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Science Analyst

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidate for a Science Analyst position for the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Alexandria, VA.

For more information in EHR please click here.

For more information on HRD please click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/05/2021 to 02/22/2021
Salary
$72,750 to - $134,796 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 02
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
02
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HRD-2021-0007
Control number
591519900

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 Human Resource Development (HRD) serves as a focal point for the NSF’s agency-wide commitment to enhancing the quality and excellence of STEM education and research through broadening participation by historically underrepresented groups – minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Priority is placed on investments that promise innovation and transformative strategies that focus on creating and testing models that ensure the full participation of and provide opportunities for the educators, researchers, and institutions dedicated to serving these populations. Programs within HRD have a strong focus on partnerships and collaborations in order to maximize the preparation of a well-trained scientific and instructional workforce for the new millennium.

This position is responsible for a wide spectrum of duties in support of the Division’s mission, including scientific and technical support for reports, analyses, and presentations regarding the research portfolio of the Division, to aid in portfolio assessment and inform decisions made by Division management regarding technical directions of its research and related activities. These activities will involve day-to-day interactions with the staff throughout the Division, Directorate, other Directorates, and with other Federal Government research organizations and coordinating groups. The incumbent is expected to make judgments that demonstrate comprehension of science and mathematics education, as well as to show professional initiative in leveraging knowledge to enhance collaboration, partnerships, and other activities. The incumbent will report to the Deputy Division Director and will primarily provide support for programs, especially for data collection, management, analyses, and data tracking and monitoring needs of HRD programs. The incumbent will be part of the data team within HRD that is responsible for the various data collection and analytics requirements of the division.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Major duties for the Science Analyst include, but are not limited to the following:

  • As required by the Division Director, Deputy Division Director, or Program Directors, conducts the necessary research to develop one-of-a-kind reports, studies, and analyses on scientific topics supported by the Division. The ability to synthesize disparate information into coherent work products is essential. The incumbent may also assist in preparing data and graphics for presentations by the DD/DDD and Program Directors.
  • Perform literature analysis and summarize findings of prior impact (scientific and technical, economic, or societal) of the Division’s portfolio. Serve as an analytical resource to HRD leadership, staff, and programs for characterizing the division portfolio and accessing critical program data and related information. On behalf of the Division, participate in other NSF and interagency activities related to assessment and evaluation of programs in science and education research. This responsibility includes liaisons with, and contributions to, budgetary and reporting groups, as well as other Federal R&D agencies.
  • Collect, merge, and analyze data related to scientific and disciplinary based topics (e.g., reviewer expertise, publications, and citations associated with HRD funded projects) by writing reproducible scripts/codes using agency established program languages and query systems. Identify, collect, incorporate, analyze trends and outcomes, and report on data from external sources relevant to the division's programmatic goals. Improve the repository for data sources related to the HRD portfolio.
  • Support design, implementation, roll-out, and training of a division-wide knowledge management system using and integrating current NSF internal tools incorporating long-term division and data organization and education needs as identified by the NSF.
  • Support directorate level data analysis and monitoring working groups and projects.
  • Serve as a point of contact for research result highlight development for the Division. Coordinate the development and submission of research highlights for all programs managed within the Division. An ability to take scientific concepts and make them understandable to a wide audience is also required.
  • Support and provide outreach activities for the Division, particularly to those programs at the intersections to the Division’s research portfolio.
  • Assists in the oversight of the Committee of Visitors processes, providing guidance to the Division and programs on results-oriented activities.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of business processes and procedures to recommend improvements using data and software automation tools.
  • Draws on knowledge of program portfolios and results to assist in the merit review and award oversight processes, as appropriate, particularly for the Division’s multidisciplinary activities.

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 (Foreign Talent Definitions). 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.

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 a STEM or STEM Education field; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM or STEM Education field, plus after award of the degree, two 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 below.  This will ensure that you receive full consideration in the evaluation process.

Quality Ranking Factors 

  1. Knowledge and experience in utilizing complex data management systems, standard data programming and management languages (e.g., SQL, R and/or Python, Excel) for data analysis, program monitoring and evaluation projects of STEM Programs.
  2. Ability to identify, collect, incorporate, analyze trends and outcomes, and report on data from external sources (such as websites, online resources, and published materials) relevant to the division's programmatic goals in response to external and internal inquiries.
  3. Ability to collect, merge, and analyze data related to scientific and disciplinary based topics (e.g., reviewer expertise, publications, and citations associated with HRD funded projects) by writing reproducible scripts/codes using agency established program languages and query systems.
  4. Ability to communicate effectively both in verbal or written formats with representatives from the STEM education community to develop and advocate programs, policies, and plans.
  5. Ability to work independently as well as to work on teams with scientific and administrative colleagues.

To preview questions please click here.

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