Duties
SES programs cover Economics, Sociology, and Political Science topics such as Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) and Security and Preparedness (SP). Interdisciplinary SES programs include: Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS); Law and Science (LS); Measurement, Methods, and Statistics (MMS); Science of Organizations (SoS); Science of Science: Discovery, Communication, and Impact (SoS:DCI); Science and Technology Studies (STS); and Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC). In addition to the core scientific programs within social and economic sciences, SES division also supports many cross-disciplinary ventures such as, Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI), Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC), Designing Accountable Software Systems (DASS), Bioeconomy / Advanced Biotechnology and more.
The SES Division therefore welcomes applications from experts who can help shape, invigorate, and manage any of funding programs including cross-disciplinary projects in SES.
Program Directors help research activities and research communities thrive. This requires, for example: long-range planning and budget development; the administration of the merit review process and proposal recommendations; the preparation of press releases, feature articles, and other materials describing advances in the research supported; as well as coordination with related programs in NSF or in other agencies and organizations.
Every Program Director is guided by the goals of NSF's Strategic Plan: (I) enable the United States to uphold a position of world leadership in all aspects of science, mathematics, and engineering, (2) promote the discovery, integration, dissemination, and employment of new knowledge in service to society, and (3) achieve excellence in U.S. science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at all levels. The core strategies NSF staff employ include developing intellectual capital, strengthening the physical infrastructure, integrating research and education, and promoting partnerships.
Duties:
PROGRAM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
- Maintain a healthy portfolio of support for all the needs of the research and education enterprise either through program, division, directorate, Foundation, or interagency activities.
- Manage program resources so as to promote integrity, consistency, and good scientific judgement in the grant/declination process while avoiding conflicts of interest, imbalances of representation, or perceptions of partiality.
- Manage an effective and timely merit review process, with attention to increasing the size, quality, and diversity of the reviewer pools, including participation by women, minorities and disabled scientists.
- Provide scientific expertise, evaluation, and advice for other research programs in NSF, including international or other cross-directorate programs.
- Advise and assist in the development of plans, both short and long-term, that establish compelling goals and objectives for research programs.
- Budget programmatic expenditures considering past, present and future fiscal years so as to allocate risk and resources appropriately.
- Maintain the rules, integrity, and reputation of NSF grantmaking.
REPRESENTATION, COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP
- Represent the Program, Division, and 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.
- Create and maintain linkages to other NSF units and other Federal agencies in pursuit of the overall NSF mission.
- Participate in staff, panel, committee, and other meetings, providing input relevant to Program area and/or Division.
- Pursue and/or be responsive to assignment on special projects and temporary working groups from across the Foundation to solve problems, to improve communication, and to coordinate special efforts.
- Contribute ideas and energy to improving the quality of NSF's policies and performance, including plans for strengthening research and education programs. Provide information to the community on how NSF is pursuing its mission and gather information from the community about perceptions of NSF's effectiveness.
- Prepare and disseminate a variety of documents which may include data on NSF's progress on meeting its goals, analysis of trends and opportunities, as well as budget plans.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Establish contacts and maintain active involvement in Program and related areas through participation in professional activities.
- Maintain familiarity with salient current research developments. Pursue individual research as workload and travel funds permit.
- Expand administrative capabilities through training courses or assumption of new management responsibilities.
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 a Social Science 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.
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.
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
- Ability to communicate effectively and work productively with the scientific community, peers, and co-workers at all levels to advocate program policies and plans and to fulfill NSF's mission.
- Ability to organize, implement and manage a proposal-driven grant program, allocating resources to meet a spectrum of goals, including insuring integrity and consistency in the grant award/declination management process.
- Knowledge of management and organizational concepts, principles, practices and techniques.
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.
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.