Researcher For Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

Job Overview

This position is accepting applications until 25 October 2024. NOTE: Must use MM/DD/YYYY date format for experience on resume.

The Air Force Research Laboratory, Information Directorate’s Quantum Information Sciences & Technology Branch (AFRL/RITQ) seeks to hire mid-level (DR-02) to senior-level (DR-03) Physicists, Mathematicians, Logisticians, Computer Scientists, Computer Engineers, Systems Engineers, and Operations Research experts at the Rome Research Site in Rome, New York.

These positions will work closely with DARPA’s cross-organizational Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) team to verify and validate approaches enabling revolutionary advances in design, engineering, testing, and evaluation in the domain of fault-tolerant quantum computing, and exploring computational workflows that include quantum computing procedures. The primary goal of the QBI program is to determine if any emerging approaches to quantum computing are capable of achieving industrially useful operation much faster than conventional predictions.

DARPA’s QBI team will consistently employ a critical and skeptical approach to evaluate and analyze DARPA’s commercial Performers’ plans and designs, advocating for a Performer’s approach once relevant concerns, constraints, and risks have been identified and retired.

The day-to-day activities of DARPA’s QBI team include performing tasks designed to identify, select, capture, evaluate, and document the metrics and approaches DARPA’s commercial Performers are developing and applying to build fault-tolerant utility-scale quantum computers (USQC). The QBI team is also responsible for generating and executing plans to assess the implementation timeline, specific characteristics, and plausibility of the Performer’s ability to build a USQC as designed that operates as intended, and reporting, documenting, and defending the findings.

Typical work includes:

• Evaluate quantum architectures, devices, algorithms, and applications
• Identify Performer subsystems and components required to successfully design and construct the system
• Discover, develop, implement, execute, evaluate, analyze, articulate, and defend models and simulations at the component, subsystem, and system levels
• Assess DARPA and Performer requirements; capture and document the level of maturity of these elements
• Identify, assess, and capture design, development, and integration risk
• Evaluate system design maturity and utility
• Identify the Performer’s interface approach:
  • For efforts with an existing Interface Control Document (ICD), ingest the information and identify any shortcomings, it may be necessary to convert the Performer-provided ICD to a common framework identified/developed by the Government evaluation team.
  • For Performer efforts that do not have an existing Interface Control Document, help the Performer track system interfaces through an ICD or similar document.
• Assist non-traditional performers to complete design reviews
• Participate in system concept and readiness reviews
• Perform prototype subsystem System Requirements Review (SRR) through Final Design Review (FDR) and prototype construction
• Assist with diverse evaluation and documentation activities
• Identify, implement, and apply standardized Government and systems engineering products, practices, and documentation
• Work with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, physicists, scientists, engineers, and subject matter experts to identify problems and synthesize solutions which can be integrated into preexisting workflows and processes
• Discover, develop, and lead novel workflows to enhance and improve evaluation processes as new Performers are added to the program

Team members must be able to rapidly digest large quantities of complex Performer-specific technical details, perform relevant independent evaluations, and generate standardized Government artifacts summarizing independent assessments of that material.

Anticipate travel of up to a week per month to participate in program reviews and interface with performers.

Daily activities include frequent VTC meetings and may also require limited/periodic nonstandard work hours to accommodate meetings with team members and Performers across multiple (and sometimes international) time zones.

You must be able to cultivate a professional and respectful environment of cooperation. You must be willing to listen and consider the views of others. You must be willing and able to seek opportunities for collaboration with personnel from other functional units (finance, contracting, etc.) and other technical areas of participating organizations to accomplish work-related activities. You will be required to meet USAF and DoD training requirements in a timely manner.

Telework

Yes, this position is eligible for telework opportunities; as determined by agency policy

Remote Work (CONUS)

Yes, this position is approved for remote work and duty location can be negotiated after selection.

Remote Work (Multiple Potential Duty Locations): The duty location for this position can be at the below Duty Locations. Telework options can be negotiated and implemented after entrance on duty

Rome, NY

Required Qualifications

• United States Citizenship
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
• A bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering discipline. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
• This is an APDP position requiring Level /Tier 1 (Foundational) Non-Critical certification in Engineering and Technical Management (N). This position has been designated as an acquisition position and is covered by the Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP). The employee must meet, or be capable of meeting Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DAWIA) requirements applicable to the duties of the position. *Applicants must list all completed APDP certification and status of acquisition corps membership on their resume.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year or 52 weeks of specialized experience in this field at a minimum of GS-13/DR-02 (mid-level) in the federal service or equivalent in an alternate pay system.

Applicants must meet the Basic Qualification requirements for one or more of: 1310 (Physics Series), 1520 (Mathematics Series), 1515 (Operations Research Series), 1550 (Computer Science Series), 0854 (Computer Engineer Series), 0801 (General Engineer/Systems Engineer Series). To view the Individual Occupational Requirements for this position, click on the following links:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/physics-series-1310/
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/mathematics-series-1520/
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/operations-research-series-1515/
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/computer-science-series-1550/
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/computer-engineering-series-0854/
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/

Desired Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Minimum Master of Science degree in Engineering, Logistics, Computer Science/Engineering, Operations Research, or related field. Minimum Master of Science degree in Physics or Mathematics, PhD preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of quantum computing is a plus:
  • Experience planning, performing, and conducting experimental quantum research using computer simulations and mathematical models
  • Specific experience with quantum computing hardware, especially valuable if it is across multiple qubit modalities
  • Specific experience developing quantum algorithms designed for fault-tolerant quantum computers
  • Expertise in quantum resource estimation tools and techniques for analyzing quantum circuits
  • Experience or academic background in Quantum Error Correction and quantum fault tolerance
• Knowledge and experience with photonic principles, devices and circuits, integrated photonic chips, and similar
• Knowledge and experience with superconductor principles, devices and circuits, integrated superconductor chips, and similar
• Knowledge and experience of the principles and practices of using other viable quantum information modalities, such as solid-state devices, atomic systems, etc. for elements of scalable quantum computation
• Knowledge and experience with standard Systems Engineering (SE) frameworks and practices (SysML, DoDAF, etc.); Experience with DoE SE practices is a plus.
• Familiar with typical DoD reviews, including technical review products and organizational structure
• Experience with development/execution of modeling and simulation tools and related software tools and techniques
• Ability to leverage mathematics and statistics to analyze, visualize, and explain complex and unstructured data
• Comfortable speaking to diverse audiences; capable of organizing and conveying abstract/complex ideas and concepts
• Able to expediently generate focused and detailed work product based on evolving/general/nebulous task requests
• Understand USAF/DoD structure and current strategic guidance; able to follow and respect the chain of command
• Comfortable engaging in frequent and recurring video teleconference (VTC) meetings (camera on)
• Candidates absolutely must be capable of working independently to produce timely products, with a mindset that embraces the flexibility required to define and follow the procedures for DARPA’s new and evolving QBI program

When uploading documents, please utilize the naming convention listed below.
Resume: Req No_Last Name_First Name_Resume
Transcripts: Req No_Last Name_First Name_Transcripts
Acceptable file types: .doc, .docx, .pdf

(Req. No. 55022)
Additional Information

This position will be filled as a Flexible-Length, Renewable Term Appointment. Flexible length, renewable term appointments are time-limited appointments of more than one year, not to exceed six years in duration and may be extended without limit in up to six year increments without further competition. A flexible-length term appointment may be non-competitively converted to a career appointment at the end of the anticipated 2-6-year QBI program term.

Dependent on the assigned level of security clearance, this position may require drug testing and the incumbent may be subject to random testing.

NOTE: Must use MM/DD/YYYY date format for experience on resume.
Series

0801

0854

1310

1515

1520

1550