Summary
This Lead Grants Management Specialist, GS-1109-14 NF is located in the U.S. National Science Foundation's, Office of Award Management (OAM). OAM is responsible for ensuring the effective stewardship, oversight, and accountability of NSF's financial assistance portfolio through the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and business practices governing pre-award and post-award activities.
This job is open to
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
Clarification from the agency
Current U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) agency employees who are on/eligible for permanent competitive service appointments.
Duties
As a Lead Grants Management Specialist, GS-1109-14 NF, you will perform the following duties:
- Team Development: Leads and coordinates the work of the team by mentoring staff, assigning and reviewing analytical tasks, evaluating performance, identifying training needs, balancing workloads, and ensuring alignment with NSF's mission and strategic objectives, while fostering cross-functional expertise and supporting workforce development within the assigned functional area.
- Lead and coordinate grants management and oversight activities across the full award lifecycle, including pre- and post-award oversight activities, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and alignment with organizational objectives.
- Apply expert knowledge of cost principles, financial management systems, and internal controls to resolve complex issues related to allowability, allocability, and reasonableness of costs, and to assess institutional risk for recipient organizations.
- Provide authoritative analysis and recommendations on audit findings or other identified recipient concerns, determine financial impact, evaluate corrective actions, and negotiate or support resolution of compliance issues with recipient organizations.
- Represent the agency, in high-level interactions with recipient organizations, federal agencies, and oversight bodies, and contributing to interagency initiatives.
- Serve as a technical authority in grants management and oversight, providing expert guidance and resolving complex financial, regulatory, and compliance issues across the award lifecycle.
- Other duties as assigned.
This announcement is being used to fill vacancies in the Resolution, Appeals, and Monitoring (RAM) branch and Branch A.
RAM is responsible for post-award oversight, including advanced monitoring, audit resolution, and appeals. In this branch you will support the full lifecycle of financial assistance oversight, including pre-award cost analysis, indirect cost negotiations, advanced post-award monitoring, audit resolution, and appeals. The position supports integrated, risk-based oversight of NSF awards and requires the ability to operate across functional areas based on organizational priorities and workload demands.
OAM Grants Branch A provides comprehensive pre-award and post-award grants management support to the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU). OAM Grants Branch A - EDU is responsible for administering the full grants lifecycle, ensuring compliance with federal regulations, agency policies, and financial management requirements. Responsibilities included processing proposal submissions, coordinating award administration, monitoring grant activities, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting award closeout.
You can indicate on the questionnaire if you are only interested in particular branch.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen.
- Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding.
- 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 and any external assessment that is included.
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 situational telework. Situational telework may be approved on an occasional basis in accordance with agency policy, supervisory approval, and operational requirements. Selected candidates interested in telework, or other workplace flexibility arrangements, should discuss available options with the selecting official. Participation in telework is voluntary and requires an approved telework agreement.
Qualifications
To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 Level leading complex grants management and oversight assignments, providing expert guidance to recipients and team members.
Examples of specialized experience could include:
- Administering the full lifecycle of federal grants and cooperative agreements
- Interpreting and applying grants management policies
- Serving as a technical authority in grants management and oversight
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.
Education
Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.
Additional information
Relocation expenses WILL NOT be paid.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)
ICTAP and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least "Very Good" on the assessment. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources.
Veterans' Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference), DD-214, and official documentation of a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more or other required documentation as specified on the SF-15.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests:
If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." At NSF, this means a score of 85.0 or higher.
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/12998672
Required Documents
- 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.
- Applicants are encouraged to submit professional references as a supplemental document with their application. References will not be contacted during the initial review process and will only be contacted if requested by the hiring official as part of the selection process.
- 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 submitte
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.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
- Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
- Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
- Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
- Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments. 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.