Summary
The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for a Biological Science Administrator (Program Director) position for the Population and Community Ecology Cluster within the Directorate for Biological (BIO), Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) in Alexandria, VA.
For more information on BIO please click here.
For more information on DEB please click here.
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
The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) supports fundamental research on populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. Scientific emphases range across many evolutionary and ecological patterns and processes at all spatial and temporal scales. Areas of research include biodiversity, phylogenetic systematics, molecular evolution, life history evolution, natural selection, ecology, biogeography, ecosystem services, conservation biology, global change, and biogeochemical cycles. Research on origins, functions, relationships, interactions, and evolutionary history may incorporate field, laboratory, or collection-based approaches; observational or manipulative experiments; synthesis activities; as well as theoretical approaches involving analytical, statistical, or simulation modeling.
The Population and Community Ecology Cluster supports research that advances the conceptual or theoretical understanding of population ecology, species interactions and community dynamics in terrestrial, wetland, and freshwater habitats. Topics supported include population dynamics of individual species, demography, and fundamental ecological interactions affecting populations, communities, and their environments. Themes include but are not limited to population regulation; food-web structure and trophic dynamics; competition, predation, mutualism and parasitism; mechanisms of coexistence and the maintenance of species diversity; community assembly; paleoecology; landscape ecology; conservation and restoration biology; behavioral ecology; and macroecology.
The cluster encourages projects that integrate theoretical, modeling, and empirical approaches, or that promote synthesis across spatial and temporal scales. The cluster seeks to fund projects that are transformative -- that is, those that will change the conceptual bases of population and community ecology and have broad implications for future research. Proposals that develop research questions within the context of existing theory, consider alternate mechanisms, and design critical tests to distinguish among mechanisms are particularly encouraged, as are those that use contemporary approaches to develop new paradigms.
The responsibilities of the Program Director include long-range planning and budget development for the areas of science represented by the program or program cluster, the administration of the peer 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 the following:
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 conflicts of interest, and with balance among appropriate sub-fields and institutions, and participation of all qualified scientists.
- 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 considering past, present and future fiscal years, allocates resources within the budget by distributing scarce resources among competitive projects, 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.
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 Biology plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.
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.
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.
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
- Demonstrated broad knowledge and understanding of scientific principles, theories and technologies applicable to the biological sciences in general, and in particular, systematics.
- Research, analytical and technical writing skills, evidencing the ability to perform extensive inquiry into a wide variety of significant issues and to make recommendations and decisions based on findings.
- Ability to organize, implement and manage a proposal-driven grant program, allocating resources to meet a broad spectrum of program goals.
- Knowledge of management and organizational concepts, principles, practices and techniques, with expertise in research administration.
- Ability to interact with the scientific community and peers, and to advocate program policies and plans.
- Understanding of, and dedication to, the promotion of both intellectual merit and broader impacts of research and education activities.
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.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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.
WARNING! Applications submitted online must have 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.
Next steps
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.
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