Duties

Summary

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidate for a Science Education Administrator (Program Director) position for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) in the Division of Human Resources Development (HRD) within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Alexandria, VA.

For more information on EHR please click here .

For more information on HRD please click here .

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Responsibilities

As the Program Officer for the HBCU-UP program, the incumbent will be responsible for providing appropriate scientific and administrative judgment to ensure the integrity and consistency of the awards process and to effectively manage the timely merit review involved in decision making for the awards. In addition to the HBCU-UP program, the incumbent is expected to assist with other HRD programs as needed, by conducting review panels and developing recommendations for both proposal awards and declinations and managing a set of program portfolios.

The incumbent will manage the HBCU-UP program in collaboration with other program officers who may be assigned to this program. Activities will include but not limited to timely and effective review of applications, processing of recommendations for awards and declinations, managing project portfolio, and conducting program outreach and site visits. The incumbent is expected to participate in staff, panel, committee and other meetings, providing input relevant to the program area and/or division. As a Program Officer in HRD/EHR, the incumbent is expected to contribute to the directorate's mission and goals as well as to the NSF overall mission including serving on EHR and agency wide working groups and committees.

The incumbent will represent the program within the scientific community, with other NSF divisions, with other appropriate agencies and organizations, and with the public, accurately reflecting NSF policy and positions.

Program Planning and Management

• Maintain a healthy balance of support for all the needs of the research and education enterprise either through program, division, directorate, Foundation, or interagency activities
• Manage the HBCU-UP program resources to provide optimal appropriate scientific judgment to ensure integrity and consistency in the grant/declination process without conflicts-of-interest, and with balance among appropriate sub-fields and institutions, and participation of all qualified scientists. Incorporate cross-directorate responsibilities into program administration.
• Manage an effective, timely merit review process, with attention to increasing the size and quality of the reviewer pools and insuring participation by women, minorities and disabled scientists.
• Provide scientific expertise and advice for other programs in NSF, particularly pertaining to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions including international programs, other research programs, and cross-directorate programs.
• Develop new knowledge, new tools, and new syntheses, which inform policies and practices for improving student learning and teaching.
• Advise and assist in the development of short- and long-range plans, establishing goals and objectives for the HBCU-UP program. This requires a strong knowledge of different types of HBCUs, as well as the needs and resources at these institutions for capacity building in STEM education and research. Plan the budget for the HBCU-UP program considering past, present and future fiscal years, allocate resources within the budget distributing scarce resources among major competitive programs, and manage post-award evaluation.
• Organize and prepare current data and other significant written material to be disseminated at meetings, conferences and symposia, which may be initiated by the incumbent.

Representation, Communication and Leadership

• Represent the HBCU-UP program, division, directorate, 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 meetings, providing input relevant to program area and/or division.
• Pursue affirmative action and EEO goals.
• Pursue and/or be responsible to assignment on special projects and temporary functional teams from across the Foundation to solve problems, improve staff communication, and effect coordination for special programs.
• Contribute ideas and effort to improving the quality of policies, NSF's performance of the overall mission, and GPRA. Provide information to the community, particularly those at HBCUs on how NSF is pursuing its mission and gather data and impressions from the community on the effectiveness of NSF's performance of its mission.
• Prepare and disseminate a variety of informational documents.
• Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

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 demands permit.
• Expand administrative capabilities through training courses or assumption of new management responsibilities.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
04

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

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.

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

Qualifications

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in STEM or STEM education, plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

In addition to the basic qualifications for the position, we are seeking candidates with strong working knowledge of the different types of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Experience in working with institutions that require building capacity in terms of human capital and workforce, STEM and/or STEM education research, as well as physical and technological research infrastructures that will support STEM education and STEM and/or STEM education research. Individuals with the ability to lead a diverse team of staff and work collaboratively with individuals who may be directly or indirectly involved in team assignments. Along with knowledge of leading programs in the context of federal funding agencies.

This position is outside the competitive civil service.

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

Education

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.

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

Knowledge of and experience in promoting diversity and broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM, particularly within HBCUs and/or other minority-serving institutions;

Demonstrated ability to design, plan, coordinate and manage a complex portfolio and program deliverables to achieve organizational objectives, taking into consideration the variety of HBCUs that may be supported by this program;

Knowledge of federal broadening participation programs and the NSF broadening participation portfolio;

Expertise in one of the STEM disciplines or in STEM Education or STEM Education research;

Analytical, presentation, and technical writing skills that evidence the ability to communicate effectively with diverse STEM and STEM Education communities to develop and advocate programs, policies, and plans; and

Ability to interact, on a peer basis, with senior scientific and managerial personnel throughout NSF, other Federal agencies, academia, non-profits, and the private sector.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

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. This also applies to individuals considered for Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignments to NSF. 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 submit 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. This information will be used in the evaluation process.

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.

You should upload your letter of recommendation(s) or the individual(s) can email the letter of recommendation(s) to rotator@nsf.gov ; please ask him/her to put your name and the job announcement number in the subject line.

Transcripts are not required; however, please indicate the year that each degree was obtained on your application materials.

All uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.