KEY REQUIREMENTS



• U.S. Citizenship requirement met by closing date.
• Position is subject to a background investigation.

The candidate selected for this position will:

• Provide leadership in establishing goals and directions for genetic research in mental disorders by planning, administering, conducting, and supporting research grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and by organizing conferences and workshops;
• Administer the genetic epidemiology portfolio and disease oriented projects that may have a strong method development component by collaborating to conceptualize, plan, and develop new initiatives that generate cutting edge projects in genetic epidemiology for the analysis of mental disorders;
• Stimulate grant applications, advise potential applicants of the special requirements, review and informally evaluate preliminary drafts of proposals, and give advice to potential applicants;
• Organize conferences and workshops regarding data sharing in genetic research, building international collaborations for genetic research and the development of genetic methodologies, approaches, and instrumentation relevant to mental disorders;
• Make project site visits and evaluate progress reports to obtain supplemental data and information for the consideration and evaluation of applications and for the assessment and monitoring of progress and scientific merit of active research grant projects.

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirement:

A) Completed all of the requirements for a Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral degree) in an accredited college or university, including acceptance of the dissertation, in an academic field of the health or pertinent sciences (i.e., biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, etc.) allied to health or health related research;

OR

B) Completed a 4-year course of study in an accredited college/university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, with major study in an academic field of the health or health-related research AND have at least one (1) year of qualifying progressively responsible experience that is qualitatively equivalent to that acquired in meeting all the requirements for a Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral degree), including the dissertation.

AND

One (1) year of independent health research beyond the doctoral degree and one (1) year of health research program administration experience.

In addition to the above basic requirement, for the GS-13 level, you must have:

Experience in the management of significant independent research projects (analogous to an R01 and R29 grant) and supervision of graduate researchers or technicians; publications in referred journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in biomedical/behavioral or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-review panels or journals; held position of Assistant or Associate Professor, or equivalent.

OR

Responsibility for multiple scientific projects, supervising graduate researchers or technicians; publications in referred journals, presenting published work to scientific organizations and teaching graduate level courses in biomedical/behavioral or health-related disciplines; served as a reviewer on peer-reviewed panels or journals; held position of Research Scientist (permanent position), Section Chief, or equivalent.

OR

Private sector (profit/non-profit) experience with evidence of increasing responsibility in research or administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager, or equivalent.

OR

One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in the public sector performing the following types of review or program tasks:  review of the technical and scientific merit of applications and proposals received requesting grant or contract funds; provide advice in program planning, solicitation, and evaluation to perform day-to-day administrative functions related to research grants and inter-agency agreements supporting research projects in your scientific area; identify new basic translational and clinical research concepts, projects, and initiatives to appropriate advisory groups and formulate and develop Program Announcements, RFAs, RFPs, or a combination of these, to achieve objectives.

In addition to the above basic requirement, for the GS-14 level, you must have:

Served as an appointed member of a scientific peer-review panel or editorial board; held the position of Associate Professor, Professor, or equivalent.

OR

Responsibility for at least two concurrent research projects with separate staff and budgets and supervising doctoral level staff; held position of Section Chief or equivalent for at least two (2) years.

OR

Responsibility in private sector (profit/non-profit) research or administration within the company; held position of Senior Research Scientist/Project Manager, or equivalent.

OR

One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service obtained in the public sector performing the following types of review or program tasks:  organize and conduct workshops, conferences, symposia or similar activities to foster the aims of the program, to facilitate communication among investigators or to advise on the status of progress and emerging directions of research in the assigned program area; manage the initial scientific and administrative review of center grant, program project grant, and training grant applications, as well as research project applications submitted in response to requests for applications, multi-center clinical trial applications, and contract proposals assigned to the program area; plans, advises, and evaluates program activities for a portfolio of research project, research program and other grants/awards, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts in the assigned program area and the discovery, development, and evaluation of associated prevention and therapeutic strategies; review and evaluate periodic and interim progress reports to determine effectiveness of support and achievement of objectives; recommend funding plans for initiatives; establish the criteria and standards for a review panel.

View Assessment Questions

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to receiving an official offer.  Click here for information on Foreign Education .  If you are currently or were previously in this occupation series you do not need to submit transcripts. Instead, submit an SF-50 showing the appointment in this occupational series.

Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with Selective Service.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and Selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

• Best Qualified – for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
• Well Qualified – for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
• Qualified – for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

Candidates determined to be Best Qualified will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category.

Click here to view vacancy questions: View Assessment Questions

If you are a veteran, CTAP or ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links for additional information and required documents:

• Veterans
• CTAP
• ICTAP
• Schedule A Appointments for the Disabled

All such documents MUST be received by 11:59pm ET of the closing date, Friday, February 15, 2013, to be considered.

The federal government offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.  For more information, check out New Employee Benefits at NIH and OPM's Employee Benefits Information.

OTHER INFORMATION:

PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should also apply online to this announcement in order to receive consideration.

We are unable to pay relocation expenses.

A one-year probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.

If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency.  This information is required annually. 

Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement. The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.

Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application.   You must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

• Your Resume (Please provide sufficient details in your resume to enable us to determine if you meet the requirement for qualifying experience (as stated in the Qualifications section) and to support your answers to the online questionnaire.   Providing insufficient details in your resume may result in a lower or ineligible rating.)  
• A complete Assessment Questionnaire, View Assessment Questions.
• Other required supporting documents (See the Required Documents section for any additional forms and/or supplemental materials required.)
• If you would prefer to submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for consideration, you may submit a skeletal online resume and Fax your CV.   Submission of a resume/CV alone IS NOT a complete application.   You must complete the online questionnaire that will appear when you begin your application on USAJOBS.   (See the Required Documents section for any additional forms and/or supplemental materials required.)

To begin the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button at the bottom of this screen to log in to your existing USAJOBS account or to create an account if you do not already have one.

• Follow the prompts to complete the Assessment Questionnaire. Please ensure you click the "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the process.
• To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload, you must use the fax coversheet found at http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf .    Include the vacancy announcement number for the job to which you are applying, 822879.   Fax your documents to 1-478-757-3144.

If you have questions or require reasonable accommodation during the application process,  please contact the HR staff member listed below.   If you cannot apply online, these are the steps to follow:

1. Click the following link to view and print the assessment questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire, View Occupational Questionnaire.
2. Print this 1203-FX form to provide your response to the occupational questionnaire http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/OPM1203fx.pdf.
3. In Section 25 of the Occupational Questionnaire, you may notice that the numbering restarts with number one. When entering your responses on the 1203-FX form please continue to enter your responses on the next available number within this section. The numbers on the 1203-FX will not match the Occupational Questionnaire once it restarts with number one. This issue has been identified and will be resolved as soon as possible.
4. Fax the completed 1203-FX form along with any supporting documents to 1-478-757-3144. Your 1203-FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.

If you have difficulties with hearing and are seeking assistance, please call a relay operator at 1-800-735-2258 or visit Maryland Relay or AT&T Relay.

For technical difficulties, contact HR Systems Support between 8 AM and 4:30 PM ET Monday through Friday at 301-451-1436 or hrsystemssupport@mail.nih.gov.

Additional Information on How to Apply

Information on Reasonable Accommodation

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select "My Applications", and click on the "more information" link under the application status for this position.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

The following information must be received by 11:59pm ET on the closing date of the announcement, Friday, February 15, 2013.  

1. Resume via USAJOBS.
2. Responses to online questionnaire.
3. If applicable, supporting documentation (including DD214 to support Veterans' Employment, CTAP/ICTAP, Schedule A, or other information requested in the announcement such as transcripts). To ensure your information is secure, please block out any Social Security numbers (SSNs). Clean copies may be requested if you are hired.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

Within 15 business days of the closing date, Friday, February 15, 2013, you may check your status online at USAJOBS.  We will update your status after each key stage in the application process has been completed.