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 Program Director include working with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Program (an NSF-funded Major Facilities project) to promote and enable ecological research at a continental scale. The position includes long-range planning and budget development for continued operations and maintenance of the NEON facility over its anticipated 30-year lifecycle, the administration of the merit review process, site visits and other post-award oversight, the preparation of press releases, feature articles and other material describing advances in research and broader impacts enabled by the NEON facility, as well as coordination and liaising with other NSF programs, Federal agencies and organizations with similar goals of understanding ecological phenomena at a continental scale.

Duties

Program Planning and Management

• Shares primary responsibility for overseeing the management of the current Operations & Maintenance award for NEON.
• Manage the review process for change requests from the managing organization.
• Compile and evaluate science and other outcomes for NEON and develop metrics for tracking.
• Develop communication materials for NEON.
• Maintain a healthy balance of NEON support for the needs of the research and education enterprises across the programs within the Division as well as through activities across the Directorate, Foundation or with other agencies.
• Manage an effective, timely merit review process, with attention to increasing the size and quality of the reviewer pools and insuring participation by diverse scientists.
• Advise and assist in the development of short- and long-range plans, establishing goals and objectives for NEON enabled research and training programs as workflows require. Assist with budget planning considering past, present, and future years.

Representation, Communication and Leadership

• Represent the NEON Program, within the scientific and education/training communities, with other NSF Divisions, with other appropriate agencies and organizations, and with the public, accurately reflecting NSF policies and positions.
• Create and maintain linkages to other NSF units and other Federal agencies in pursuit of the overall NSF mission.
• Participate in staff, panel, committee, and other meetings, providing input relevant to NEON and/or Division priorities.
• Pursue affirmative action and Equal Employment Opportunity goals.
• Pursue and/or be responsive 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 and NSF's performance of its overall mission. Develop policies and plans for strengthening research and education programs across the Division.

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

As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement, subject to such exceptions as required by law. This policy applies to all NSF staff, to include employees, Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignees, Visiting Scientists, Engineers, and Educators (VSEEs), as well as fellows and interns. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 22, 2021 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or on-boarding with the agency, if after November 22. Upon selection, NSF will provide additional information regarding what documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exception from this requirement. 

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 biology or related field plus, after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, leadership, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Ideal candidates will have demonstrated leadership and experience administering awards for, managing, or overseeing complex scientific facilities, institutes, or centers as well as project management experience.

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 availability of funds.

This announcement is open to All US Citizens 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.