Duties

The Division of Biological Infrastructure empowers biological discovery by investing in the development and enhancement of biological research resources, human capital, and biology centers and other mid-to-large scale infrastructure. These investments support advances in all areas of biological research.

Responsibilities of this Senior Associate for Biological Research Infrastructure will be within the Centers, Facilities and Additional Research Infrastructure (C-FARI) cluster within the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI), Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). The Senior Associate for Biological Research Infrastructure will be a key member of the C-FARI cluster and work across all C-FARI programs to provide the essential project management expertise during the competition, management, and oversight of programs and awards. The primary responsibility of the Senior Associate will be to provide project management expertise and collaborate with C-FARI Program Directors, the DBI Science Advisor for Centers and Cooperative Agreements, and DBI leadership to ensure the highest quality oversight of the C-FARI portfolio of programs and awards.

Major duties include:

• Developing guidance and procedures related to the oversight of research infrastructure.
• Providing assistance in project management best practices and interpretation of agency policies and procedures as well as Uniform Guidance to NSF staff and the research infrastructure recipient community.
• Providing assurance to NSF Leadership and external stakeholders that NSF policies and procedures related to research infrastructure award oversight are being followed.
• Supporting the needs of the research and education enterprise either through programmatic, divisional, directorate, agency, or interagency activities.
• Providing assurance in close coordination with DBI leadership and the science programs, that all elements of awarded projects (cost, cost projections, scope, schedule, and contingencies) are adequately defined and managed by the recipients.
• Assessing vulnerabilities in large infrastructure awards; leading the DBI strategic team for the minimization and oversight of risks, including planning, identification, analysis, mitigation, and monitoring of risks, as well as utilization of a variety of quantitative and qualitative tools to assess risk exposure and impact.
• Providing expert advice and independent assessments in topical areas specific to infrastructure awards such as cost estimates and projections, proposed budgets, schedule and contingency estimates, Earned Value Management (EVM), and risk management/analysis.
• Representing DBI, BIO and NSF with the major research infrastructure community, other NSF entities, appropriate Federal agencies, professional organizations, and the public, accurately reflecting NSF policy and positions.
• Preparing and disseminating a variety of informational documents which may include data on progress being made toward NSF's goals, lessons learned and best practices.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Background investigation.
• Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.

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

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement Safer Federal Workforce Task Force 2 pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

You will need to successfully complete a background security investigation before you can be appointed into this position.

All online applicants must provide 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.

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

Please preview "Evaluations" section and "Qualifications" for additional requirements and Quality Ranking Factors.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in any life or physical science, 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 any life or physical science, plus after award of the degree, eight or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position. You must identify the date that your degree was obtained.

Qualified candidates should have:

• Project management experience with complex large-scale projects.
• Advanced training or degree in Project Management (e.g., PMP, MA certification in PM; MA degree in PM) as well as at least 8 years experience in science infrastructure.
• Specialized experience in quantitative and qualitative tools for minimizing and oversight of risk as well as for maximizing deliverables on scope such as through: cost estimates and projections, critical path analyses, schedule and contingency estimates, and Earned Value Management (EVM).
• Demonstrated record of oral and written communication to a broad range of internal and external stakeholders including the research infrastructure community, appropriate federal agencies, and professional organizations.
• Experience leading and being part of team-based management projects.

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Additional information

Relocation expenses MAY be paid contingent upon the availability of funds

This announcement is open to (All US Citizens OR current NSF employees) who meet citizenship and eligibility requirements.

Federal Appropriations Law requires that Non-Citizens 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.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

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.

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