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Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrator (Program Officer)

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
This job announcement has closed

Summary

  • NCI is seeking a candidate to provide advice in program planning, solicitation, and evaluation to perform functions in research grants and interagency agreements supporting research projects.
  • OD is seeking a candidate for the DPCPSI, OBSSR: https://obssr.od.nih.gov/
  • NIDA is seeking a candidate to manage a grants program supporting integrated approaches to understanding interactions between individuals and environments that contribute to drug use, addiction, and related health problems.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/17/2020 to 08/21/2020
Salary
$86,335 to - $157,709 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 14
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Montgomery County, MD
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NIH-SR-DE-20-10884093
Control number
575758000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.

Duties

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  • Evaluating the availability and level of resources that can be applied to program area needs and stimulating interest in projects and special activities through communication with the social science community.
  • Identifying opportunities and problem areas, research gaps and relevant program needs, and making recommendations.
  • Organizing and conducting discussions with social science and/or behavioral researchers concerning an overall agenda for the assigned program area.
  • Providing suggested recommendations concerning program direction, priorities, and funding levels for areas of responsibility.
  • Performing scientific and administrative reviews and analyzing of applications/proposals from a programmatic viewpoint.
  • Preparing information for and attending advisory/review committee/panel meetings and responding to issues and concerns about specific applications/proposals pertaining to assigned program area.
  • Consulting with and advising grantees/contractors during preparation of applications/proposals and providing guidance on program issues.
  • Organizing and conducting workshops, conferences, symposia, or similar activities.
  • Facilitating communication and collaborative efforts with other Institute components, other ICs, and other DHHS agencies in assigned area of responsibility.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • If qualifying based on education, please provide transcripts.

Qualifications

Basic Position Requirement:

  • Have a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in the behavioral or social sciences, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. OR
  • Have a combination of education and experience that provided the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR
  • Have four years of appropriate experience demonstrating that you have acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. AND
In addition to the basic requirement above, all applicants must meet the following requirement:
  • Worked independently in planning, organizing, and conducting behavioral or social science health-related research; served in research program administration in these fields; and acquired an understanding of the history, interests, internal dynamics, and relationships of organizations in which health research is conducted.
Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-12 level:The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year:
  • Academic Environment - serving as principal investigator or equivalent on a grant or contract, which may include institutional grant support or foundation funds, but should have been obtained competitively; independent research, as evidenced by the development of a research project, and primary authorship of research publications in peer-reviewed journals; held position of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or equivalent.
  • Intramural Environment - independent research, as evidenced by the development of research projects, and primary authorship of research publications in peer-reviewed journals; evidence of responsibility for significant aspects of laboratory/research unit; held position of Staff Fellow, Senior Staff Fellow, Research Associate or equivalent.
  • Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - conceptualization and implementation of a research project, primary authorship on internal research reports or patents and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals; held position of Research Scientist or equivalent.
  • Extramural Environment - review for completeness applications for research grants or contracts; study scientific literature in order to place the proposed research project in its relationship to the research being done in the subject matter area; respond to issues and concerns about specific applications or proposals pertaining to assigned program areas.
Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-13 level:The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year:
  • Academic Environment - the management of significant independent research projects (analogous to an R01 and R21 grant) and supervision of graduate researcher or technicians; publications in refereed journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in behavioral or social sciences or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-review panels or journals; held position of Assistant or Associate Professor or equivalent
  • Intramural Environment - responsible for multiple scientific projects, supervising graduate researchers or technicians; publications in refereed journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in behavioral or social science or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-reviewed panels or journals; held position of Research Scientist (permanent position), Section Chief, or equivalent.
  • Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - evidence of increasing responsibility in research or research administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager or equivalent.
  • Extramural Environment - review the technical and scientific merit of applications and proposals received requesting grant or contract funds; provide advice in program planning, solicitation, and evaluation to perform day-to-day administrative functions related to research grants and interagency agreements supporting research projects in your scientific area; identify new basic, translational and clinical research concepts, projects and initiatives to appropriate advisory groups and formulate and develop Program Announcements, RFAs, RFPs, or a combination of these, to achieve objectives.
Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-14 level:The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year. At the GS-14 level, qualifying experience must demonstrate extensive scientific behavioral or social science expertise incorporating research experience with varied responsibilities for providing leadership in a scientific area functioning as a leader for a variety of efforts, such as directing research and coordinating committee and teaching activities, and organizing and chairing sessions at national scientific meetings.
  • Academic Environment - responsible for at least two concurrent behavioral or social science research projects with separate staff and budgets and supervising doctoral level staff; held position of Associate Professor, Professor, or equivalent.
  • Intramural Environment - responsible for at least two concurrent behavioral or social science research projects with separate staff and budgets and supervising doctoral level staff; held position of Section Chief or equivalent.
  • Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - evidence of increasing responsibility in research or research administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager or equivalent.
  • Extramural Environment - organize and conduct workshops, conferences, symposia or similar activities to foster the aims of the program, to facilitate communication among investigators, or to advise on the status of progress and emerging directions of research in the assigned program area; manage the initial scientific and administrative review of center grant, program project grant, and training grant applications, as well as research project applications submitted in response to requests for applications, multicenter clinical trial applications, and contract proposals assigned to the program area; plans, advises, and evaluates program activities for a portfolio of research project, research program and other grants/awards, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts in the assigned program area and the discovery, development and evaluation of associated prevention and therapeutic strategies; review and evaluate periodic and interim progress reports to determine effectiveness of support and achievement of objectives; recommend funding plans for initiatives; establish the criteria and standards for a review panel.
You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10884093

Education

If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

  • This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
  • A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency. This information is required annually. For information, visit the NIH Ethics website: https://ethics.od.nih.gov/topics/fd.htm.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
  • The NCI/DCCPS is able to pay relocation expenses.
  • PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration
  • We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions.
  • The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
  • The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Visit our Applicant FAQs page for helpful information on the application process.
  • Visit our Total Compensation page for a detailed look into the benefits, awards, leave, retirement and other incentives employees may receive as part of a rewarding work environment.

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

  • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements
The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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