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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.

Interdisciplinary (Program Director)

Office: International Science and Engineering (OD/OISE)
Directorate: Office of the Director (OD)
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
Formal consideration of interested applicants will begin and will continue until a selection is made.

Position Summary

The Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) in the Office of the Director at the National Science Foundation is seeking a Program Director through the Intergovernmental Personnel Assignment (IPA) Act, Visiting Scientist Appointment (VSEE), or Temporary Excepted Service Appointment (FED-TEMP). The initial appointment will be for one year and may be extended by mutual agreement.  OISE is divided into three sections: Mission Support, Country and Regions, and Programs and Analysis. This office manages international programs that are catalytic, innovative, and responsive to a broad range of NSF interests. All OISE programs aim to advance science and engineering research and prepare a globally engaged research workforce by supporting international collaborations for U.S. researchers and students. Additionally, OISE's analytical efforts support evidence-informed decision-making to further these objectives. OISE also ensures that NSF activities align with current U.S. national security and foreign policy. All program directors contribute to the office's diplomatic work alongside their programmatic responsibilities.

Position Description

The OISE Program Director will be responsible for performing the following major duties and responsibilities, or a subset thereof:

Program Management

Implements the proposal review and evaluation process for proposals submitted to OISE programs or cross-directorate initiatives. The programs include AccelNet, International Research Experiences for Students (IRES), and Global Centers (GC). The program director may be assigned to any one of these programs to work in coordination with another program director. The program director’s responsibilities will include selecting individuals to provide objective reviews of proposals either as ad hoc experts or as members of a panel; building a healthy portfolio of awards based on reviewer advice, program objectives, and fund availability; and making recommendations for program improvement. The program director will also conduct internal and external representation to ensure broad awareness of OISE programs in the community as well as OISE understanding of potential avenues to enhance the impact of our investments.

Data Management and Analytics

Generates strategic and operational reporting to track progress on OISE performance goals in assigned programs. Responds to requests for data on OISE’s and the NSF’s portfolio of investments. Develops data-informed narrative reports and visualizations to inform OISE program planning and decision-making.

Science Diplomacy and Representation

Working with colleagues in the Countries and Regions section, the program director monitors political, economic, social, scientific, and developments in assigned countries; interprets and reports on the significance of developments to NSF, the U.S. science and engineering research and education community for those countries. Performs analyses and make recommendations in the form of written and oral presentations to OISE leadership, NSF decision makers, and domestic and foreign counterparts including both government and non-government.

The Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) seeks applicants for the position of Program Director OISE-Wide. For more information about the office, please visit https://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=OISE. 

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.

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

Relevant fields include biological, mathematical, physical, social, behavioral and economic sciences, computer and information science and engineering, engineering, geosciences, and STEM education research.

The successful candidate will demonstrate 1) active experience organizing, implementing and/or evaluating international research or training programs in science, engineering or STEM education, and 2) skill in application of data analytics and related tools to assessing the impact of investments in international collaboration in STEM workforce development and/or research excellence. Candidates from minority serving institutions and institutions in EPSCoR states are particularly encouraged to apply. 

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

Anne Emig, Section Chief for Programs and Analysis Section 
Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)
Office of the Director 
National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue 
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 292-7241
Email: aemig@nsf.gov 

Maija Kukla, Acting Section Chief for Programs and Analysis Section 
Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)
Office of the Director 
National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue 
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 292-4940
Email: mkukla@nsf.gov 

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