This position is in the Infrastructure Support Branch (ISB). ISB is responsible for providing comprehensive award leadership, solicitation, negotiation, award and administration of NSF's grants and cooperative agreements for the agency's Mid-scale RI program, as well as implementation and operation of new research infrastructure.

Duties

Research Infrastructure (RI) is defined as any combination of facilities, equipment, instrumentation, computational hardware and software, and the necessary human capital in support of the same. An Mid-scale RI project is determined by its cost to construct, acquire or otherwise implement RI which costs between $4M and $100M to implement. These facilities are generally intended to serve the science community that is critical to supporting innovation across the nation. The Grants and Agreements Specialist is a mid-level specialist and is responsible for the negotiation, award, administration, monitoring, and oversight of grants/cooperative agreements in various stages of the Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (Mid-scale RI) lifecycle. He/she collaborates as a core member of integrated project teams (IPTs) to develop funding arrangements appropriate for each Mid-scale RI project under consideration for new, renewal, re-competition, or MREFC funding. The duties of the position include the following: Coordinates all business and non-scientific aspects of the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, award, administration, and closeout of grants and cooperative agreements that administer the implementation and operations of research infrastructure funded by the National Science Foundation. Performs statutory required financial and administrative business reviews prior to awarding grants and cooperative agreements that support the implementation and operations of mid-scale research infrastructure. Oversees and manages a grant and/or cooperative agreement portfolio that encompasses issues that are occasionally undefined and require analysis and coordination with internal and external stakeholders to reach decisions on appropriate courses of action. Demonstrates knowledge of the laws, regulations, Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, in addition to statutory required guidance such as the GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide that are applicable to NSF grants and cooperative agreements. Serves as a Grants and Agreements Officer with up to a Level III (up to $10M) signatory authority for award instruments necessary to plan and manage all pre-award and post-award phases of critical agency grants and cooperative agreements. Reviews proposal solicitations and announcements, oversee business analysis and budgetary review of proposals received, prepare negotiation positions, evaluations of technical and cost proposals, negotiations of costs, and drafting and negotiate the final grant and cooperative agreement terms and conditions with the proposing organization. Oversees award administration work such as monitoring of performance under the grant and cooperative agreements and negotiation of necessary award modifications to ensure satisfactory progress and completion of activities. Plans, analyzes, or evaluates different aspects of award policies and programs, develop policies or procedures or provide advice and guidance to agency activities concerning a variety of award issues. Represents ISB on a variety of internal NSF meetings, is a core member on integrated project teams and review teams, serves as the expert on policy matters, guides the formulation of budgets and funding arrangements for specific projects as well as future commitments. Communicates frequently with principal investigators and institutional business and sponsored research officials to discuss and advise on financial and other administrative management matters. Performs work associated with policy research, analysis, and interpretation or review of award actions for compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and procedures. Reviews and approves sub-awards, subcontracts and other sub-agreements under Federal financial assistance. Participates in planning audits of awardees and supporting NSF's resolution of the audits' findings as a Federal financial assistance oversight management tool. Administers the closing-out of grants and cooperative agreements and related awards. Analyzes and reports on awardee business systems used to administer Mid-scale RI awards. Monitors compliance with corrective actions of those business systems when necessary.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service participating in pre- and post-award functions involving complex cooperative agreements. Examples of specialized experience may include: assisting in the Federal financial assistance (grants / cooperative agreement) process from inception through closeout; providing technical assistance to a variety of recipients; conducting cost analyses of financial assistance applicants to determine suitability for funding including sufficiency of financial management systems in accordance with Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200; monitoring recipients' compliance with award requirements; and reviewing, analyzing, and resolving recipients' audit findings. To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service negotiating, awarding, administering, monitoring, and overseeing complex cooperative agreements in various stages of the award lifecycle Examples of specialized experience may include: participating in the Federal financial assistance (grants / cooperative agreement) process from inception through closeout; providing technical expertise to a variety of recipients; conducting cost analyses of financial assistance applicants to determine suitability for funding including sufficiency of financial management systems in accordance with Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200; monitoring recipients' compliance with award requirements; and reviewing, analyzing, and resolving recipients' audit findings. Experience refers to paid/unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills & can provide valuable training/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Contacts

• Address NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, DIVISION OF ACQUISITION AND COOPERATIVE SUPPORT 2415 Eisenhower Ave Alexandria, VA 22314 US
• Name: Staffing and Classification Branch
• Email: [email protected]