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Grants and Agreements Specialist, GS-1109-14 NF (Temp Promotion/Detail)

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management, Division of Acquisition & Cooperative Support (DACS), Cooperative Support Branch (CSB). CSB is responsible for providing comprehensive cooperative agreement award leadership, solicitation, negotiation, award and administration of NSF's complex cooperative agreements for the agency's research facilities, as well as construction and operation of new facilities.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/05/2020 to 08/19/2020
Salary
$121,316 to - $157,709 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Alexandria, VA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary promotion - or Detail NTE 120 days and may be extended up to one year without further competition. This maybe made permanent without further competition. See Other Information Section for further information.
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
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DACS-2020-0002
Control number
575450600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

NSF agency employee on OR eligible for permanent competitive service appointments.

Duties

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The Grants and Agreements Specialist is a senior-level specialist responsible for planning, advising, and managing complex cooperative agreements in support of highly complex major research facilities and Federally Funded Research & Development Centers, during construction and operations and maintenance.


The duties of the position include the following:

  • Coordinate all business and non-scientific aspects of the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, award, administration and closeout of cooperative agreements that administer the operation of research facilities and tools funded by the National Science Foundation.
  • Perform work related to the pre-award process, i.e., the work necessary to award cooperative agreements to administer the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and other research facilities and equipment awards funded under cooperative agreements.
  • Oversee cooperative agreements that encompass issues that are largely undefined and require extensive analysis and evaluation to identify the scope of the problems and to reach decisions on appropriate courses of action.
  • Serve as a Grants Officer with unlimited signatory authority for award instruments necessary to plan and manage all pre-award and post-award phases of critical agency cooperative agreements.
  • Review proposal solicitations, publication of requirements, issuance of solicitations and announcements, oversee business analysis of offers received, prepare negotiation positions, evaluations of technical and cost proposals, negotiations of costs, as well as technical issues, and oversee the entry into a formal agreement with the proposing entity.
  • Oversee award administration work such as monitoring of performance under the cooperative agreements and negotiation of necessary award modifications to ensure satisfactory progress and completion of activities.
  • Plan, analyze, or evaluate different aspects of award policies and programs to develop policies or procedures or provide advice and guidance to agency activities concerning a variety of award issues.
  • Perform work associated with policy research, analysis, and interpretation or review of award actions for compliance with applicable regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Review and approve contracts and other sub-agreement under Federal financial assistance.
  • Participate in planning audits of awardees and supporting NSF’s resolution of the audits’ findings as a Federal financial assistance oversight management tool.  
  • Administer the closing-out of complex cooperative agreements and related awards.
  • Analyze and report on awardee business systems used to administer large complex cooperative agreements.

Competencies:

  • Grants Management
  • Award Process
  • Negotiation Skills 
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
  • US citizenship.
  • Background investigation.

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 and including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment and referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

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.

For those eligible for a Temporary Promotion, Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire.

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

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-14 level you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13-level in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience include: participating in the Federal financial assistance (grants / cooperative agreement) process from inception through closeout; providing technical assistance to a variety of recipients; conducting cost analyses of financial assistance applicants to determine suitability for funding including sufficiency of financial management systems in accordance with Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200; monitoring recipients’ compliance with award requirements; and reviewing, analyzing, and resolving recipients’ audit findings.

CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS OR WHO DO NOT SCORE IN THE BEST QUALIFIED GROUP, MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR A DETAIL TO THIS POSITION IN LIEU OF A TEMPORARY PROMOTION (BUT ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PERMANENT PLACEMENT INTO THE POSITION.)

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Additional information

* Applicants must obtain their supervisor's approval to apply for any detail opportunity. * Any candidate selected for a detail will remain at his/her current grade and rate of pay. * This detail/temporary promotion is for a period of (120-days) and may be extended up to (one year) without further competition. * The detail/temporary promotion may be terminated at any time during this period. * Upon conclusion of detail/temporary promotion, you will be returned to your former office and position/grade or equivalent.* Those eligible for a temporary promotion maybe placed in this position permanently without further competition. *

Relocation Expenses will not be paid.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):
ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least “Very Good” on the questionnaire.  You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

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.

For additional information on the NSF eRecruit system, please visit our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide.

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

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

How you will be evaluated

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

Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire.  In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Review your resume and responses carefully.  Responses that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your score.  A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." At NSF, this means a score of 90.0 or higher.

In the merit promotion selection process, formal performance appraisals may be considered if voluntarily submitted by the applicant.


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