The purpose of this notice is to inform you of Department of Energy (DOE) management’s intent to fill a Physical Scientist GS-1301-15 position to serve as a program manager for the Neutron Scattering (NS) program in the Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division located in Germantown, MD. The recruitment will use the Open Continuous Direct Hire Announcement CY-22-OCDH-1301-11434839-DH, which is posted on USAJOBS:

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/646322700

This announcement will be used to collect applications from candidates for this permanent position. Management will request a list of applications to the Direct Hire Announcement on June 22^nd, 2022; applications submitted after that date may not be considered. The short announcement period should not be interpreted as an indication that preferred candidates have already been identified. BES is interested in attracting a broad and diverse pool of applicants with expertise in Neutron scattering science. You must submit your application, including a resume and any other required documents identified in the announcement, through USAJOBS to be considered for this position. In addition to the required documents, you are strongly encouraged to submit an optional cover letter indicating interest in the BES Neutron Scattering Program Manager position and describing how your experience demonstrates that you meet the requirements for a GS-15 position and that you possess the knowledge and abilities in neutron scattering science required to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Anyone applying to this position needs to be aware that, if selected, you will be placed on a new permanent appointment in the Civil Service. A DOE career status employee selected for this position may be required to serve a new one (1) year probationary period, pursuant to 5 CFR 315.802.

The Physical Scientist will serve as a program manager for the NS program and will determine scientific focus and direction of the research programs, prepare calls for proposals, organize independent peer reviews, recommend funding allocations, organize Principal Investigator meetings, serve as a liaison on committees, and assess scientific progress of the program. This program supports basic research on the fundamental interactions of neutrons with hard and soft matter to achieve an understanding of the atomic, electronic, and magnetic structures and excitations of material and their relationship to materials properties. Major emphasis is on the application of neutron scattering, spectroscopy, and imaging for materials research, primarily at BES-supported user facilities. Development of next-generation instrumentation concepts, innovative optics, novel detectors, advanced sample environments, data analysis tools, and polarized neutrons are distinct aspects of this activity. The program manager has the responsibility to plan, coordinate, implement, and evaluate research programs in this field on a national and international level. The program manager also serves as a recognized scientific authority in materials science and specifically neutron scattering science, determining strategic direction of the program, preparing calls for proposals, organizing independent peer reviews, recommending funding allocations, justifying and managing the budget, monitoring scientific progress, planning Principal Investigator meetings, and serving as a liaison on intra- and inter-agency committees. In addition, this program manager will serve on a team providing program management and oversight for the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) program. The EFRC program supports multi-disciplinary scientific teams to tackle the toughest scientific challenges preventing advances in energy technologies. The program manager will have oversight responsibility for a subset of EFRCs focused on use-inspired fundamental materials science research in areas relevant to quantum information science, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Other information

More information about BES can be found at: 
https://science.osti.gov/bes

A complete description of the BES NS program can be found at:
https://science.osti.gov/bes/mse/Research-Areas/Neutron-Scattering

Details of the NS research portfolio may be found in the abstracts of the most recent principal investigators’ meeting at:

https://science.osti.gov/-/media/bes/mse/pdf/docs/2022/2021_Neutron_Scattering.pdf