Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrator (SBSA)

Division/Office: 

Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research (DESPR), Prevention Research Branch (PRB)

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research (DESPR) is currently recruiting for Health Scientist Administrators in the Prevention Research Branch. The incumbent in this position will provide leadership and direction for a research program of national and international scope, and will perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities relating to the administration of grant portfolios involving prevention intervention and services related research. Portfolio areas are organized around systems within which prevention can occur, and can include research related to social determinants of health, prevention research in educational settings and human service systems (e.g., justice, child welfare, etc), as well as research supported through the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative. Candidates with interest and expertise in those domains are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities include: 

  • administering a research grants program in prevention related research with specific programmatic priority areas to be determined;
  • providing advice in program planning, solicitation, and evaluation to perform day-to-day administrative functions related to research grants and interagency agreements supporting research projects;
  • evaluating the availability and level of resources that can be applied to program area needs;
  • stimulating interest in projects and special activities through communication with the scientific community;
  • managing extramural research and research training programs, and identifying research areas warranting either increased or decreased funding emphasis;
  • developing Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) designed to elicit research grant and contract proposals from the scientific community;
  • providing technical assistance to applicants and grantees;
  • conducting site visits to applicant and grantee institutions to determine the adequacy of research and training facilities;
  • serving as spokesperson for agency programs to the scientific community, the Congress, and other Federal agencies.

For more information, please reach out to Amy Goldstein, Chief, Prevention Research Branch, amy.goldstein@nih.gov

Application Submission

Upcoming recruitment for Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrators (Program Officers) will be open Monday March 18, 2024 – Wednesday March 27, 2024; links are provided below. 

Additional information can also be found on the NIH Jobs page: https://jobs.nih.gov/globalrecruitment/