Grants Policy Specialist, GS-1101-14 NF

Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) agency employees who are on/eligible for permanent competitive service appointments.

As a Senior Grants Policy Specialist, your will perform the following duties:

• Evaluate and implement administrative guidance from oversight agencies. Develop NSF policies and guidance based on administrative initiatives from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other agencies, assess their impact on NSF and grantee communities, and coordinate responses to audits and public notices.
• Develop, update, and interpret NSF grant policies and procedures. Plan, develop, and establish policies for proposals and awards, sets and updates standard terms and conditions for grants and cooperative agreements, and interpret legislative changes to ensure consistency across diverse organizations.
• Serve as lead policy expert. Act as NSF's lead policy expert, representing the Foundation on interagency committees for the Protection of Human Subjects, and review and advise on responses to Congressional inquiries, grant terminations, disputes, and appeals.
• Advise and support NSF staff and grantee community on complex grant policy issues. Provide expert advice to senior grant specialists, program officials, and grantees; analyze and evaluate complex issues; interpret and communicate NSF policies; and recommend changes to regulations and government-wide guidance.
• Resolve grant program issues and develop guidance materials. Resolve issues identified in program evaluation and systems development efforts related to NSF proposal and award systems.
• Conduct outreach, training, and serve as NSF's grant policy authority. Develop and deliver training programs for NSF staff and recipient organizations, maintain liaison with grants professionals, and represent NSF at meetings and conferences to provide information and guidance on grant policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

1. You must be a U.S. citizen.
2. Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding.
3. Selectee may be required to serve a 2-year trial/1-year probationary period.

Additional Requirements:

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade/equivalent.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire.

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.

It is NSF policy that personnel employed at, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) individuals detailed to, NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign 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.

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.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-14 level, you have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the federal service developing, interpreting, and implementing complex federal grant policies and procedures, including advising senior officials and resolving issues across diverse organizations.

Examples of specialized experience may include:

• Evaluating complex federal financial assistance policies, regulations, and guidance.
• Analyzing legislative and regulatory changes affecting financial assistance programs.
• Representing an organization in interagency policy activities.

In addition to the specialized experience, applicants must meet the Selective Placement Factor (SPF) below to be found qualified. Please ensure that the experience is identified in your resume.

1. I am a technical expert in developing, interpreting, implementing, or providing authoritative guidance on federal financial assistance policies, regulations, and procedures at an agency-wide or government-wide level in accordance with 2 CFR 200.

Experience refers to paid/unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and all the assessments required for this position. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• External Awareness
• Grants Management
• Grants Management Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines
• Problem Solving
• Written Communication

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this vacancy will utilize a multiple hurdle assessment process to determine the qualifications of applicants.

1. The first hurdle will consist of a Selective Placement Factor (SPF) resume review. Qualified applicants' resumes will be reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel to determine if their resumes meet the SPF identified in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.
2. The second hurdle will consist of a structured resume review. Applicants who pass the first hurdle will have their resumes reviewed by a SME panel against pre-determined evaluation criteria. This hurdle will be used to determine referral to the hiring official for consideration.

In the merit promotion selection process, formal performance appraisals may be considered if voluntarily submitted by the applicant.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12986107

• All applicants are required to submit a legible resume/CV that is no longer than two pages. The resume should include a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If you are a civilian Federal employee, you should include your pay plan and grade for each applicable position.
• Applicants may submit an optional cover letter.
• If you are an NSF employee on or eligible for a permanent, competitive service position or you are an NSF employee who is reinstatement eligible based on prior Federal permanent, competitive service, you need not submit documents to confirm status.
• Performance appraisals may be considered during the evaluation process if voluntarily submitted

All uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, DATE OF BIRTH, OR ANY OTHER PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION ON YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS.

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