Nanolithography Toolbox Specialist

Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland (On-site)

Clearance: Must be eligible for a NIST site badge; U.S. Citizenship or permanent residency required

Job Type: Full-time

Contract Type: Government Contract (Base Year + 4 Option Years)

Position Overview We are seeking a talented Nanolithography Toolbox Specialist to support the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) NanoFab in Gaithersburg, Maryland. This role is responsible for developing and maintaining the Nanolithography Toolbox (NT), a platform-independent software package for scripted lithography pattern layout generation used by researchers and engineers in nanoscale device design.

The ideal candidate has strong Java and JavaFX development skills combined with experience in scientific or design software. This position requires deep expertise in software architecture, GUI design, and integration with external environments (Matlab, Python, Visual Studio Code). Experience with electron beam lithography systems (particularly Raith EBPG) and nanofabrication design principles is highly desirable.

This is a non-personal services contract position. The contractor employee reports directly to the Prime Contractor for all human resources, disciplinary, and administrative matters, while receiving work direction and prioritization from CNST NanoFab management.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and enhance the Nanolithography Toolbox (NT) application
• Migrate NT to the latest LTS version of OpenJDK and JavaFX (currently Version 25)
• Resolve deprecated dependencies and API conflicts arising from version transitions
• Write custom NT constructors for MEMS/NEMS, fluidics, nanomagnetics, nanoelectronics, and nanophotonics elements
• Design and implement new GUI components for advanced functionality
• Execute software releases addressing development milestones, code maintenance, and documentation updates
• Ensure full functional parity and stability across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments
• Build GUI components for Raith EBPG 5200+ electron beam lithography system
• Redesign and implement the NT constructor parsing system for near-constant-time lookup
• Develop Visual Studio Code editor scripts for dynamic parameter autocompletion
• Build dedicated parser for automatic generation of VS Code autocompletion templates
• Implement VS Code shell command integration for script execution
• Develop equivalent NT functions in Matlab and Python
• Author and maintain LaTeX-based technical documentation
• Update LaTeX technical manual for each release
• Deliver standalone, platform-agnostic packages for each release

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
• Minimum five (5) years of software development experience
• U.S. Citizenship or permanent residency required
• Must be able to obtain a NIST site badge; must pass criminal background check and fingerprinting
• Proficiency in Java, JavaFX, Python, HTML5, CSS, JS
• Proficiency in Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA
• Proficiency in Maven, Git, GitLab
• Proficiency in Windows, macOS, Linux
• Proficiency in Matlab, LaTeX
• Experience with OpenJDK LTS, JavaFX, Flask
• Experience with MEMS/NEMS, nanophotonics, electron beam lithography systems (Raith EBPG) preferred
• Strong communication skills; ability to work with research scientists and engineers
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and independently plan and accomplish goals

Schedule & Work Conditions

• Hours: Monday through Friday, standard NIST business hours (typically 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM access window)
• Location: NIST Gaithersburg Campus, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
• Federal Holidays Off: All federal holidays as observed by NIST
• On-site Requirement: All work must be performed on-site unless otherwise agreed in advance by the Government

Security Requirements

• Must obtain a NIST site badge; requires proof of identity, citizenship/visa status, fingerprinting, and criminal background check (processing takes approximately 4 weeks)
• IT Risk Level: Moderate Risk - access to NIST IT systems with elevated, limited access rights
• Must comply with all NIST and DoC IT Security Policies for Moderate Impact (Confidentiality and Integrity) systems

Equal Opportunity Employer We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.