Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and other status eligible applicants. See the eligibility section in the questionnaire for a list of all eligible statuses and the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more details.

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

The incumbent supports a senior specialist or supervisor who reports to the Director, Learning Standards Office. The Director advises the Deputy Chancellor in all matters pertaining to the management of Acquisition Human Capital Programs and associated acquisition career management functions. Performs tasks such as:

Manages specific aspects of a comprehensive acquisition career management program in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Federal Acquisition Certification directives in the areas of Contracting (FAC-C), Contracting Officers Representatives, (FAC-COR/COR) and Program and Project Management (FAC-P/PM), to include the management and tracking of multiple documents that require verification and collation for each level of certification 1-111. The incumbent uses qualitative and quantitative analytical and evaluative methods to identify and advise on problems and programs.

The employee directly assists in developing and managing an Acquisition Corps training and certification program for the Department which will require a high level of interpersonal skills to interact with directorates within the Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy (VAAA) senior leaders within the Department of Veteran Affairs and external agencies. The incumbent supports the Department's "Critical Acquisition Position"(CAP) and "Key Management Position"(KMP) List, which ensures that only highly qualified and certified acquisition professionals are assigned to various acquisition critical programs and contract support positions. The incumbent prepares correspondence to communicate the status and percentage of fill of the CAP/KMP list, formally, internally, and with other agencies. Additionally, prepares or assists in preparing special briefings for in-progress reviews and presentations at the request of the Deputy Chancellor, VAAA regarding the CAP/KMP list. The incumbent demonstrates expertise in all facets of Acquisition Program Support including key events, the sequence of operations, and milestones to provide advice and seasoned guidance to senior leadership. Applies policies and standards for the Applied Learning Center, analyzes results of competency assessments and supports the development of education and training programs to address acquisition workforce competency deficiencies. Develops and works within memorandums of agreement reached with the Chancellor of the VA Acquisition Academy, to ensure that the Academy training offerings are fully synchronized with the Acquisition Corps objectives.

The incumbent supports a senior specialist or supervisor who reports to the Director, Learning Standards Office. The Director advises the Deputy Chancellor, VAAA in all matters pertaining to VA's Acquisition Corps and associated acquisition career management functions. Performs tasks such as: The incumbent serves as an Acquisition strategic integrator or planner for VAAA. Works independently or as a member of a team, follows through to completion projects, studies, and analysis supporting the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary's strategic vision.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST.
Location: The selectee will be required to report on-site at 7485 New Horizon Way, Frederick, MD 21703.
Compressed/Flexible: Yes, available with supervisory approval.
Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD81227A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/15/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.



You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Managing and maintaining enterprise-level automated business systems and providing user assistance to promote accurate data use, system awareness, and consistent adoption across stakeholder groups.
  • Supporting development of education and training efforts by analyzing competency assessments and recommending targeted improvements.
  • Preparing correspondence and briefings that communicated analytical findings and supported internal and external presentations.
  • Utilizing analytical models and automated systems to identify trends and emerging patterns and provide feedback that supported decision-making.

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify (for GS-11 only) based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year in higher-level graduate education to qualify. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.

Quality Ranking Factor:
Project management, policy writing, analytical writing, preparing reports of presentations and findings, critical thinking, conducting extensive analysis to evaluate organizational impact, feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness of existing and proposed systems and procedures, customer service and teamwork, and self-management.


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.

Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, but some light physical effort is required. Work is typically performed in an office environment. Occasional travel is required.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Conducting strategic planning and integration activities by developing tracking mechanisms, analyzing progress toward organizational objectives, and recommending corrective actions for high-impact initiatives.
• Evaluating policy guidance to determine whether strategic goals were adequately resourced and missions effectively achieved, and providing recommendations to strengthen long- and short-term resource planning efforts.
• Applied advanced analytical and decision-support techniques to research complex operational issues, validate requirements, and develop performance assessments that informed continuous process improvement.
• Led or contributed to strategic studies that provided senior leadership with authoritative, data-driven insights and timely responses to unique or emerging organizational challenges.
• Integrated new approaches to complex business process issues by producing rapid analyses, executive summaries, and decision-support documentation to guide recommended courses of action.
• Planned and coordinated resource reviews by preparing milestone inputs, briefings, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and strategic alignment

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.


Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Frederick, MD. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 7485 New Horizon Way, Frederick, MD 21703.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accountability
• Acquisition Strategy
• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Communication
• Contracting/Procurement
• Customer Service
• Data Management
• Decision Making
• Education and Training
• External Awareness
• Financial Management
• Flexibility
• Human Capital Management
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Organizational Awareness
• Project Management
• Quality Assurance
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self Management
• Self-Management
• Strategic Thinking
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All current, permanent VA Employees in the Office of Acquisition and Logistics
• All other current, permanent VA employees
• All other applicants (if status)

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Frederick, MD. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 7485 New Horizon Way, Frederick, MD 21703.


During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.


A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the specialized experience. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letters, links to additional information) will not be reviewed. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience.