Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Responsible for planning, developing, and establishing the contractual strategy for acquisitions supporting major IT projects or programs of critical importance to VA and other Government agencies. Developing acquisition strategies, use of a wide variety of acquisition methods, determining pre-negotiation positions, determining the type of contract and negotiation authorities and preparing justifications; performing the full range of possiblecontract actions from planning through award to contract closeout; principal contracting advisor to customers and upper management; represents the Department as a contractual authority at agency/interagency conferences, meetings, and other forums; provides complex contractual direction to personnel consisting of other Contracting Officers, Program Directors, and upper management at the highest levels; functions as the Lead Contracting Officer for critical acquisition programs directing a full range of contract administration actions including contract modifications, negotiation of changes, exercising of options, resolution of delays, disposition of claims; tracking contractor performance and other related matters; conducts conferences and oral presentations with prospective contractors to arrive at a clear understanding of solicitation requirements; assigns projects and establishes priorities and milestones.

Supervises a group of employees performing work at the GS-07 through GS-13 level to include:

Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system; observes workers' performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques; provides informal feedback and evaluates employee performance; resolves informal complaints and grievances; recommends personnel actions as necessary; effects minor disciplinary measures; assures that subordinates are trained and fully comply with the provisions of the safety regulations; provides advice on work methods, practices and procedures; identifies, distributes and balances workload and tasks.

Incumbent must meet all eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a Level III FAC-C certification and Unlimited Warrant. Incumbent must also obtain and maintain DITAP certification.

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
Subject to a background/suitability investigation
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
May serve a probationary period
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The subject position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting. However, where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations. Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Federal employees must include Series, Grade, Step, Starting and Ending dates of employment, hours worked per week and salary on resume.

Copy of unofficial transcripts. Must show your name and the name of college to determine accreditation. If qualifying based on degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show date the degree was conferred. If selected, you must provide official transcripts. NOTE: Transcripts should state degree conferred, and have a date.

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

and

A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver.

Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

NOTE: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript.

Specialized Experience: GS-14 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

Mastery of the following: contracting from cradle to grave; contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts, cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals change order proposals; negotiations; various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price and cost reimbursement; contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items; negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements; contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract; effective and professional oral and written communication to attend meetings, provide information to all levels of management within and outside of an organization (i.e. customers, vendors, subordinates, executive level management)

Team lead or supervisor of acquisition workforce; advising employees on work and administrative matters; interview and recommend employee selections; resolve employee complaints; develop performance standards and work methods; effects minor disciplinary actions and counsels employees, and identifies training and development needs of the staff.

There is no education substitution for the GS-14 level.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Competency 1: Contracting/Procurement

Competency 2: Acquisition Strategy

Competency 3: Communication

Competency 4: Customer Service

Competency 5: Leadership