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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.

Interdisciplinary (Program Director)

Division: Research, Innovation, Synergies, and Education (GEO/RISE)
Directorate: Geosciences (GEO)
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 Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), Division for Research, Innovation, Synergies, and Education (RISE), announces a nationwide search for a Program Director to be part of the RISE’s Geosciences Cyberinfrastructure (GEO CI) Incubator. Formal consideration of interested applications will begin on October 2, 2023, and will continue until a selection is made. 

RISE supports novel, complex, or partnership projects in both research and education. These investments cut across traditional boundaries within the geosciences, encouraging interdisciplinary activities and responding directly to critical needs of the entire geoscience community. RISE’s principal goals are to develop innovative means to initiate and support geoscience education, attract underrepresented groups to careers in the geosciences, foster the interchange of scientific information nationally and internationally, and join with other parts of NSF in major integrative research and education efforts. The division makes strategic investments in transdisciplinary research areas, international activities, education, diversity, and talent development.

Position Description

The Program Director would co-manage an evolving set of cyberinfrastructures (CI) funding opportunities to support an open science initiative for research and education in the geosciences, to advance computing capabilities, and to promote novel applications of data science and computational techniques, including artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). The incumbent would be part of the GEO CI working group, composed of Program Directors from across GEO and the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), to develop and manage new and existing funding programs and to guide long-term strategic planning for the GEO CI Incubator. The incumbent would proactively communicate with the GEO research community about the GEO CI Incubator and related funding opportunities. Depending on disciplinary interests, the incumbent will be expected to participate in co-managing related disciplinary science programs within GEO.

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 appropriate science or engineering field, plus after award of the degree, six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position; OR a Master’s degree in an appropriate science or engineering field, plus after award of the degree, eight or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

In addition to our standard qualifications, successful candidates must possess the below.

  • Effective oral and written communication skills, the capacity to function effectively as a member of crosscutting and interactive teams, and demonstrated leadership abilities to guide GEO CI investments that enhance the mission of NSF and GEO.
  • Experience with efforts to develop and improve cyberinfrastructure for scientific research and/or education, knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and priorities for research and education in the geosciences (i.e., Earth, Atmospheric & Geospace, Ocean, and/or Polar Sciences), and demonstrated awareness of emerging trends toward open, reproducible, and inclusive scientific practices.
  • The  ability to organize, implement, and manage an externally reviewed, proposal-driven grants program, allocating resources to meet a spectrum of program goals.

To apply, email a single PDF document that includes (i) a cover letter outlining qualifications and reason for interest in the position (ii) a curriculum vitae with date of degree conferral (iii) and Citizenship affidavit, as applicable, to the Acting RISE Deputy Division Director, Dr. Shree Mishra (sumishra@nsf.gov).

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