NSF CMMI RECRUITING FOR PROGRAM DIRECTORS

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

4201 WILSON BOULEVARD ARLINGTON, VA 22230

Title: Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI)

Employment Opportunity--Dear Colleague Letter

Date: April 1, 2007

Dear Colleague:

The Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) announces a nationwide search to fill several Program Director positions. National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Directors are in charge of specific research areas. They solicit, receive and review research and education proposals, make funding recommendations and administer awards. They are also responsible for interaction with other Federal agencies, forming and guiding interagency collaborations, and for service to Foundation-wide activities.

The Program Director positions addressed by this letter are for the following programs in the CMMI Division:

• Nano and Bio Mechanics

• Materials Processing and Manufacturing

• Manufacturing Enterprise Systems and Service Enterprise Engineering

• Structural Systems and Hazards Mitigation of Structures

Persons wishing to apply for one or more of these positions are referred to the Divisional web page, http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=CMMI, for descriptions of the programs. These persons are also encouraged to contact the current Program Directors, who are identified on the program web pages, for more information.

Qualifications of successful candidates include a PhD degree in a relevant discipline, an established and recognized record of research and education in a field appropriate to each position, and managerial experience in academe, industry or government. The positions require effective oral and written communication skills, and familiarity with NSF programs and activities is highly desirable. The incumbent is expected to function effectively both as an individual within a specific NSF program and as a member of crosscutting and interactive teams. The incumbent must also demonstrate a capability to work across government agencies to promote NSF activities and to leverage program funds through interagency collaborations.

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. The positions require a commitment to high standards of intellectualism and ethical conduct, a considerable breadth of interest, receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity.

The positions may be filled under either of the following appointment alternatives:

Visiting Scientist, Engineer or Educator (VSEE) Appointment - A VSEE appointment 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 as Federal employees. 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 one year and may be extended for an additional year or two by mutual agreement.

Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Appointment - Under an IPA appointment, a candidate's home institution receives a grant to cover the appointee's salary and benefits, and the candidate remains an employee of his/her home institution while performing duties at NSF. Persons 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 years.

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, life insurance) are applicable for appointments of more than one year. Temporary appointments may not exceed three years.

Candidates will be ranked in accord with the following factors:

1. Knowledge and understanding of research directions and literature in the broad area of the program to which the applicant is applying,

2. Analytical skills and judgment to make sound and scholarly decisions,

3. Oral and written communications skills, and the ability to clearly document decisions and actions,

4. Ability to organize, implement and manage a Federal, proposal-driven grant program, and to allocate resources effectively to meet program goals, and

5. Ability to cooperate and work effectively with peers in other science and engineering disciplines, and to present and advocate program plans and policies to individuals within the Foundation, other government agencies, academic institutions, private organizations and the research community at large.

Evaluation of applications will begin on May 1, 2007, and applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. Applicants should indicate in their cover letter for which of the above program positions they are applying. Please submit your application to:

CMMI Program Director Search Committee

Dr. George A. Hazelrigg,

Room 550 Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation

Directorate for Engineering

National Science Foundation

Arlington, VA 22230

posted by Dr. Ken P. Chong, CMMI Program Director Search Committee; kchong@nsf.gov

NSF IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COMMITTED TO EMPLOYING A HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF THAT REFLECTS THE DIVERSITY OF OUR NATION.