Summary At the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), our team of cyber experts work to understand and evaluate the cyber offense capabilities of AI models, working closely with AI developers and the US national security community to prepare for increasing capabilities in this critical domain. This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates. Responsibilities In this position, you will: Integrate national security context into CAISI's assessments of AI cyber capabilities, mapping offensive tradecraft-from vulnerability research to exploit development-to real-world adversarial tactics. Develop strategic roadmaps for evaluation, ensuring that AI assessment scenarios reflect high-priority cyber threats to national security interests and critical infrastructure. Translate complex evaluation results into mission-focused assessments and risk briefings for senior interagency leadership and national security stakeholders. Bridge the gap between emerging AI research and established offensive cyber tradecraft to ensure evaluations remain operationally relevant to the US Government. Strengthen the U.S. security posture by providing a high-quality technical evidence base that informs federal defensive and offensive cyber strategies. Coordinate with interagency partners to align assessments with federal cyber requirements and validate that frontier AI systems are measured against realistic cyber targets. Safeguard national interests by ensuring frontier AI models are rigorously evaluated against relevant cyber assets and national security benchmarks. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications All applicants must submit a resume NOT TO EXCEED two pages on standard-size paper. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed for qualifications or assessment determinations. Basic Requirements: A. Bachelor's degree in computer science. OR B. 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-1550-IV: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level (ZP-III at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience performing advanced technical tasks in offensive cyber tradecraft, such as vulnerability analysis, exploit development, or reverse engineering; identifying the functional utility of specific technical components within a cyber-attack lifecycle; and documenting technical findings through reports or briefings that explain the functional impact of cyber tools or vulnerabilities. ZP-1550-V: In addition to the above requirements, applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level (ZP-IV at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience performing expert-level offensive cyber tradecraft, such as vulnerability research or exploit development; identifying the operational significance of technical capabilities and evaluating their systemic implications for national security; prioritizing emerging risks based on their potential impact on national-level mission sets; and translating low-level technical data into authoritative strategic assessments that communicate the "so what" of cyber capabilities to senior leadership or national security stakeholders. Selective Placement Factor: Position duties require immediate access to classified intelligence; therefore, applicants must possess a current TS/SCI clearance. 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 Education This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment. Use of foreign education for qualifications. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application. Additional Information This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent Learn more about the APMS here! We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy. Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions. You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position. All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations. A trial period may be required. This appointment may be extended up to four years without further competition. This position requires the passing of a drug test. This position requires filing an OGE-450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of onboarding and annually thereafter. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; 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.