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Social Scientist (Supervisory Program Director)

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for a Social Scientist (Supervisory Program Director) position for the Science and Engineering Indicators Program (SEI) in the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), Alexandria, VA.

For more information on SBE please click here.

For more information on NCSES please click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/13/2021 to 02/16/2021
Salary
$148,933 to - $190,947 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 04
Location
Alexandria, VA
FEW vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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
04
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NCSES-2021-0005
Control number
589290000

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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NCSES is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data on financial and human resources for science, technology, and innovation in the United States and globally. NCSES is the principal source within the Federal Government for information and statistics related to these resources.

SEI has lead responsibility within NCSES in preparing the National Science Board’s Congressionally mandated, biennial Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators) report, which analyzes the status of the U.S. science, technology, and innovation (STI) enterprise in a global context. Indicators is widely used in the STI policy and academic communities domestically and internationally. SEI also prepares other analyses on specific topics affecting the nation’s STI enterprise.

SEI analyses are factual, heavily reliant on quantitative data, policy neutral, and policy relevant. They provide balanced contextual information and are designed to be accessible to readers with widely varying levels of sophistication about S&E issues, statistical techniques, and social science methodology. 

The Supervisory Program Director is responsible for planning and managing SEI’s overall activities and operates with a large degree of independent authority. In shaping SEI work products, the Supervisory Program Director brings to bear a broad understanding of major patterns and trends in US and global STI, a nuanced sensitivity to the national and global STI policy environment, and an expert knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of information about national and global STI.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (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.

You will need to successfully complete a background security investigation before you can be appointed into this position.

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 excluded from the bargaining unit.

Please preview "Evaluations" section and "Qualifications" for additional requirements and Quality Ranking Factors.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in a Social Science, plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position; OR a Master’s degree in a Social Science, plus after award of the degree, eight or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

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

Additional information

Relocation expenses MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds

This announcement is open to (All US Citizens OR current NSF employees) 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.

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.

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 (QRFs) below.  This will ensure that you receive full consideration in the evaluation process.

Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs)

  1. Broad understanding of the major patterns and trends in US and global science, STI, demonstrated sensitivity to the national and global STI policy environment, and expert knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the major sources of information about national and global STI.
  2. Demonstrated written and oral communications skills required to translate highly technical quantitative material into language understandable to policy decision-makers and the interested public; ability to speak before large audiences; experience negotiating contentious issues with key individuals and representatives of stakeholder organizations; and ability to clearly and cogently brief top decision-makers.
  3. Demonstrated interpersonal skill necessary to work effectively with NSF senior staff, high ranking officials of other federal agencies, Congressional staff, and domestic or international organizations.
  4. Demonstrated administrative, technical, and managerial ability to prioritize, organize, balance, and coordinate a shifting portfolio of activity and to plan and execute budgets.

To preview questions please click here.

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