Duties

Summary

The incumbent will serve as a Program Specialist in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environment and Transportation Systems (CBET), Directorate for Engineering (ENG), National Science Foundation (NSF), in Alexandria, VA.

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Responsibilities

Be the core of a team keeping the United States at the leading edge of scientific discovery! Program Specialists serve a vital support function to the National Science Foundation's scientific directorates. As a Program Specialist, you will play a key role in monitoring program effectiveness by providing comprehensive analytical support in the areas of proposal processing, logistics, data management and analysis and providing input for continuous improvement to the overall processes. Assists Program Directors in reviewing proposals to organize into panels, researching and identifying reviewer pools and supporting technical correspondence. Assists Program Directors in developing outreach plans and presentation methods. Interfaces with other Divisions/Directorates to plan and coordinate outreach/site visit activities. Conducts literature searches and web-based queries to seek out potential research opportunities. Conducts moderately complex to complex analyses concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of substantive program operations. Gathers, analyzes, and presents data for further program analysis utilizing research trends and results tracking to inform policy related to scientific content. Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement to databases, data gathering and analytical approaches. Provides data input and feed back to strategic support staff as requested or necessary.

Competencies:

• Administrative Support
• Data Analysis
• Communication
• Program Administration
• Collaboration/Teamwork

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

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

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

Experience refers to paid and 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 and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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 or 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 or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-9 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal government. Examples of specialized experience for this position are: engaging in ongoing analysis of business processes to continually identify and recommend solutions to problems; developing and presenting factual evidence both in writing and before an audience to support enhancements in the methods of performing work; reviewing data for trends related to business processes, interpreting those trends, and determining causes and possible courses of action; OR A master`s or equivalent graduate degree; OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR A combination of post high school education and experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal government. Examples of specialized experience for this position are: analyzing the effectiveness and efficiency of business operations and programmatic processes using qualitative and quantitative techniques; choosing, interpreting, or adapting guidelines for application to specific issues or subjects studied; planning and carrying out projects to improve administrative support efficiency/productivity; gathering data and analyzing/evaluating/interpreting trends to enhance work performance; completing reports and making recommendations to managers related to internal administrative operations; OR possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR possess 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR possess a combination of post-high school education and experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

Education

Education may be substituted for experience as described in "Qualifications."

Additional information

Relocation Expenses will not be paid.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):
ICTAP and 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 questionnaire. 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

Veteran's 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 Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

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.

For additional information on the NSF eRecruit system, please visit our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide .

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

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

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire. In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your score. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the selecting official.

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 90.0 or higher.

In the merit promotion selection process, due weight will be given to incentive awards and performance appraisals.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

Required Documents

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. All applicants are required to provide a resume, in any format they choose. Cover letters are optional.

If you are not an NSF employee as described above, but you are eligible under merit promotion , under an Interchange Agreements , under a non-competitive authority , or under a similar authority , you will be required to submit supporting documentation. This will typically require the submission of one or more of the following documents:

1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50s) or comparable federal agency forms to verify your eligibility for reinstatement and/or grade/step/salary if you are a current or former permanent federal civil service employee.
• SF-50 must indicate that appointment is/was to a competitive service position with permanent tenure or conditional tenure within the last three years; OR, to a similar position in the excepted service at an agency that has an Interchange Agreement.
• An example of a comparable agency form is a personnel action from a DOD Non-appropriated Fund organization or from the US Postal Service for a current and continuing appointment without a break in service.
• Documents that are NOT comparable and NOT acceptable substitutes for a SF-50 include a SF-52, a Performance Appraisal form, a Personnel Action Request (PAR), or a Request for Personnel Action (RPA).

2. Performance appraisals and awards. If you do not possess or are unable to submit a performance appraisal at the time of application submission, further requests will be made during the interview and selection process.

3. DD-214 (Member-4 copy); and if applicable, the Department of Veterans Affairs Notice of Compensable Disability Rating from applicants requesting consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), Veteran Recruitment Act (VRA), or the disabled veterans appointing authority.

4. Schedule A Certification - from applicants requesting consideration under the Schedule A appointing authority for disabled applicants.

5. Other - Documentation which verifies you are eligible to be appointed to a permanent position in the federal competitive civil service.

If you are requesting consideration under a Special Hiring Authority listed below, you must submit the required documentation as outlined in the regulation or Executive Order. Please also annotate your application to reflect that you are applying under a special hiring authority. If you are requesting consideration under a Special Hiring Authority not listed below, please email eRecruit@nsf.gov or reach out to the point of contact listed on the vacancy announcement.

• Returned Peace Corp Volunteers
• Certain Military Spouses (Executive Order 13473)
• Former Overseas Employees
• Foreign Service Employees
• Career Service Employees
• Postal Rate Commission Employees
• Government Accountability Office (GAO) Employees
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Employees

If you are requesting special employment consideration under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or
CTAP, you must submit documentation provided by your current or former employing agency verifying your eligibility for that program. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.

If qualifying based on education, you must submit proof of meeting the basic education requirement described in the QUALIFICATIONS paragraph. Therefore, you should submit TRANSCRIPTS (unofficial copies are acceptable) or a DIPLOMA that verifies that the requirement is met.

We also ask that you complete and submit the Applicant Survey . This will help NSF to ensure that our recruiting efforts are attracting a diverse candidate pool; it will be used for statistical purposes only.

All faxing/uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.
If you are faxing your information, please use extreme care in dialing the fax number to assure we receive your information. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt of your faxed/uploaded document(s).