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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 Program Director position in the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), within the Division of Graduate Education (DGE), Directorate Name for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Alexandria, VA.

For more information about EHR, click here.

For more information about DGE, click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/10/2021 to 09/13/2021
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.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel at least 10% of the time.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation Expenses 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
DGE-2021-0007
Control number
610432800

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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NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the agency's overall mission to support innovative and merit-reviewed activities in basic research and education that contribute to the nation's technical strength, security, and welfare.  To fulfill this responsibility requires not only knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of interest and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

The responsibilities of the NSF Program Director include, for example, long-range planning and budget development for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), the administration of the merit review process and proposal recommendations, the preparation of press releases, feature articles and material describing advances in the research supported, and coordination and liaison with other programs in NSF, other Federal agencies and organizations.  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 conflict of interests, and with balance among appropriate sub-fields and institutions, and participation of all qualified scientists. I
  • Incorporates cross-directorate responsibilities into program administration. 
  • 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/programs considering past, present and future fiscal years, allocates resources within the budget by distributing scarce resources among major competitive programs, 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.  
  • Develops policies and plans for strengthening support of research and education programs.  
  • Provides information to the community on how NSF is pursuing its mission and gathers data and impressions from the community on the effectiveness of NSF's performance of its mission. 
  • Prepares and disseminates a variety of informational documents which may include data on progress being made toward NSF goals, trends and opportunities, and budget plans.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  • Establishes contacts and maintains active involvement in Program and related areas through participation in professional activities.  
  • Maintains familiarity with salient current research developments.  
  • Pursues individual research as workload and travel funds permit.
  • Expands administrative capabilities through training courses or assumption of new management.

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

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

Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent experience 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.

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 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. Documented expertise and experience in data analytics to support decision making, portfolio analyses, and improvements to the quality of feedback provided to approximately 13,000 students who apply annually to GRFP. 
  2. Demonstrated commitment, expertise, and experience in supporting graduate education and diverse future scholars who represent the future of STEM and STEM Education Research. 
  3. Research, analytical, presentation, and technical writing skills that evidence an ability to communicate effectively with the STEM graduate education community and other relevant stakeholders.
  4. Ability to design, plan, coordinate, and manage a complex portfolio and program outcomes to achieve organizational objectives. 
  5. Ability to interact, on a peer basis, with senior scientific and managerial personnel throughout the NSF, other governmental agencies, academia, non-profits, and the private sector.


To preview questions please click here.

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