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Lead Contract Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Marketing Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Commodity Procurement Program (CPP) as a Lead Contract Specialists. Vacancies within Domestic and International Procurement Divisions. Lead Contract Specialists serve as Contracting Officers responsible for pre- and post-award functions including solicitation, recommendation of award, contract administration, payment, team oversight, and closeout, with a staff supporting federal feeding programs and American agriculture.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/09/2024 to 07/11/2024
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$103,409 to - $167,336 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
4 vacancies in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Remote job
Yes
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MP-12463905-24-CPH
Control number
798789300

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Duties

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  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Provides expert advice for all pre-award and post-award functions and is involved with the planning and development of purchase and financial assistance programs and procedures.
  • Determines both financial and technical responsibility of potential new vendors and assists those vendors through the process to become an approved vendor.
  • Reviews and analyzes relevant production and price data and, where applicable, makes recommendations concerning the need for surplus removal purchase programs.
  • Responsible for reviewing announcements, invitations to bid, requests for information, requests for proposals, and related contractual documents in the administration of contracts.
  • Reviews, analyzes, and makes recommendations concerning various factors affecting ongoing purchase and other financial assistance operations.
  • Works closely with minority business firms, small businesses, the Small Business Administration and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.
  • Recommends purchase and financial assistance programs relative to the full range of agricultural commodities.
  • Examines Instrument and Notices of Assignment, invoices, claims, and other requests for payment for commodities provided to the Government.
  • Develops procedures and overall contracting strategies to effectively accomplish unique acquisition programs including making independent decisions on complex problems.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
  • All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
  • A copy of your highest level of FAC-C/DAWIA certification must be included with your application. Failure to submit a copy of your certification could result in loss of consideration.
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
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. Must be at least FAC-C PROFESSIONAL certified. A copy of your highest level of FAC-C certification must be included with your application.

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.

Selective Placement Factor: The following Selective Placement Factor (SPF) requirement is being used to determine whether an applicant fully qualifies for this position: certified in either Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). Evidence of this experience must be documented in your resume. Applicants who fail to meet this requirement and/or address the SPF may lose further consideration. A copy of your FAC-C Professional or DAWIA certification must be included with your application.

FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Providing direction and guidance to junior level team members on solicitation preparation, proposal or bid evaluation and award decision documents supporting award execution.
  • Managing multiple pre and post award contractual actions that includes demonstrated accomplishment of planning, directing, and administering complex acquisition project assignments utilizing a wide range of knowledge of procurement and contracting principles, and technical program requirements and techniques (i.e. multiple levels, multiple forms, multiple needs, and multiple phases of the acquisition process).
  • Independently performing actions including coordinating purchase program schedules; determining contracting methods; terminating and suspending contracts; stop work orders; making informed recommendations and decisions on protests, disputes, appeals, and claims review.
  • Communicate (written and orally) with internal and external stakeholders, including industry members, program office customers, branch chiefs, division directors, and other levels of higher authority on status of specific contracts, furnishing authoritative advice on various problems and issues.
Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:
  • This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
  • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university
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; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • For more information on applying under special hiring authorities explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • Contracting Officer Warrant highly desirable but not required.
  • Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.
  • Worksite Information: This is a 100% remote position that must be located within the 50 United States, its territories, or possessions. The duty station for a remote designation is the selectee's home and must be established within the defined geographic options prior to start date. The selectee is not required to regularly work from a government facility however, the option may be available.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by your experience, education, training, responses to the application questionnaire and the responses to all assessments required for this position demonstrated in your application package to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies listed below:

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Cost Estimation & Analysis
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Additional Information - USA Hire Online Assessment
If you are applying as a non-competitive eligible, you are not required to complete the online USA Hire assessment associated with this vacancy. If you are not sure if you are applying as a non-competitive eligible, it is recommended that you compete the online USA Hire assessment associated with this vacancy. All competitive eligible applicants are required to complete the online USA Hire assessment to be considered for the position for this vacancy. Applicants will not be given the opportunity to complete the online USA Hire assessment outside of the assigned assessment window for this vacancy.
The assessment window closes 48 hours after the posted closing date and time of the announcement.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12463905

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