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A Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is an informal correspondence which is written by a Requesting Office and distributed to communities within a specific program area, to attract individuals eligible under a Visiting Scientist, Engineer, and Educator (VSEE) appointment, an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment and/or a Federal Temporary appointment. These letters may be circulated in paper form through internal mail, distributed electronically using listservs or accessed through NSF.gov’s Career Page.

Associate Program Director (Staff Associate for MidScale RI)

Division: Grants and Agreements (BFA/DGA)
Office: Budget, Finance and Award Management (BFA)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
Pay Grade/Scale:
AD-03
This job is open to the public

Application timeline

Date Posted:
Closing date: Open until filled
Formal consideration of interested applicants will begin and will continue until a selection is made.

Position Summary

NSF’s Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA) announces an opportunity for an individual with demonstrated experience in project management, strategic planning, policy development, and portfolio analysis related to grants management. The goal of DGA is to strengthen NSF’s capabilities to promote the progress of science through holistic analysis, oversight and lessons learned.  DGA is NSF’s primary resource for awarding NSF grants and agreements recommended for support by NSF program offices. From pre-award through closeout, DGA conducts a variety of business, financial, and award administrative reviews to ensure compliance with award terms and conditions, NSF policies and procedures, and Federal rules and regulations.

Periodically rotating individuals with current and relevant project management experience into DGA is intended to bring fresh insights that will synergistically strengthen NSF’s administrative partnership with the research programs and the research community in fostering planning and implementation oversight and award management of mid-scale research infrastructure (Mid-scale RI). It will also help to ensure that NSF’s oversight practices are in line with the best available practices utilized by the scientific community and industry for development, cost estimating, risk analysis, monitoring progress against plan, and other research infrastructure-related issues.

Position Description

The selected individual will report directly to a Supervisory Lead in the Division of Grants and Agreements.  They will work closely with other BFA staff (for example, the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support and the Large Facilities Office), NSF Program Officers and other program staff from the various research Directorates and Divisions in both an advisory and assurance role.  Duties include:

  1. Provide assistance to NSF Mid-Scale RI programs to conduct effective NSF oversight, assess and minimize programmatic risks, and evaluate risk-adjusted proposal budgets appropriate to the technical scope by drawing on the individual’s relevant experience.
  2. Provide assurance that NSF policies, procedures and practices as published in NSF’s PAM, PAPPG, MFG, and other relevant documents are being followed.
  3. Assist Program Officers with the planning and execution of NSF external reviews.
  4. Review periodic reports and participate in site visits of NSF-funded Mid-scale RI projects and provide periodic assessments to the BFA on project management and performance baseline (cost, scope, and schedule) issues, including monitoring using Earned Value Management (EVM) and scaled-EVM.
  5. Participate in developing and revising NSF policies and procedures related to award management and project oversight.
  6. Compile, collect, arrange, and organize data and prepare effective presentations of Mid-Scale RI projects, award management, analysis, and results.

The position recruited under this announcement will be filled under the following appointment option(s):

Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Assignment: Individuals eligible for an IPA assignment with a Federal agency include employees of State and local government agencies or institutions of higher education, Indian tribal governments, and other eligible organizations in instances where such assignments would be of mutual benefit to the organizations involved. Initial assignments under IPA provisions may be made for a period up to two years, with a possible extension for up to an additional two-year period. The individual remains an employee of the home institution and NSF provides the negotiated funding toward the assignee's salary and benefits. Initial IPA assignments are made for a one-year period and may be extended by mutual agreement. 

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. https://www.nsf.gov/careers/Definition-of-Foreign-Talent-HRM.pdf.

Applications will be accepted from U.S. Citizens. Recent changes in Federal Appropriations Law require Non-Citizens to 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 eligible. Non-Citizens are not eligible for positions requiring a security clearance.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Public Policy plus after award of the Ph.D., four or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position; OR a Master’s degree in Public Policy plus after award of the degree, six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Applicants should have a broad knowledge of research infrastructure programs funded by NSF or other Federal agencies, and recent experience in a position with management responsibility for either design, construction, or operation of research infrastructure projects.  Certifications in Project Management, Earned Value Management, and Risk Management are desirable.  Excellent written and oral communication skills to interact and negotiate with stakeholders, and the ability to present highlights of cutting-edge grants research and analysis in a form that is understandable by the public, are required.

Applicants should send a letter of interest and resume via email to:

  • Jamie French
  • Director, Division of Grants and Agreements
  • Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management
  • National Science Foundation
  • 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
  • Alexandria, Virginia 22314
  • Phone: 703-292-8644
  • jhfrench@nsf.gov

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