Duties

Summary

The position is located in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR), National Institute on Aging (NIA). The Division of Behavioral and Social Research offers a scientifically energizing and collegial environment with opportunities to engage the scientific community and support innovative social, behavioral, psychological, and economic research in aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Identifying scientific gaps, opportunities and challenges in research areas of responsibility and designing initiatives to address them to advance the NIA mission.
• Providing recommendations concerning program direction, priorities, and funding for areas of responsibility.
• Performing scientific and administrative reviews and analysis of applications/proposals in support of NIA research objectives.
• Preparing information for and attending advisory/review committee/panel meetings and responding to issues and concerns about specific applications/proposals pertaining to assigned program area.
• Consulting with and advising applicants during preparation of applications/proposals and providing guidance on scientific and programmatic priorities.
• Organizing and conducting discussions with social science and/or behavioral researchers, informally or at professional conferences, to develop an overall agenda for the assigned program area.
• Organizing and conducting workshops, conferences, symposia, or similar activities to increase awareness of research findings, gaps and opportunities in assigned program area.
• Facilitating communication and collaborative efforts with other NIA colleagues, other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices, and other DHHS agencies in assigned area of responsibility.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications requirements within thirty (30) calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, including time in grade.
• Position requires Education.

Qualifications

Basic Position Requirement:

• Have a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in the behavioral or social sciences, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. OR
• Have a combination of education and experience that provided the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR
• Have four years of appropriate experience demonstrating that you have acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. AND

In addition to the basic requirement above, all applicants must meet the following requirement: Have one-year of independent research experience, which involved the planning, organizing, and conducting of behavioral or social science health-related research; and, one-year of program administration in these fields. This experience must have provided you with an understanding of the history, interests, internal dynamics, and relationships of organizations in which health research is conducted. This experience may have been gained as a principal investigator of a grant or contract, or may otherwise have been gained through active involvement in initiating research projects, developing protocols, conducting studies, documenting findings, interpreting results in a published report (journal), supervising staff, and managing the budget. Qualifying experience must have been performed for 1-year on a full-time basis. Part-time work will be prorated accordingly.

Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-12 level:
The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year:
- Academic Environment - serving as principal investigator or equivalent on a grant or contract, which may include institutional grant support or foundation funds, but should have been obtained competitively; independent research, as evidenced by the development of a research project, and primary authorship of research publications in peer-reviewed journals; held position of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or equivalent.
- Intramural Environment - independent research, as evidenced by the development of research projects, and primary authorship of research publications in peer-reviewed journals; evidence of responsibility for significant aspects of laboratory/research unit; held position of Staff Fellow, Senior Staff Fellow, Research Associate or equivalent.
- Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - conceptualization and implementation of a research project, primary authorship on internal research reports or patents and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals; held position of Research Scientist or equivalent.
- Extramural Environment - review for completeness applications for research grants or contracts; study scientific literature in order to place the proposed research project in its relationship to the research being done in the subject matter area; respond to issues and concerns about specific applications or proposals pertaining to assigned program areas.

Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-13 level:
The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year:
- Academic Environment - the management of significant independent research projects (analogous to an R01 and R21 grant) and supervision of graduate researcher or technicians; publications in refereed journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in behavioral or social sciences or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-review panels or journals; held position of Assistant or Associate Professor or equivalent
.- Intramural Environment - responsible for multiple scientific projects, supervising graduate researchers or technicians; publications in refereed journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in behavioral or social science or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-reviewed panels or journals; held position of Research Scientist (permanent position), Section Chief, or equivalent.
- Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - evidence of increasing responsibility in research or research administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager or equivalent.- Extramural Environment - review the technical and scientific merit of applications and proposals received requesting grant or contract funds; provide advice in program planning, solicitation, and evaluation to perform day-to-day administrative functions related to research grants and interagency agreements supporting research projects in your scientific area; identify new basic, translational and clinical research concepts, projects and initiatives to appropriate advisory groups and formulate and develop Program Announcements, RFAs, RFPs, or a combination of these, to achieve objectives.

Additional Requirements for Applicants at the GS-14 level:
The requirements for fully qualifying at this level can be gained through any of the environments, or combination of the environments listed below provided they were performed for 52 weeks or 1-year. At the GS-14 level, qualifying experience must demonstrate extensive scientific behavioral or social science expertise incorporating research experience with varied responsibilities for providing leadership in a scientific area functioning as a leader for a variety of efforts, such as directing research and coordinating committee and teaching activities, and organizing and chairing sessions at national scientific meetings.
- Academic Environment - responsible for at least two concurrent behavioral or social science research projects with separate staff and budgets and supervising doctoral level staff; held position of Associate Professor, Professor, or equivalent.
- Intramural Environment - responsible for at least two concurrent behavioral or social science research projects with separate staff and budgets and supervising doctoral level staff; held position of Section Chief or equivalent.
- Private or Public Sector (Profit/Nonprofit) Environment - evidence of increasing responsibility in research or research administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager or equivalent.
- Extramural Environment - organize and conduct workshops, conferences, symposia or similar activities to foster the aims of the program, to facilitate communication among investigators, or to advise on the status of progress and emerging directions of research in the assigned program area; manage the initial scientific and administrative review of center grant, program project grant, and training grant applications, as well as research project applications submitted in response to requests for applications, multicenter clinical trial applications, and contract proposals assigned to the program area; plans, advises, and evaluates program activities for a portfolio of research project, research program and other grants/awards, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts in the assigned program area and the discovery, development and evaluation of associated prevention and therapeutic strategies; review and evaluate periodic and interim progress reports to determine effectiveness of support and achievement of objectives; recommend funding plans for initiatives; establish the criteria and standards for a review panel.
Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11109905

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education .

Additional information

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

• This position is designated as a " non-emergency/teleworker " position and the selected candidate will be considered a " non-emergency/teleworker " employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
• At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: [telework, Alternative, Maxflex, schedules].
• A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
• NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally-insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• A newly appointed or reappointed individual may receive a recruitment incentive. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program ( E-Verify ). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
• The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Visit our Applicant FAQs page for helpful information on the application process.
• Visit our Total Compensation page for a detailed look into the benefits, awards, leave, retirement and other incentives employees may receive as part of a rewarding work environment.
• You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

• Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
• Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
• Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) , you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS
RESUME:
Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career.

To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder . If you choose to use your own resume, you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title

Name of employer

Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)

Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.

Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)

Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position)

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.

Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

For resume writing guidance, please visit the following resources: NIH Jobs website , USAJOBS Resource Center , and the USAJOBS Resume Writing Video Tutorial .

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE:
You must submit a completed assessment questionnaire.

Unless otherwise stated, we will only use the information above to determine your qualifications. Not providing the required information may result in a determination that you do not meet minimum requirements for the position (e.g., an ineligible rating) or a lower rating.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS
To claim veterans' preference, career transition selection priority, Schedule A or military spouse eligibility, you must provide the documentation listed below AND respond accordingly to the associated question on the online questionnaire.

• Veterans' preference (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): Reference Standard Form 15 (SF-15) for required documentation for 10 point claims. Submission of SF-15 is not required, unless you are claiming derived preference (XP) as described in questions 7, 8, or 9 on the SF-15. In those cases, you must submit a completed SF-15 and the required documentation. For 5 point claims, you must submit your DD-214 (if separated) or any written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package.
• Visit our sites on Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) / Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) for more information and required documentation.
• Visit our site on the Appointment of Certain Military Spouses for more information and required documentation to verify eligibility.
• Schedule A Eligibility (Applicants with Disabilities) Applicants who are eligible to be considered under Schedule A must submit appropriate documentation to verify eligibility. Documentation must be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. The letter must be printed on a medical professional's letterhead and signed. Veterans' preference takes precedence in these appointments.

The Schedule A and military spouse hiring authorities do not guarantee employment or give an individual preference in the hiring process.

If you do not provide the required information, we will assume you are not eligible, or you do not wish to be considered for any preference or eligibility.

Do not submit documentation that is not requested of you. To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official or hiring manager.

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.