Policy for a Letter of Agreement for Staff Scientists

Every NIH Staff Scientist is required to have a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with their PI or direct supervisor.

The LOA should:

• Explicitly describe the roles and responsibilities of, as well as the opportunities and resources available to, the Staff Scientist.
• Be tailored to the specific pair of Staff Scientist and their PI or direct supervisor.
• Be signed by both the Staff Scientist and their PI or direct supervisor, with a signed copy provided to their AO and/or SD.
• Be established upon initial employment of the Staff Scientist, ideally within 60 days of hiring.
• Be revised after each renewal review, any major changes such as in the Staff Scientist’s role or title, and at any point by request of either the Staff Scientist or their PI or direct supervisor.

Each IC may use a standard LOA document that can be specifically tailored for an individual Staff Scientist and their PI or direct supervisor. An LOA template that can be adapted for use by an IC is provided at the following link:

• Staff Scientist Letter of Agreement Template

This policy is effective as of January 1, 2025. ICs can implement the LOA first for Staff Scientists hired from that date on and then progressively over time for Staff Scientists hired before that date, with the retrospective implementation to be completed by January 1, 2029.

This policy was approved by vote of the Scientific Directors present at the October 2, 2024 meeting of the Board of Scientific and Clinical Directors.