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August 28, 2015

Dear Colleague:

The Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) announce a nationwide search to fill the Program Director position for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR), Program in the Semiconductors (S) and Photonic (PH) Devices Cluster in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG). The 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. Since both programs are closely related, one Program Director will take responsibility for both.

Formal consideration of interested applications will begin August 28, 2015 and will continue until a selection is made.

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 National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR programs provide grants to small businesses with the goal of stimulating the Nation's technological innovation. Several of NSF's Directorates, including Biological Sciences (BIO), Engineering (ENG), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), support fundamental discovery research that underpins the (S) and (PH) topics. The SBIR/STTR programs play a key role in translating that discovery knowledge into commercialization practice through support of innovation research at small business enterprises. Emphasis in the proposal review process is placed on the novelty of the technology and its impact in the marketplace. The topic draws a high volume of proposals.

The individual selected for this position will serve as a Program Director. The Program Director is responsible for:

• Planning and administering the relevant program within the framework of legislation, agency policies, missions, objectives and resources, and serves as a spokesperson of the program with the scientific, engineering, and business community;
• Implementing new or revising policies, and developing technical, fiscal, and administrative approaches to improve the activities and management of the program;
• Managing and monitoring grants and interagency agreements to ensure fulfillment of commitments to/and by NSF;
• Working with the program staff NSF-wide, especially within the Directorates for ENG, BIO, CISE, and MPS, to apprise them to the requirements of SBIR/STTR programs and sensitize them to the requirements of the small business community;
• Designing, developing, managing, coordinating, and implementing small business solicitations, conferences, publications, reports, and research and study projects;
• Developing and presenting clear and concise explanations and interpretations of NSF policies and research program initiatives for small businesses, the academic community, large industrial firms, the investment community, state and local governments, and other federal agencies.

Requirements of the position include a Ph.D. in physics or a closely related field, plus after award of the Ph.D., six or more years of successful research experience, research administration experience, and/or managerial experience in research and development related to the emerging aspects of semiconductors and photonic devices. Specific experience in the commercialization of innovative products involving some of the technologies noted above in both small business settings and/or in large industrial concerns is sought. Experience in research that applies scientific principles to problems in some of these or related areas while advancing knowledge would be a plus.

The Program Director position recruited under this announcement may be filled under the following appointment:

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. For additional information regarding IPA positions, please visit the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps/rotators/ipa.jsp.

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 of to the carrier. Appointments are usually made for one year and may be extended for an additional year 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 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.

For additional information on NSF's rotational programs, please see "Programs for Scientists, Engineers, and Educators" on the NSF website at https://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps/rotators/.

Applications will be accepted from US 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 be considered for IPA only. We also ask that you complete and submit the Applicant Survey Form. This will help NSF to ensure that our recruiting efforts are attracting a diverse candidate pool; it will be used for statistical purposes only.

IIP Program Director Search Committee
Dr. Graciela Narcho
Division of Industrial Innovation & Partnerships
Directorate for Engineering
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230
Email: gnarcho@nsf.gov

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