Interdisciplinary (Program Director) Job in Alexandria, VA

Vacancy No. OCE-24-12355326 Department National Science Foundation
Salary $169,430.00 to $204,000.00 Grade 4 to 4
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 4/17/2024 Close Date 5/17/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Alexandria, VA


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for an Interdisciplinary (Program Director) position for the Marine Geology and Geophysics (MGG) Program within the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) in Alexandria, VA.

For more information on GEO please click here.
For more information on OCE please click here.
For more information on MGG please click here.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This position is open for a Rotational VSEE appointment/Temporary Federal Rotation. Please see the "Additional Information" section for further information. Applications will be accepted from all US citizens who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements. Please see the "Additional Information" section for further information.

Duties

The Marine Geology and Geophysics (MGG) Program within the Ocean Sciences (OCE) Division and the Geosciences (GEO) Directorate seeks candidates with experience and expertise in the broad area of paleoceanography, paleoclimate and/or marine sediments. The Program Director will be a member of a team of Program Directors who collectively manage the MGG Program. The Program supports research on all aspects of the geology and geophysics of the present ocean basins and margins, as well as those of the Great Lakes.

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the agency's overall mission to support innovative merit-reviewed activities in basic research and education that contribute to the nation's technical strength, security, and welfare. To fulfill this responsibility requires knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, and 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 the administration of the merit review process and proposal recommendations, long-range planning for the MGG Program, identification of significant advances in MGG funded research to support awareness of Program impacts, and coordination and liaison with other programs in NSF, other Federal agencies and organizations. Specific 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 ensure integrity and consistency in the merit review 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 ensuring 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.
  • Assists with 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 with 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 affect coordination for special programs.
  • Contributes ideas and effort to improving the quality of policies and NSF's performance of the overall mission.
  • 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.
  • Helps prepare 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.
  • May pursue individual research as workload and travel funds permit.
  • Expands administrative capabilities through training courses or assumption of new management.

Requirements

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.

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

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

Requires an Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure OGE-450

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Earth or Matine Sciences 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 Earth or Marine Sciences plus after award of the degree, eight or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

The successful applicant will have a commitment to high scientific and technical standards, considerable breadth of scientific interest and receptivity to new ideas. Also necessary are a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity and ethics, decisiveness, and an ability to lead individuals and teams across a variety of institutional cultures within Federal and state government agencies, legislative bodies, and private sector organizations.

Education

Please refer to the Qualifications section.

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

Additional information

The position recruited under this announcement will be filled under the following appointment option:

Temporary Excepted Service Appointment: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Candidates who do not have civil service status or reinstatement eligibility will not obtain civil service status if selected. Candidates currently in the competitive service will be required to waive competitive civil service rights if selected. Usual civil service benefits (retirement, health benefits and life insurance) are applicable for appointments of more than one year. Temporary appointments may not exceed three years.

Visiting Scientist, Engineer, and Educator (VSEE) Program: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Visiting Scientists are on non-paid leave status from their home institution and placed on the NSF payroll. NSF withholds Social Security taxes and pays the home institution's contributions to maintain retirement and fringe benefits (i.e., health benefits and life insurance), either directly to the home institution or to the carrier. Appointments are usually made for a one-year period and may be extended for an additional year by mutual agreement.

This is a rotator position.

NSF offers a chance for scientists, engineers, and educators to join us as temporary detailees - called rotators. As a rotator, you will be in a prime position to collaborate with others and increase your visibility as you survey the entire breadth of U.S. and international science, engineering, and education in real time. In addition, as a temporary detailee, you can retain your ties to your current institution and return to it with new insights and experience for your team.
Learn more about rotator programs at NSF

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

Applications will be accepted from U.S. Citizens. Recent changes in Federal Appropriations Law require Non-Citizens to 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 eligible. Non-Citizens are not eligible for positions requiring a security clearance.

Only applications submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the mission and goals of the National Science Foundation (NSF), how NSF interacts with the scientific community, and understanding of all aspects of the global oceans and ocean basins, including their interactions with people and the integrated Earth system.
  2. Proven expertise in managing large research-related projects and/or programs, including strategic planning, development of budgets and schedules, resource management, identification and mitigation of risk, and program evaluation.
  3. This position will work within the Division of Ocean Science's facilities and infrastructure team and requires a demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with field-based technical and support teams, including those within the University- National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS).
  4. Demonstrated ability to cooperate and work effectively across organizational boundaries.
  5. Demonstrated research, analytical, and technical writing skills that evidence the ability to perform extensive inquiry into a wide range of significant issues related to research programs and scientific centers and facilities and make recommendations based on findings.
  6. Demonstrated ability to develop and manage cross-disciplinary research programs, including cyberinfrastructure programs, and education and training opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers.

Required Documents

All applicants must submit a resume in any format and may also submit a cover letter.

In order to be considered for federal appointments, Non-Citizens must affirm that they meet the Appropriations Law eligibility criteria 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. Non-Citizens who are exempt from the Appropriations Law requirements due to their status as officers or employees of the U.S. government on December 16, 2009 must provide a statement with their application noting their exemption with documentation of proof of status as officers or employees of the U.S. government on that date.

You are strongly encouraged to upload a current performance appraisal and/or letter(s) of recommendation and a supplemental statement that describes how your background relates to the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) listed in the Qualifications and Evaluation Requirements section of this announcement. Additionally, you are encouraged to list all applicable awards either in your CV or in a supplemental statement. This information will be used in the evaluation process.

Transcripts are not required; however, please indicate the year that each degree was obtained on your application materials. If your degree was obtained from a foreign institution, you MUST submit the certification from the Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals, or certification equivalency.

All uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete and submit an application online at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) USAJOBS website at https://www.USAJOBS.gov. An account must be established at the OPM website following the instructions provided in order to apply for the position. Once you have completed the USAJOBS process, you will be re-directed to the USA Staffing system to complete your application process, answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. Applications submitted other than the USAJOBS online application WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED under this announcement.
- Your application and all supporting documents must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Applicants applying online for this position will be able to apply until 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Please allow adequate time to complete your application.
-If you encounter technical difficulties during the process, please submit a USA Staffing Help Ticket for assistance. If you have technical difficulties applying to the vacancy on the USAJOBS website, click on Contact USAJOBS. It is suggested that you do not wait until the last day to apply for a vacancy announcement. We will not accept applications other than those submitted through USAJOBS.
- As the applicant, it is your responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded, and submitted is received and is accurate. Ensure that your application includes the required documents listed under "Required Documents" and that they are uploaded in the appropriate fields.
- If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of this application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact on this job opportunity announcement.

IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OR DATE OF BIRTH ON YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS.

Agency contact information

Staffing and Classification Branch

Address

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, DIVISION OF OCEAN SCIENCES
2415 Eisenhower Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

You will receive updates throughout the process notifying you of your status.

You may check the status of your application at any time on the USAJOBS website

Applicants should click 'Track this Application' in the Applicant Dashboard to receive application updates.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.