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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.

Program Director, Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS)

Division: Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (ENG/CMMI)
Directorate: Engineering (ENG)
Job Type:
STEM
Appointment Type:
Temporary / Rotator
This job is open to the public

Application timeline

Date Posted:
Closing date: Open until filled

Position Description

The Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) in the Directorate for Engineering announces a nationwide search to fill the Program Director position for the Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) Program.

NSF Program Directors have an unparalleled opportunity and responsibility to ensure that NSF-funded research is at the forefront of advancing fundamental knowledge. Within NSF, they work independently to manage their programs and cooperatively to help foster cross-cutting initiatives, such as those that bridge other NSF programs and directorates. Beyond NSF, Program Directors interact extensively with academic research communities, industry and other government agencies, both in the US and abroad. The CIS program has a long and continuing tradition of productive engagement in all of these activities.

The Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) program supports fundamental and innovative research in the design, operation and management of civil infrastructure that contributes to creating smart, sustainable and resilient communities at local, national and international scales. This program focuses on civil infrastructure as a system in which interactions between spatially- and functionally- distributed components and intersystem connections exist. All critical civil infrastructure systems are of interest, including transportation, power, water, pipelines and others. The CIS program encourages potentially disruptive ideas that will open new frontiers and significantly broaden and transform relevant research communities. The program particularly welcomes research that addresses novel system and service design, system integration, big data analytics, and socio-technological-infrastructure connections. The program values diverse theoretical, scientific, mathematical, or computational contributions from a broad set of disciplines.

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.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in an appropriate engineering field, plus after award of the degree, six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience pertinent to the position.

In addition, familiarity with NSF in general, and the CIS program in particular, is highly desirable, as is experience working in interdisciplinary teams and engaging in civil infrastructure systems research. Effective oral and written communication skills are essential, as is a strong commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct. The incumbent is expected to work closely with the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering and should have experience working both independently and in diverse, multidisciplinary teams.

Individuals who are interested in this position should contact the current CIS Program Director, Cynthia Chen (qchen@nsf.gov) with any inquiries.

To apply, email a single PDF document that includes (i) a cover letter outlining qualifications for the position and (ii) a curriculum vitae, (iii) Citizen affidavit, as applicable, to the search committee chair, Jordan Berg (jberg@nsf.gov). Formal consideration of interested applications will begin on January 31, 2019, and will continue until a selection is made. The intended start date is summer 2019. 

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