Scientific Reviewer

Axle • Bethesda, MD

22h

About The Position

Axle is seeking a Scientific Reviewer to support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) in Bethesda, Maryland. The role provides scientific and operational support for planning, coordinating, conducting, and documenting NIH peer review activities in accordance with applicable NIH and CSR policies, procedures, guidance, and review schedules. The Scientific Reviewer collaborates with Scientific Review Officers (SROs), CSR leadership, reviewers, and review support staff to complete assigned activities and deliverables accurately and on time.

The position supports scientific reviews of NIH applications and proposals, including panel formation, reviewer recruitment and training, administrative compliance screening, critique quality control, meeting documentation, and preparation and finalization of summary statements. The reviewer examines scientific content and administrative issues, evaluates research concepts and proposals, identifies and assigns reviewers, checks for conflicts of interest, and helps ensure that critiques and summary documents are clear, objective, complete, and compliant with NIH requirements. The role also supports peer review operations and may develop training materials, mentor staff and reviewers, and provide ad hoc assistance. Strict ethics, confidentiality, professionalism, and timely correction of deficient deliverables are required.

Requirements

• Knowledge and ability to support scientific peer review of grants and contract proposals.
• Ability to conduct literature and database searches and identify appropriate reviewers based on subject-matter expertise.
• Ability to perform administrative and scientific review of applications, proposals, protocols, and reports.
• Ability to prepare, evaluate, synthesize, and edit critiques, summary statements, technical evaluation reports, and meeting documentation.
• Ability to assess potential conflicts of interest and maintain ethics and confidentiality.
• Ability to work professionally and collaboratively with Government leadership, staff, and reviewers, meeting established deadlines and requirements.
• No certification is needed.

Nice To Haves

• Experience or familiarity with NIH peer review processes and procedures.
• Experience with IAR (Internet Assisted Review), eRA CMM (Committee Management Module), and QVR (Query View Report).
• Background or field of study in General Medical and Health Services, General Social Sciences, Psychology, Physical Sciences, General Engineering, or Biology.

Responsibilities

• Identify administrative and scientific issues in grant applications and contract proposals, including their hypotheses and rationale.
• Identify, select, and recommend reviewers whose expertise matches the science in assigned applications and proposals.
• Review applications for content and relevance to the scientific interests of the Institute.
• Perform administrative reviews of research grant applications and make initial application assignment determinations.
• Manage scientific peer review of assigned grant and cooperative agreement applications and contract proposals for primary merit review.
• Serve as an internal source of information on application receipt, referral, and grants management policies and procedures.
• Identify areas of expertise needed for review panels, search databases and other resources, and prepare lists of potential reviewers.
• Make assignment decisions and resolve assignment conflicts based on knowledge of the Institute’s scientific interests.
• Prepare preliminary summary statement drafts; review draft documents, synthesize reviewer comments, and incorporate appropriate comments into final documents.
• Critically review literature and evaluate research concepts, proposals, protocols, and reports.
• Validate and enter information into databases, and work with staff to enter reviewer data into the Committee Management system and prepare peer review rosters.
• Assign applications to reviewers and determine the appropriate meeting format, such as face-to-face, teleconference, or Internet-Assisted meeting.
• Identify persons who must be included on conflict-of-interest lists and identify deficiencies that must be addressed before review.
• Assess reviewers for potential conflicts of interest in relation to applications; consult program staff and examine key personnel, institutional affiliations, and letters of support.
• Attend peer review meetings, capture committee deliberations, and take notes for final documentation of meeting proceedings.
• Obtain, evaluate, and coordinate written critiques from expert reviewers; assess incoming reviews for completeness and accuracy and ensure high-quality written reviews.
• Compile and edit summary statements and technical evaluation reports into high-quality documents.
• Analyze scientific content and evaluate scientific aspects of research concepts, proposals, protocols, and reports using relevant scientific knowledge and understanding of the NIH peer review process.
• Mentor and train staff on scientific peer review processes and procedures.
• Assess organizational training needs and develop training programs, materials, job aids, and instructions to improve the accuracy and performance of peer review processes.
• Mentor and coach peer reviewers in performing reviews.
• Provide ad hoc support as required and correct and resubmit deficient deliverables at the Government’s direction.

Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• 401(k) match up to 5%
• Educational benefits for career growth
• Employee referral bonus
• Flexible spending accounts, including healthcare FSA, parking reimbursement account, dependent care assistance program, and transportation reimbursement account

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed