Business Development Specialist Job

Vacancy No. 24-500-TM-DE Department Small Business Administration
Salary $51,332.00 to $80,797.00 Grade 9 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/9/2024 Close Date 10/23/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Seattle, WASpokane, WA


Summary

This position is located in the Small Business Administration, Office of Field Operations - Region X in in one of the locations listed above. This Business Development Specialist provides information on the purpose of the 8(a) Business Development program, the eligibility requirements for participation in the 8(a) BD program and explains the application process.

Duties

Salary Ranges:
Seattle, WA - GS-9 - $67,147 - $87,291; GS-11 - $81,242 - 105,612
Spokane, WA - GS-9 - $60,151 - $78,195; GS-11 - $72,777 - 94,608
  • Under the supervision of a senior staff member the incumbent provides guidance to small businesses to aid in development of small business principles and strategies to enhance their ability to compete successfully for both 8(a) and non-8(a) contracts.
  • Focus on small business concerns eligible to apply for the 8(a) program and other SBA contract certification and business development programs.
  • Researches and coordinates training related materials to meet the needs of small businesses and SBA organizations/agencies.
  • Under the supervision of a senior staff member the incumbent coordinates with the Office of Government Contracting Business Development as appropriate to meet compliance requirements.
  • Provide advice/counseling to assist firm in the development of realistic and attainable objectives for their business regarding federal contracting.
  • Provide advice, counsel and guidance in the areas of marketing to federal government and contract administration.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen
  • You must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
  • Incumbent requires a valid driver’s license (VDL).

Qualifications

GS-09: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector, that demonstrates the ability to work in all of the following: assisting in reviewing, researching and referencing federal procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; participating in outreach, training, presentations and education on a variety of business management and financial management topics; providing support to senior staff in promoting an organization's programs and services through outreach and marketing. These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.

GS-11:
One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: that demonstrates the ability to work in all of the following: reviewing, researching and referencing federal procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; assisting and coordinating training, educating or developing businesses interested in working with the government or with prime contractors; promoting an organization's programs and services through outreach and marketing. These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications web site:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1100/general-business-and-industry-series-1101b/

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, 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.

All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 10/23/2024.

Education

Education may be substituted for experience for this position.

If you do not meet the specialized experience requirements, you may also qualify with education. You MUST submit transcripts (official or unofficial) with this application if you wish to qualify based on education.

GS-09: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Transcripts (official or unofficial must be submitted in support of this response. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

GS-11: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Transcripts (official or unofficial must be submitted in support of this response. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

Combination of Experience and Education:

GS-09: A combination of related graduate education and specialized experience as specified above. For example, an applicant who has 1 full year of Masters level education (i.e. 50% of education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level as described above (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equate to 100% of the required experience for the position. Transcripts (official or unofficial must be submitted in support of this response. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

GS-11: Combination of education and experience as specified above. For example, an applicant who has 1.5 full years of Ph.D. level education (i.e. 50% of education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Verify School accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. *** If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. *** For further information, click on: Foreign Education.

Additional information

This is a bargaining unit position with AFGE Local 228.
This is not a drug testing designated position (TDP).

Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs:
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).

Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency).

You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if:
1. You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF).
2. Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce.
3. The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced.
4. You meet the qualifications and other requirements of the job for which you are applying. This includes being rated as well-qualified for the position (score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment).

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit www.sss.gov.

Consistent with work requirements and current SBA Policy, and all applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE the SBA offers employees opportunities to perform work at an alternative location (e.g. home).

Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: http://www.telework.gov/

Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement if additional vacancies occur within 180 days of the date the certificates were issued.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on the information provided in the Occupational Questionnaire. To preview this questionnaire, click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12549020. You will be rated based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The occupational questions relate to the following Competencies required to do the work of this position:

  • Business Development
  • Compliance
  • Education and Training
  • Oral Communication
  • Writing


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position may require an additional assessment that will be conducted. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications for the position. The additional assessment measures additional competencies required to perform the job. The additional assessment measures additional competencies required to perform the job.

Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your responses to the assessment questions. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. If you meet basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:

1. Best-Qualified: highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.
2. Well-Qualified: competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, training, and education as applicable, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.
3. Qualified: an overall basic level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume.

Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.

Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
1. meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria as described under "Additional Information" above; and
2. submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility claim which can be found under the Required Documents section of this vacancy announcement.

Required Documents

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date/time of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

1. Your Resume - must contain the following information:

  • Name, address, telephone number, email address;
  • Supervisor's contact information, if available (indicate if you would prefer to be notified before your supervisor is contacted);
  • Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
  • If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy);
  • If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
  • An integral part of our selection process includes the completion of reference checks. Please provide the names and telephone numbers of three professional references (e.g., current and/or former supervisors, college or university professors, managers or coordinators of volunteer activities, etc.) who know your qualifications relative to this position and who we can contact to verify your credentials. Do not list personal friends or relatives.
  • PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy) of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.
  • Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.
  • If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here. https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
3. In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the occupational questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms, if applicable. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all documents are legible:
  • Federal employees must submit proof of your permanent career/career-conditional competitive status ("1" or "2" in Tenure, block 24 and "1" in Position Occupied, block 34). Submit SF-50 showing current grade and tenure and an SF-50 showing highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different. NOTE: An award or detail SF-50 will not be accepted as proof of status.
  • If you are using education as a substitution for experience (the announcement will state whether this is allowed), or if there is an educational requirement for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial or official) that clearly describes your qualifying education. If selected, official transcripts will be required;
  • If you are claiming Veteran status, you must submit a copy of all required documents to support your claim (including a DD-214 showing character of service)--see VetGuide;
  • To receive consideration for a special appointment authority (30% Disabled Vet, Schedule A, Peace Corps, VRA, etc) you must submit all required documentation supporting your claim for Special Appointing Authorities;
  • Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD-214 (showing the character of service) or other proof of service to receive consideration for veterans' preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit FedsHireVets.gov.
  • CTAP/ICTAP/RPL Applicants: Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (if applicable), your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330, and your most recent performance appraisal.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions will affect your rating. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience your rating may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. You may be asked to complete an additional Assessment. Structured Resume Review. Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY four (4) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Applicants passing the structured resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.


To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov/
All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

Agency contact information

Tiffany Maddox
Address
Office of Field Operations - Region X
2401 Fourth Avenue
Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98121
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to complete any additional required assessments.

To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding any possible cut score on the required assessments.

SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation may be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.