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Biological Science Administrator (Program Director)

National Science Foundation
Division of Biological Infrastructure
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for a Biological Science Administrator (Program Director) position within the Directorate for Biological (BIO), Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in Alexandria, VA.

For more information on BIO please click here.
For more information on DBI please click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/10/2024 to 05/15/2024
Salary
$169,430 to - $204,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 4
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Alexandria, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DBI-24-12368932
Control number
786046300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all US citizens who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements. Please see the "Other Information" section for further information.

Duties

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The Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) envisions a robust and resilient national infrastructure that advances fundamental biological research to transform our future. To realize this vision, DBI invests in the innovation and capacity-building of cutting-edge research infrastructure for fundamental biological science that includes human capital, technologies, institutes and centers, and mid-to-large scale facilities.

Responsibilities of this Program Director position include working to support multiple programs and programmatic areas in the Research Resources Cluster in DBI in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). This will include, for example, long-range planning and budget development for the research and development areas represented by these programs and programmatic areas, the administration of the NSF merit review process and post award oversight, the preparation of press releases and other materials describing advances in the research and broader impacts supported, as well as coordination and liaising with other NSF programs, Federal agencies and organizations.
A qualified Program Director will have the ability to manage a portfolio of proposals and awards across all disciplines of biology, from molecular and organismic to ecosystem scales. They are expected to have significant research expertise in developing novel research methods or instrumentation to advance research in the areas of research supported by BIO. Preferred candidates will also have a background in education and training in these areas.
Additional duties and responsibilities include:

PROGRAM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

  • Maintains a healthy balance of support for all the needs of the research and education enterprise through program, division, directorate, Foundation, or interagency activities.
  • Manages program resources to provide optimal appropriate scientific judgment to insure integrity and consistency in the grant/declination process without conflicts of interest, and with balance among appropriate sub-fields and institutions, and participation of all qualified scientists.
  • Manages an effective, timely merit review process, with attention to increasing the size and quality of the reviewer pools and insuring participation by women, minorities and disabled scientists.
  • Provides scientific expertise, evaluation and advice for other programs in NSF, including international programs, and other research programs, and cross-directorate programs.
  • Advises and assists in the development of short-and-long range plans, establishing goals and objectives for support of research programs.
  • Plans the budget for the program considering past, present and future fiscal years, allocates resources within the budget by distributing scarce resources among competitive projects, and manages post-award evaluation.
  • Controls waste, fraud and abuse.
REPRESENTATION, COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP
  • Represents the Program, Division and the Foundation within the scientific community, with other NSF Divisions, with other appropriate agencies and organizations, and with the public, accurately reflecting NSF policy and positions.
  • Creates and maintains linkages to other NSF units and other Federal agencies in pursuit of the overall NSF mission.
  • Participates in staff, panel, committee and other meetings, providing input relevant to program area and/or Division.
  • Pursues affirmative action and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) goals.
  • Pursues and/or is responsive to assignment on special projects and temporary function teams across the Foundation to solve problems, improve staff communication, and effect coordination for special programs.
  • Contributes ideas and effort to improving the quality of policies and NSF's performance of the overall mission.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This position is in the bargaining unit represented by AFGE Local 3403.

The Selected Candidate(s) may be subject to a background investigation.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Biology or other related field plus, after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, leadership, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Ideal candidates will have demonstrated leadership and experience working across multiple disciplines of biology as highlighted above.

Education

Please refer to the Qualifications section.

If your degree was obtained from a foreign institution, please also submit the certification from the Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals, or certification equivalency.

Additional information

Relocation expenses MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds.

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or IPAs detailed to NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to & including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment & referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

This announcement is open to All US Citizens who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements.

Federal Appropriations Law requires that Non-Citizens meet certain eligibility criteria to be considered. Therefore, Non-Citizens must certify eligibility by signing and attaching this Citizenship Affidavit to their application. Non-citizens who do not provide the affidavit at the time of application will not be considered.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated on the extent and quality of your experience, expertise, education, and research activities relevant to the duties of the position. In some cases, additional assessment processes may also be used. We strongly encourage you to specifically address the Quality Ranking Factors below. This will ensure that you receive full consideration in the evaluation process.

Quality Ranking Factors

  1. Knowledge of NSF's and DBI's mission and programmatic activities.
  2. Ability to manage a range of proposal-driven grant programs, allocating resources to meet a broad spectrum of program goals.
  3. Demonstrated research, collaborative, and leadership experience and accomplishments in working with various communities from undergraduate research, postdoctoral training, biological informatics and management of data across disciplinary, organizational and national boundaries.
  4. Ability to communicate with a broad range of audiences from STEM researchers and educators to decision makers and to the general public.

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