Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrator (Scientific Review and Program Officer)

Basic Requirements: Applicants for all grades must meet the requirements described in paragraphs A, B or C below: A. have a bachelor’s or graduate/higher level degree in the behavioral or social sciences, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. OR B. have a combination of education and experience that provided you with the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR C. have four years of appropriate experience demonstrating that you have acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. AND GS-12: In addition to the education requirements to qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector. This experience must meet either the Direct/Independent Research or the Research Administration/Extramural sections below. A. Direct/Independent Research Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet all experience requirements in this section: independent health-related research, as evidenced by the development of research projects that are competitively or internally funded; primary authorship of one of the following: a) internal (i.e., within the company or organization) research report, b) patent, or c) research publication in peer reviewed journal; and responsibility for significant aspects of a laboratory/research unit (e.g., establishing processes and procedures, ensuring regulatory/legal compliance, monitoring budgets). Typical qualifying positions include Instructor, Assistant Professor, Adjunct Professor, Staff Fellow, Senior Staff Fellow, Research Associate, and Research Scientist. B. Research Administration/Extramural Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet all experience requirements in this section: review grant applications, contract proposals, or other research-related works and materials for compliance with requirements and appropriateness; apply scientific knowledge to place the proposed research project in its relation to the current state of research being done in the subject matter area and the organization’s priorities; and respond to issues and concerns about specific applications or proposals pertaining to assigned program areas. GS-13: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify at the GS-13 level, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector. This experience must meet either the Direct/Independent Research or the Research Administration/Extramural sections below. A. Direct/Independent Research Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet all experience requirements in this section: manage independent health-related research projects (e.g., R01 grant, R01 equivalent grant or contract, or comparable project) with a defined budget and staff supervise or led graduate researchers/technicians; serve as primary or corresponding author on publications in refereed journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations, and/or teaching graduate-level courses in biomedical or health-related disciplines; and serve as a reviewer on peer-reviewed panels or journals. Typical qualifying positions include principal investigator (or equivalent), Assistant or Associate Professor, Project Manager, Senior Research Scientist, Section Chief. B. Research Administration/Extramural Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet at least three (3) experience requirements in this section: summarize the results of the scientific or technical merit review of grant applications or contract proposals; assess the scientific and/or technical progress of awarded grants and/or contracts to determine the effectiveness of support and achievement of objectives; evaluate assigned program portfolios to identify new concepts, programs, or initiatives to support program planning and administrative functioning in relation to an organization’s priorities; formulate and develop new Funding Opportunity Announcements or Program Announcements (e.g., RFAs, RFPs, or a combination of these) to achieve objectives; administer the review of grant applications, contract proposals, research project applications or research reports submitted in response to requests for applications, multicenter clinical trial applications, and contract proposals. GS-14: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector. This experience must meet either the Direct/Independent Research or the Research Administration/Extramural sections below: A. Direct/Independent Research Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet all experience requirements in this section: direct at least two health-related research projects (e.g., R01 grant, R01 equivalent grant or contract, or comparable project) with separate staff and budgets; experience demonstrating extensive scientific expertise by providing leadership, guidance, and direction to researchers; coordinate committee and teaching activities and organized and presented sessions at national scientific meetings/conferences; and serve as an appointed member of a scientific peer review panel or editorial board, or similar private sector leadership position. Typical qualifying positions include principal investigator (or equivalent), Associate Professor, Professor, Project Manager, Senior Research Scientist, Section Chief. B. Research Administration/Extramural Qualifying Experience – Applicants must meet at least three (3) experience requirements in this section: organize and conducted workshops, conferences, symposia, or similar activities to foster the aims of the program, to facilitate communication among investigators, or to advise on the status of progress and emerging directions of research in the assigned program area; evaluate program activities for a portfolio of research projects, research programs, other grants/awards, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts in the assigned program area to support an organization’s program planning and priority setting; recommend funding plans for initiatives and/or establish the criteria and standards for a review panel; manage the initial scientific and administrative review of grant applications and/or center grant, program project grant, and training grant applications; appoint and manage review panels to include identifying qualified expert Reviewers; establish the evaluation criteria used to assess all applications and proposals. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12605627
Join one of the 24 Institutes and Centers within the NIH that awards extramural grants! Extramural grants account for approximately 80 percent of NIHs budget and are awarded to investigators at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research organizations around the world. To learn more about the grants process, types of grant programs, and the peer review process, visit: Office of Extramural Research. Visit our Scientist Administrator web page for more information.