equipment design, assembling computers, electronic design automation (EDA) tools, hardware description language (HDL), or printed circuit board (PCB). At least one year of project management experience OR project management certification (for example, DAWIA, PMP) is also required.

Education

Additional information

Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Salary Range: $104,219 - $190,848 (Full Performance, Senior)
Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position.

Training will be provided based on the selectee's needs and experience.

Benefits: NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).

DCIPS Trial Period: If selected for this position, you will be required to serve a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless you are a veterans' preference-eligible employee, in which case you are required to serve a one-year trial period. This trial period runs concurrently with your commitment to the position, if applicable. Before finalizing your appointment at the conclusion of your trial period, NSA will determine whether your continued employment advances the public interest. This decision will be based on factors such as your performance and conduct; the Agency's needs and interests; whether your continued employment would advance the Agency's organizational goals; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your trial period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The ideal candidate is someone with excellent problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills who is:
- Motivated
- Creative
- Able to work effectively across several different functional areas in a collaborative environment
- Well-organized and able to handle multiple assignments
- Customer service and requirements focused
- Detail oriented

Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following is desired:
- Concepts, theories, and methods for designing, analyzing, testing, and verifying large scale computational and data storage systems
- Translate conceptual designs into technical specifications
- Designing digital logic (e.g., FPGAs, ASICs)
- Experience using Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools
- Unified Verification Methodology (UVM)
- Applying engineering principles to design and layout PCBs
- Firmware development for configuring and controlling hardware devices
- Evaluate information in technical documents to understand its importance and significance
- Operate specialized scientific and technical equipment
- Applied Cryptography and Mathematics
- Programming Languages (C, C++, OpenCL, Perl, Python, TCL)
- Hardware description languages (VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog)
- Computer System Architecture and Design
- Computer Networks and Security
- CPU and GPU processor architectures
- Memory, interconnect, and storage architectures

Required Documents

The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please visit our application site to apply: https://apply.intelligencecareers.gov/job-description/1249088

Agency contact information

NSA POC

Phone: 1-844-424-4737
Email: intelcareers@nsa.gov
Address: NSA External Hiring
9800 Savage Road
Fort Meade, MD 20755
US

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