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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.

Program Director (Physical Scientist)

Division: Physics (MPS/PHY)
Directorate: Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
Pay Grade/Scale:
AD-04
Salary Range:
$169,430 - $204,000
This job is open to the public

Application timeline

Date Posted:
Closing date: Open until filled

Position Summary

The Division of Physics (PHY) within the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) announces a nationwide search for professional physicists with experience and expertise in at least one of the major subfields of physics to fill Program Director (Rotator) positions. 

Position Description

Programs within the Physics Division support research in atomic, molecular and optical physics, quantum information science, elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, particle astrophysics and cosmology, nuclear astrophysics, gravitational physics, plasma physics, the physics of living systems, and integrative activities in physics. Core duties and responsibilities of a Program Director include administering the merit review process, making proposal recommendations, providing oversight to funded projects, conducting stakeholder interactions, and coordinating and working with other programs within NSF and in other federal agencies and organizations. 

 

NSF Program Directors bear the primary responsibility for carrying out the Agency's overall mission.  To discharge this responsibility requires not only knowledge of the appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of interest and 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. 

Temporary Excepted Service Appointment: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Candidates who do not have civil service status or reinstatement eligibility will not obtain civil service status if selected. Candidates currently in the competitive service will be required to waive competitive civil service rights if selected. Usual civil service benefits (retirement, health benefits and life insurance) are applicable for appointments of more than one year. Temporary appointments may not exceed three years.

Visiting Scientist, Engineer, and Educator (VSEE) Program: Appointment to this position will be made under the Excepted Authority of the NSF Act. Visiting Scientists are on non-paid leave status from their home institution and placed on the NSF payroll. NSF withholds Social Security taxes and pays the home institution's contributions to maintain retirement and fringe benefits (i.e., health benefits and life insurance), either directly to the home institution or to the carrier. Appointments are usually made for a one-year period and may be extended for an additional year 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 a field of physics plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

The ideal candidate will have a broad knowledge of one of the relevant disciplinary areas of the Division of Physics, a knowledge of the general scientific community, skills in written communication and preparation of technical reports, and an ability to communicate orally. Administrative experience and experience working in teams are desirable.  Appointees are expected to function effectively both within specific programs and as a member of crosscutting and interactive teams. Skills in multidisciplinary research are highly desirable.

Should you or your colleagues be interested in this position, or wish to nominate suitable candidates, please email a current CV with contact information accompanied by a cover letter highlighting the background that specifically relates to the program objectives.

Ms. Kimberly D. Pigford, Financial and Operations Specialist, Division of Physics, Phone: (703) 292-7387 

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