Summary This position is located in National Science Foundation. The employee has unlimited signatory authority and is responsible for the negotiation, award, administration, monitoring, and oversight of complex cooperative agreements in various stages of the facilities lifecycle. The employee collaborates as a core member of integrated project teams (IPTs) to develop funding arrangements appropriate for each major facility project under consideration for new, renewal, re-competition, or MREFC funding. Responsibilities ISB is responsible for providing comprehensive cooperative agreement award leadership, solicitation, negotiation, award and administration of NSF's complex cooperative agreements for the agency's research facilities, as well as construction and operation of new facilities. Facilities are defined as shared-use infrastructure, instrumentation and equipment that are accessible to a broad community of researchers and/or educators. 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 senior-level specialist responsible for planning, advising, and managing complex cooperative agreements in support of highly complex major research facilities, mid-scale research infrastructure, and Federally Funded Research & Development Centers, which may be at any stage during a facilities lifecycle including development, design, construction, operations and divestment. The duties of the position include the following: Coordinate all business and non-scientific aspects of the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, award, administration, and closeout of cooperative agreements that administer the construction and operations of research infrastructure funded by the National Science Foundation. Perform statutory required financial and administrative business reviews prior to awarding cooperative agreements that support the construction and operations of major and mid-scale research infrastructure and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Oversee and manage a cooperative agreement portfolio that encompass issues that are occasionally undefined and require extensive analysis and coordination with internal and external stakeholders to reach decisions on appropriate courses of action. Demonstrate expert 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. Serve as a Grants and Agreements Officer with up to an unlimited signatory authority for award instruments necessary to plan and manage all pre-award and post-award phases of critical agency cooperative agreements. Review 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 cooperative agreement terms and conditions with the proposing organization. Oversee award administration work such as monitoring of performance under the cooperative agreements and negotiation of necessary award modifications to ensure satisfactory progress and completion of activities. Plan, analyze, or evaluate 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. Represent 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. Communicate frequently with principal investigators and institutional business and sponsored research officials to discuss and advise on financial and other administrative management matters. Perform work associated with policy research, analysis, and interpretation or review of award actions for compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and procedures. Review and approve sub-awards, subcontracts and other sub-agreements under Federal financial assistance. Participate in planning audits of awardees and supporting NSF's resolution of the audits' findings as a Federal financial assistance oversight management tool. Administer the closing-out of complex cooperative agreements and related awards. Analyze and report on awardee business systems used to administer large complex cooperative agreements. Monitors compliance with corrective actions of those business systems when necessary. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US citizen. Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding. Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year trial/probationary period. Additional Requirements: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade/equivalent. You must meet eligibility & qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date. You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire & any external assessment that is included. All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position. Qualifications To qualify at the GS-14 level you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13-level in the Federal Service in pre- award and post-award functions involving highly specialized cooperative agreements. Examples of specialized experience may include: participating 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. 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. This vacancy will utilize a multiple hurdle assessment process to determine the qualifications of applicants. The first hurdle will consist of applicants completing an occupational questionnaire related to the major duties and competencies of the position. For the second hurdle, applicants who pass the first hurdle will be contacted to provide a writing sample based on two pre-determined questions. Applicant responses will be reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel for related position competencies against a pre-determined rating schedule. Applicants will have 5 business days to respond to the writing prompts. This process will determine the final rating of the applicant for possible referral to the hiring official for hiring consideration. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire which will rate the following competencies: Grants Management Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines Project Management Cost Estimation and Analysis Negotiation Writing For the second hurdle, qualified applicants will be asked to provide written responses to the following prompts within 5 business days of the first notification of moving forward in the hiring process: (Responses to the prompts will be limited to one page or less per prompt.) Describe your experience with laws, regulations, and guidelines related to highly specialized and complex federal agreements. How have you provided strategic guidance and interpretation to stakeholders to enable successful grant execution and minimize legal risks? Describe your experience managing multiple projects simultaneously and prioritizing your time and effort among competing projects. How did your planning, organization, and coordination ensure you met deadlines with quality products? Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your score. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the selecting official. Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." At NSF, this means a score of 90.0 or higher. In the merit promotion selection process, formal performance appraisals may be considered if voluntarily submitted by the applicant. Education Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level. Additional Information Relocation Expenses will not be paid. This position is in the bargaining unit represented by AFGE Local 3403. 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 & including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment & referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least "Very Good" on the questionnaire. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources Veteran's Preference: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the VA letter or other required documentation as specified on the SF-15. NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary. This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.