Biological Science Specialist (SBIR Program Coordinator)

Biological Science Specialist (SBIR Program Coordinator)

Department: Department of Agriculture

Location(s): Kansas City, Missouri

Salary Range: $108173 - $140627 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture(NIFA) Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment (IBCE). Incumbent will serve as an expert in the programmatic content of assigned activities related to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs administrative management, tracking, coordination and reporting activities. This position is designated as a bargaining unit position and is represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

Major Duties:

• Incumbent has the key role in the overall administrative functions and the coordination of activities involved in the implementation of reauthorization; reporting; streamlining and simplification; prevention and detection of fraud, waste and abuse.
• Represent NIFA at meetings and conference providing updates, data, information, statistical analysis, and reports. These activities involve keeping current on relevant issues impacting the SBIR program and activities.
• Provide expert advice in explaining and interpreting program(s), statutes, regulations, directives, policies and procedures as they pertain to various business, financial, and/or administrative/management requirements.
• Responsible for maintaining open lines of communication and plans of action with the Small Business Administration (SBA), other Federal agencies and the USDA SBIR team for future partnerships and cooperation.
• Responsible for taking corrective actions. Identify problems and resolve or coordinate resolution with appropriate staff. Participate in dispute resolution activities that may include membership on various review and appeal committees.
• Analyze and evaluate the development and modification of methods for SBIR operations, and in responding to programmatic requirements to include in the formulation of reports, communications, etc.
• Develop, maintain, and track all associated reporting requirements mandated by the SBA Policy Directive, the Department of Agriculture, the White House and Congressional inquiries.
• Participate in the planning of program outreach to the 27 states, minority serving institutions and organizations that represent minority/disadvantaged or women-owned small business firms in an effort to increase the number of proposals submitted.

Qualifications: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Education Requirements: 1. 4-Year Degree in: Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. or 2. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND Specialized Experience: The specialized experience requirements for this position is: Experience ensuring program compliance with all mandated administrative responsibilities; ensuring all data is gathered, analyzed, prepared for reports completed in order to meet timelines; and serving as a liaison to encourage participation in a program. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-14