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Physical Science Administrator (Program Director)

National Science Foundation
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking a qualified candidate for a Physical Science Administrator (Program Director) position for the Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics Program within the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) in Alexandria, VA.

For more information on GEO please click here.

For more information on AGS please click here.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/04/2023 to 11/03/2023
Salary
$160,889 to - $195,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 4
Location
FEW vacancies in the following location:
Alexandria, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
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
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
AGS-23-12131155
Control number
752920500

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 Climate and Large Scale Dynamics Program, 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.
  • 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.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

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

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

This position is in the bargaining unit represented by AFGE Local 3403.

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

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science, Climate Dynamics or a related field plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Applicants should demonstrate breadth of knowledge across atmospheric sciences, commitment to high scientific standards, and receptivity to new ideas. Also necessary are good judgment, high ethical standards, problem solving skills, and the ability to effectively lead individuals and teams across a variety of institutional cultures within Federal and state government agencies, legislative bodies, and private sector organizations. Experience in managing budgets and working with NSF financial systems is desirable.

Education

Please refer to the Qualifications section.

If your degree was obtained from a foreign institution, please also submit the certification from the Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals, or certification equivalency.

Additional information

Relocation expenses MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds.

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

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.

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 understanding of scientific principles, facilities, theories, and technologies relevant to disciplinary area within the purview of CLD and AGS (in particular climate dynamics and atmospheric circulation dynamics), as demonstrated by publications, invited talks, and other professional activities and recognition.
  2. Research, analytical and technical writing skills that demonstrate the ability to perform extensive inquiry into a wide variety of significant issues and to make recommendations and decisions based on findings.
  3. Ability to organize, implement and manage a proposal-driven grant program, allocating resources to meet a broad spectrum of program goals.
  4. Knowledge of management and organizational concepts, principles, practices, and techniques, with expertise in research administration and cross-disciplinary initiatives.
  5. Understanding of, and dedication to, the promotion of both intellectual merit and broader impacts of research and education activities.
  6. Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to interact effectively and productively with peers, co- workers, and management at all levels of NSF; members of the scientific community; related organizations; other federal agencies; and international programs to effectively present, advocate, and advance program policies, plans, and goals.

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