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You are viewing a Dear Colleague Letter.

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.

General Engineer (Program Director)

Division: Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (ENG/CBET)
Directorate: Engineering (ENG)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
Pay Grade/Scale:
AD-04
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

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), within the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), announces a nationwide search for an engineering professional to serve as a program director in CBET’s Catalysis Program.  

For more information on the Chemical Process Systems Cluster, please see the following webpage: Chemical Process Systems Cluster (CPS) | NSF – National Science Foundation. For more information about the Catalysis Program, please see the following webpage: Catalysis | NSF - National Science Foundation

Position Description

Program Directors have an unparalleled opportunity and responsibility to ensure NSF-funded research is at the forefront of advancing fundamental knowledge. In support of that, Program Directors are responsible for extensive interaction with academic research communities and industry, as well as interaction with other Federal agencies that may lead to the development of interagency collaborations. Within this context, Program Directors solicit, receive, and review research and education proposals, make funding recommendations, administer awards, and undertake interaction with research communities in these fields. They are also responsible for service to Foundation-wide activities and initiatives that together accomplish NSF’s strategic goals to (1) Empower STEM talent to fully participate in science and engineering; (2) Create new knowledge about our universe, the world, and ourselves; (3) Benefit society by translating knowledge into solutions; and (4) Excel at NSF operations and management.  The position requires a commitment to high standards of intellectualism and ethical conduct, a considerable breadth of interest, receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

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 engineering or an appropriate science field plus, after the award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Additional Information for Successful Candidates:

For academic applicants, the rank of associate professor or higher must have been achieved. Additionally, applicants should have experience working within a team environment and administrative skills such as financial and personnel management. Appointees are expected to manage the Catalysis program effectively and function as members of crosscutting and interactive teams. Skills in multidisciplinary research are highly desirable.

Research or research administration experience related to fundamental concepts in catalytic engineering science, focusing on heterogeneous catalysis, is required. Relevant research expertise might include (but is not limited to) novel catalyst compositions, structures, and operating environments and might be aligned with applications in fuels, specialty and bulk chemicals, environmental catalysis, biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals, greenhouse gas mitigation, recycling of waste materials, generation of solar hydrogen, as well as efficient routes to energy utilization.

Applicants must email a current CV accompanied by a cover letter that describes your (1) background as it relates to the CBET Division’s Catalysis program scope, (2) vision for activities or program development within the Catalysis program and/or the Chemical Process Systems cluster, (3) reasons for applying to this NSF IPA position, (4) prior experience working in a multi-disciplinary team environment, (5) experience championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and (6) availability to start at NSF. We also welcome your nominations of suitable candidates and ask that you share this announcement with potentially interested colleagues.

Vacancy Contact: Christy Payne, Program Director, Interfacial Engineering Program
Division of Chemical, Biological, Environmental and Transport Systems
Directorate for Engineering
National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue 
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703-292-2895)
Email:  cpayne@nsf.gov

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