Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR), Directorate of Geosciences (GEO), National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA. EAR supports research on improving understanding of the structure, composition, processes and evolution of the Earth.

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Responsibilities

The incumbent is responsible to the Division Director for strategic planning with respect to Division operations and leading all business executions activities in the Division including: human resources, budget execution and oversight, grant and contract administration, business and IT processes and space management.

SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT

The incumbent supervises and manages a workforce of 12-15 administrative team members, and serves as the first level supervisor of the team, overseeing individual performance, providing coaching, mentoring and training, determining staff development needs, handling employee labor relations issues, and conducting recruitment and staff actions. The incumbent approves leave, recommends awards, etc. Specific supervisory duties include:

• Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work.
• Hears and resolves serious employee complaints or group grievances; refer unresolved complaints to Division Directors, as appropriate.
• Identifies developmental and training needs of employees, provides and arranges for needed development and training.
• Finds ways to improve production or increase the quality of the work directed.
• Develops performance standards.
• Exercises significant responsibility in dealing with officials of other units or organizations, or in advising management officials of higher rank.
• Finds and implements ways to eliminate or reduce significant bottlenecks and barriers to productions, promote team building, improve employee morale, or improve business practices.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT

• Formulates, executes and monitors the AOAM budget for the Division. Conducts budgetary reporting and analysis; forecasts budgetary needs and identifies potential problems; certifies and obligates funds; and allocates funding and resources for Division projects. Manages small contracts, review and approve travel, ensuring appropriate adherence to Federal travel rules and regulations for travel authorizations and expenditures for the Division. Allocates and monitor AOAM for travel, training, supplies, and equipment purchases, staff retreats, experts, and contracts.
• Coordinates or leads complex projects, analytical studies, and reviews related to the effectiveness and improvement of procedures, policies, or business systems including financial management, IT, or management processes and systems. Leads the planning, organizing, and conducting of internal analyses and process improvement re-engineering studies. Prepares assessments and reports concerning improvement in efficiencies and effectiveness in supporting accomplishment of the Directorate goals and objectives. Identifies and resolves significant and complicated problems that arise, and develops and implements new or improved policies, procedures, and guidelines to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations. Analyzes funding trends of report outcomes from spending reports and determines funding patterns.
• Focuses on the alignment of the Division operations (e.g. financial, human resources, contracting, program support, management analysis) with program objectives. He/she develops strategies for forecasting, acquiring and allocating resources based on Division needs and partners with senior management to make decisions and implement new business processes based on new policies and procedures.
• Represents the Directorate on business committees and coordinates with other Directorates regarding business programs. Analyzes management information and administrative reporting systems, data sources, and administrative reporting requirements and develop solutions to avoid or minimize adverse impact on program operations.
• Serves as Division expert on NSF requirements and procedures for all administrative management functions. Assigns administrative staff to new scientific staff to assist and train on NSF e-business systems including eJacket, PIMS, webTA, FedTraveler, FastLane, and EIS. Provides and manages space for the Division and ensures access to accounts, program documents, policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Manages the space for the Division. Working within space guidelines for each position, independently makes decision on where to locate new staff, when to configure office space for sharing, arrange for reconfiguration of space to accommodate staff requirements, and negotiates with other GEO Divisions for space as necessary.

Competencies

• Supervision
• Staff Development
• Operations Management and Oversight
• Financial Resource Management
• Business Process Management

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

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

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

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

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 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 is a non-bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include, planning work to be accomplished by team members, setting and adjusting short-term priorities and preparing schedules for completion of work; identifying developmental and training needs of employees; developing performance standards; working with managers to ensure that program and agency objectives are being met; projecting administrative support staff resource needs; providing input and insight into the development and implementation of new policies and procedures that affect an organization's programs and processes. Experience should also include serving as a first level supervisor, human capital management, knowledge of the Federal Budget process, conducting budgetary reporting, and analysis; forecasting budgetary needs; managing contracts; providing guidance and recommendations to senior management on policies, process management, budget allocation.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

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, formal performance appraisals may be considered if voluntarily submitted by the applicant.

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

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 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.