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Science Education Administrator (Program Director)

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidate for a Science Education Administrator (Program Director) with a primary assignment in the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program in the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resource Management (EHR), Alexandria, VA.

For more information on EHR please click here.

For more information on HRD please click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/22/2021 to 02/22/2021
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
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HRD-2021-0003
Control number
590146000

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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As the Program Officer for the HSI program, the incumbent will be responsible for providing appropriate scientific and administrative judgment to ensure the integrity and consistency of the awards process and to effectively manage the timely merit review involved in decision making for the awards. In addition to the HSI program, the incumbent is expected to assist with other HRD programs as needed, by conducting review panels and developing recommendations for both proposal awards and declinations and managing a set of program portfolios.

The incumbent will manage the HSI program in collaboration with other program officers from both the HRD and DUE divisions. Activities will include but not limited to timely and effective review of applications, processing of recommendations for awards and declinations, managing project portfolio and conducting program outreach . The incumbent is expected to participate in staff, panel, committee and other meetings, providing input relevant to the program area and/or division. As a Program Officer in HRD/EHR, the incumbent is expected to contribute to the directorate's mission and goals as well as to the NSF overall mission including serving on EHR and agency wide working groups and committees.

The incumbent will represent the program, division (HRD), directorate, and 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.

Program Planning and Management

  • Maintain a healthy balance of support for all the needs of the research and education enterprise either through program, division, directorate, Foundation, or interagency activities.
  • Manage the HSI program resources to provide optimal appropriate scientific judgment to ensure 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. Incorporate cross-directorate responsibilities into program administration.
  • Manage an effective, timely merit review process, with attention to increasing the size and quality of the reviewer pools and ensuring participation by women, minorities and disabled scientists.
  • Provide scientific expertise, evaluation and advice for other programs in NSF, including international programs, other research programs, and cross-directorate programs.
  • Develop new knowledge, new tools, and new syntheses, which inform policies and practices for improving student learning and teaching.
  • Advise and assist in the development of short- and long-range plans, establishing goals and objectives for the HSI program. This requires a strong knowledge of different types of HSI and the needs and resources at these institutions for capacity building in STEM education and research. Plan the budget for the HSI program considering past, present and future fiscal years, allocate resources within the budget distributing scarce resources among major competitive programs, and manage post-award evaluation.
  • Organize and prepare current data and other significant written material to be disseminated.

Representation, Communication and Leadership

  • Represent the HSI program, division, directorate, and Foundation within the scientific community.
  • Create and maintain linkages to other NSF units and other federal agencies in pursuit of the overall NSF mission.
  • Participate in meetings, providing input relevant to program area and/or division.
  • Pursue affirmative action and EEO goals.
  • Pursue and/or be responsible to assignment on special projects and temporary functional teams from across the Foundation to solve problems, improve staff communication, and effect coordination for special programs.
  • Contribute ideas and effort to improving the quality of policies, NSF's performance of the overall mission, and GPRA. Develop policies and plans for strengthening research and education programs. Provide information to the community, particularly those at HSIs on how NSF is pursuing its mission and gather data and impressions from the community on the effectiveness of NSF's performance of its mission.
  • Prepare and disseminate a variety of informational documents which may include data on progress being made toward NSF's goals, trends and opportunities papers, and budget plans.
  • Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as determined by the needs of HRD and as appropriate to the position.

Professional Development

  • Establish contacts and maintain active involvement in program and related areas through participation in professional activities. Maintain familiarity with salient current research developments. Pursue individual research as workload and travel demands permit.
  • Expand administrative capabilities through training courses or assumption of new management responsibilities.

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 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 in the bargaining unit.

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

Qualifications

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

Additional qualifications (Preferred but not required):

A strong working knowledge of the different types of Hispanic Serving Institutions. Experience in working with institutions that require building capacity in terms of human capital and workforce, as well as physical and technological research infrastructures that will support STEM education and STEM education research. Ability to lead a diverse team of staff and work collaboratively with individuals who may be directly or indirectly involved in team assignments. Knowledge of leading programs in the context of federal funding agencies.

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 either in the form of a narrative addressing the 6 QRFs (no longer than 3 pages) or included in your cover letter or CV.  Your responses to the QRFs will ensure that you receive full consideration in the evaluation process.

Quality Ranking Factors 

  1. Knowledge of and experience in promoting diversity and broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM, particularly within Hispanic-serving and other minority-serving institutions;
  2. Demonstrated ability to design, plan, coordinate and manage a complex portfolio and program deliverables to achieve organizational objectives, taking into consideration the variety of HSIs that may be supported by this program;
  3. Knowledge of federal broadening participation programs and the NSF broadening participation portfolio;
  4. Expertise in one of the STEM disciplines or in STEM Education or STEM Education research;
  5. Analytical, presentation, and technical writing skills that evidence the ability to communicate effectively with diverse STEM and STEM Education communities to develop and advocate programs, policies, and plans; and
  6. Ability to interact, on a peer basis, with senior scientific and managerial personnel throughout NSF, other Federal agencies, academia, non-profits, and the private sector.

To preview questions please click here.

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