Dear Colleagues:

The following four FAQs provide updated information related to staffing for the new Division of Extramural Activities Support (DEAS).

What is the status of staffing for the Division of Extramural Activities Support (DEAS)?
DEAS positions at the GS-8 and higher grades have been advertised and are at various stages of the certification, review and selection process.

A permanent DEAS director, Ms. Mary Frances Deutsch, has been selected. Her appointment is effective March 22. The DEAS interim director, Mr. David Mineo, will work with Ms. Deutsch over the next few weeks to facilitate her transition.

Panels have begun to interview candidates for the GS-13 hub manager positions, GS-11/12 supervisor positions, and GS-9/11/12 non-supervisory positions. The interview panels' recommendations are being forwarded to the leadership of the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) -- where DEAS resides organizationally -- and DEAS for final selections.

Panels will soon begin reviewing the applications for the GS-8 task leader positions (candidates will not be interviewed). The panels' recommendations will be forwarded to the leadership of OER and DEAS for final selections. The review panels will include representation from the IC extramural communities and the NIH Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management. It is expected that selections will be completed by the end of April.

When will grade 2-7 positions in DEAS be advertised?
The GS-2/3/4/5/6/7 positions open to NIH employees will be announced towards the end of April.

In addition, NIH will recruit externally (outside NIH, to include other federal agencies as well as outside government) for the GS-4/5/6 positions, because we anticipate needing more employees than are available among the NIH staff at those grades. Any external hires would be used to complement, not replace, NIH in-scope employees eligible for the positions. External candidates would not be offered employment until NIH staff are reassigned and it is clear there is a need for additional employees. To allow for the longer time involved in recruiting outside NIH, the external GS-4/5/6 positions will be the next ones advertised.

Why do NIH employees in grades 2-7, who will be directly reassigned to DEAS positions, have to apply for their jobs?
The reason is to ensure the best fit between employees and their new jobs. It is important to remember that the extramural support jobs in the ICs will be eliminated when DEAS becomes operational. Employees who held those jobs will be reassigned into positions in DEAS, but they will be new positions. The business model for DEAS is different from the current model for providing extramural support services at NIH. To ensure success for both individual employees and the organization, everyone considered for DEAS jobs will be asked to provide information about their skills and experience, as well as their preferences for the geographic location and hub in which they would like to work.

What happens if an employee in grades 2-7 does not submit an application; will they be reassigned to DEAS anyway?
In-scope employees in grades 2-7 who do not submit applications will be directly reassigned to DEAS positions, but will miss out on the opportunity to express their preferences. It is in an employee's best interest to submit an application because that is the only way to express individual preferences for geographic location and hub, which will be accommodated if at all possible.