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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 Directors)

Division: Computing and Communication Foundations (CISE/CCF)
Directorate: Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
Pay Grade/Scale:
AD-04
This job is open to the public

Application timeline

Date Posted:
Closing date: Open until filled

Position Summary

The Computing and Communications Foundations (CCF) Division of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) announces a nationwide search to fill multiple Program Director positions under the provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) in the following programs.

  • Algorithmic Foundations (AF). AF supports innovative research on algorithms and algorithm design, accompanied by rigorous mathematical analysis. More information about AF can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503299&org=CCF&from=home.
  • Communications and Information Foundations (CIF). CIF supports transformative research that addresses the theoretical underpinnings and current and future enabling technologies for information acquisition, transmission, and processing in communication and information networks. More information about CIF can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503300&org=CCF&from=home
  • Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET). FET supports overarching fundamental research in disruptive technologies and models in computing and communication, including but not limited to: biological computation, nanoscale science and engineering, quantum information science and engineering, and neuromorphic computing. More information about FET can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505589&org=CCF&from=home
  • Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF). SHF supports transformative research in the design, verification, operation, utilization, and evaluation of computer software and hardware through novel approaches, robust theories, high-leverage tools, and lasting principles. More information about SHF can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503301&org=CCF&from=home.

Position Description

Program Directors are responsible for directing CCF programmatic activities, including creating and overseeing proposal-review panels; assigning proposals to panels and reviewers; making funding recommendations incorporating panel feedback and agency policies and priorities; interacting with proposers, principal investigators, and other members of the research community; developing and overseeing new and existing programs; and interacting with other Program Directors and administrative staff both within CCF and across CISE and the rest of NSF, as well as other Federal agencies and partners, to advance crosscutting programs.  The position requires deep knowledge of research topics and associated communities; a commitment to high standards of ethical conduct; a considerable breadth of interest; deep engagement with 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. 

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 Computer Science or a closely related field, plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

Effective oral and written communication skills, and familiarity with NSF programs and activities are highly desirable. The incumbents are expected to function effectively both as individuals within the specific NSF program and as members of crosscutting and interactive teams. The incumbents should also demonstrate a capability to work across government agencies to promote NSF activities and to leverage program funds through inter-agency collaborations.

Applications should be submitted electronically and must include contact information.  Please send: (1) a current CV, (2) a cover letter that highlights the candidate's background and its relationship to the above programs and describes the availability time frame, (3) Citizenship affidavit (if applicable), and (4) a list of reference-letter writers to ccf-ipa-recruitment@nsf.gov.

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