Scientific Reviewer

Axle • Bethesda, MD

11h • $91,000 - $94,000

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 qualified scientific and operational services for planning, coordinating, conducting, and documenting NIH peer review activities. The Scientific Reviewer works with Scientific Review Officers (SROs), CSR leadership, reviewers, and review support staff to complete review activities and deliverables accurately and on schedule, in accordance with NIH and CSR policies, procedures, guidance, and federal regulations.

The position supports scientific reviews of NIH applications and proposals, including reviewer recruitment and training, panel formation, administrative compliance screening, critique quality control, meeting documentation, and preparation of summary statements. Responsibilities also include assessing applications’ scientific and administrative issues, matching reviewers to subject matter, identifying conflicts of interest, evaluating written reviews, and maintaining relevant review and committee-management information. The role may provide ad hoc support as required and must maintain professional collaboration, objectivity, ethics, and confidentiality.

Requirements

• Knowledge of the peer review process for grants.
• Experience or skill in literature and database searches.
• Knowledge of grants and contract mechanisms.
• Ability to prepare administrative summaries.
• Subject matter expertise relevant to scientific review.
• Ability to produce clear, objective, accurate, and timely review deliverables.
• Ability to collaborate professionally with Government leadership and reviewers while maintaining ethics and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Identify administrative and scientific issues in grant applications and contract proposals, including their hypotheses and rationale.
• Identify and recommend reviewers by matching their expertise to the science in assigned applications and proposals.
• Review applications and assess their content and relevance to the scientific interests of the Institute.
• Conduct administrative reviews of research grant applications.
• Work with staff to manage peer review of grant and cooperative agreement applications and contract proposals assigned for primary merit review.
• Serve as an internal source of information on application receipt, referral, and grants management policies and procedures.
• Identify expertise needed for peer review panels, search databases and other resources, and prepare potential reviewer lists.
• Make initial grant assignment determinations, make assignment decisions, and resolve assignment conflicts based on knowledge of Institute scientific interests.
• Assign applications to reviewers and determine appropriate meeting formats, including in-person, teleconference, or Internet-Assisted meetings.
• Assess reviewers and applications for potential conflicts of interest, identify involved persons for conflict-of-interest lists, and identify deficiencies requiring resolution before review.
• Consult program staff about potential reviewers and conflicts of interest; examine key personnel, institutional affiliations, and letters of support for potential conflicts.
• Work with staff to enter reviewer data into the Committee Management system and prepare peer review rosters; validate and enter information into databases.
• Obtain, evaluate, coordinate, and assess written critiques for completeness and accuracy, ensuring high-quality reviews.
• Attend peer review meetings, take notes, capture committee deliberations, and document meeting proceedings.
• Prepare preliminary drafts of summary statements; review documents, synthesize reviewer comments, and incorporate appropriate comments into final documents.
• Compile and edit summary statements and technical evaluation reports to produce clear, high-quality documents that accurately reflect key evaluation factors.
• Critically review literature and evaluate research concepts, proposals, protocols, and reports; analyze application scientific content and evaluate scientific aspects of research.
• Apply scientific knowledge relevant to the Institute's mission and NIH peer review process.
• Mentor and train staff on scientific peer review processes and procedures.
• Assess organizational needs and develop training programs, materials, job aids, and instructions to improve peer review accuracy and performance.
• Mentor and coach peer reviewers in performing reviews.
• Correct and resubmit deficient deliverables at the Government's direction and provide ad hoc support as required.

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, dependent care assistance, and transportation reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

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