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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.

Engineering Education (Program Director)

Division: Engineering Education and Centers (ENG/EEC)
Directorate: Engineering (ENG)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
Pay Grade/Scale:
AD-04
Salary Range:
$160,889 - $195,000
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 Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) in the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation is seeking a Program Director for the Engineering Education program through an Intergovernmental Personnel Assignment (IPA) Act appointment. The initial appointment will be made for one year, and it may be extended for additional years by mutual agreement. Formal consideration of interested applicants will begin November 2, 2023 and will continue until a selection is made. The selected applicant is expected to start in early 2024.

Position Description

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the Foundation's overall mission to support innovative and merit-evaluated activities in fundamental research and education that contribute to the nation's technological strength, security and welfare. This responsibility requires knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, as well as: a commitment to high standards; a considerable breadth of interest; receptivity to new ideas; a strong sense of fairness; good judgment; and, a high degree of personal integrity.

The Engineering Education Program supports the Professional Formation of Engineers through its funding portfolio. The Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession in order to improve the quality of life for all.

EEC supports research in engineering education by awarding grants through four major funding programs:

  • Research in the Formation of Engineers - focuses on achieving systemic improvements by supporting research to: advance holistic engineering formation; diversify pathways to and through engineering; explore citizen engineering, credentialing, and expertise; develop engineering-specific theories of how engineers are formed; and understand how change in engineering formation processes travels, translates, transfers, diffuses, and/or scales.
  • Research Initiation in Engineering Formation - seeks to support research in PFE and increase the community of investigators conducting PFE research by providing funding to support engineering faculty to develop expertise in engineering education research.
  • Revolutionizing Engineering Departments - convenes teams comprising a department head or chair, an engineering education researcher, and a social scientist with expertise in department cultures to drive long-term systemic change at the department level as part of both the agency-wide IUSE initiative (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) and the PFE initiative in engineering.
  • Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) - recognizes exceptional junior faculty in the area of engineering education research and practice. 

The Engineering Education Program also supports workshops, Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) and supplements. The EEC Engineering Education Program Director is also active in other cross-agency programs (e.g., Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning, and Ethical and Responsible Research).

Those wishing to apply for this position are referred to the EEC Divisional web page, https://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=eec, for a description of the Division.

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 an engineering discipline, including engineering education, plus after award of the degree, six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience in engineering.

Demonstrated achievements in classroom teaching and student advising are important attributes for the successful applicant. Knowledge of the general scientific and engineering community and strong skills in written and oral communication are also desirable. In addition, knowledge of research in engineering education or related discipline-based education, leadership experience in engineering education (departmental, college, university, societies, journals, etc.) are desired. The appointee is expected to function effectively as part of a team, contributing to and coordinating with offices throughout NSF and with other Federal and state government agencies and private sector organizations.

Individuals interested in applying for this Program Director position should send: 1) a current CV, 2) statement of interest, 3) Citizen affidavit, as applicable, 4) and the names and contact information of three references to:

Division of Engineering Education and Centers,
Suite 585 National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Office E14318

National Science Foundation

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-292-8380
Attn: Dr. Jumoke Ladeji-Osias

Although paper applications will be accepted at the above address, it is preferred that they be received electronically. Please send electronic submissions to Jumoke Ladeji-Osias at jladejio@nsf.gov.

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