Business Opportunity Specialist Job in Columbia, SC

Vacancy No. 25-034-KS-DE Department Small Business Administration
Salary $86,962.00 to $113,047.00 Grade 12 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/31/2024 Close Date 11/14/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Columbia, SC


Summary

This position is with the Small Business Administration, Office of Field Operations - Region IV in Columbia, South Carolina. The Business Opportunity Specialist is responsible for the full scope of the agency's government contracting and business development programs, as well as developing and conducting outreach and training to strengthen and improve business opportunities for eligible small businesses.

Duties

The Business Opportunity Specialist coaches and guides a portfolio of 8(a) firms in the development and maintenance of business plans. Maintains regular performance monitoring and reporting techniques to assure compliance with the firm's participation in the 8(a) Business Development program. Develops and administers the portfolio by providing support to address the firm's gaps in areas such as contract sourcing, business capture and marketing assistance, financial consultation and providing guidance regarding business growth and development.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

- Marketing the 8(a) program to create awareness of the program and its benefits to socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs;

- Providing training to federal contracting officers, Procurement Center Representatives (PCR), Commercial Market Representatives (CMR), small business officers and other federal contracting officers, decision makers and influencers;

- Promoting SBA programs and services through outreach and marketing;

- Recruitment, training, education and development of small businesses interested in working with the government (federal, state and local level);

- Small business consultation and working with SBA PCRs/CMRs to identify the needs of government organizations (federal, state and local level); OSDBU/OSBP (DOD) and primes/sub contractors to assist them with meeting their small business goals;

- Linking and matching the needs of organizations (government organizations and prime/sub contractors) to the capabilities of small businesses through business matchmaking and other outreach and marketing initiatives;

-Education regarding public-private sector relationship-building, SBIR/STTR; and corporate procurement/partnership strategy (portfolio expansion, mentor-protege opportunities, micro-macro private sector relationship building);

- Furthering the SBA mission.

Physical Demands: This position combines an office environment with outreach and training activities. Requires extensive travel throughout the District, including frequent early morning, evening and occasional weekends and overnight travel and/or may travel outside the District. Use multi-modes of transportation including operation of either a government-owned motor vehicle or a privately-owned motor vehicle (GOV/POV). The work requires some physical exertion such as lifting boxes of hand-outs, information packets, computers and other items that can weigh up to 40 pounds. Transport, set-up and tear-down displays and/or other equipment at trade shows, training sessions and other activities as needed. A valid state driver's license is required.

Work Environment: Work is normally performed in an office setting and in a variety of rural and urban environments (office, hotels, warehouses, factories, farms, faith-based and community-based locations, construction sites, restaurants, garages, laboratories, etc.) and may incur exposure to moderate risk, discomfort and unpleasant surroundings. The work may require special safety precautions, e.g ., visiting or working in industrial plants or test environments where hazards are present such as machines, moving equipment, chemicals, noise, vibrations, hazardous or extreme weather conditions, or comparable situations. May be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, coats, boots, hardhats, goggles, gloves or shields.

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

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.
  • Valid state driver's license required

Qualifications

GS-1101-12

Basic/Mandatory Education Requirement:

This position has a basic education requirement; you must furnish a copy of your college transcript(s). Transcripts must include your name, the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in you being rated not qualified for the position.

1. Successfully completed a four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field. One full year of full-time undergraduate study is 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours;

OR

2. At least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) of education in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

AND

Specialized Experience: In addition to possessing the basic/mandatory education requirement for this position, you must also have at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector which demonstrates the ability to work independently in ALL of the following:

(1) Utilizing federal procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; AND

(2) Recruiting, training, educating or developing businesses interested in working with the government or with prime contractors; AND

(3) Promoting an organization's programs and services through outreach and marketing.

These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.

AND

Selective Placement Factor: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen-out element. Those who do not provide their certification showing possession of the following selective factor will be rated not qualified:

A. Possess a valid level I Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting (FAC-C) or FAC-C (Professional) or level I Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification or DAWIA Professional.

***As of October 1, 2023*** all applicants will be required to be certified as the FAC-C (Professional).

You can find additional information regarding the certifications at https://www.fai.gov/certification/fac-c/new-fac-c-professional and https://www.dau.edu/ You MUST submit your qualifying certification with this application or you will be rated ineligible for consideration.

OR

B. Agree to complete the training program required to obtain Level I FAC-C certification, as a current or future employee of the SBA, by the date that is one calendar year after the date you are appointed as a Business Opportunity Specialist. You will be required to sign a training agreement if selected.

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:

Business Opportunity Specialist, 1101

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 11/14/2024.

Education

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

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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/12595161. 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:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Compliance
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Customer Service
  • Education and Training
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Oral Communication
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • 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 requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general 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.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
  • 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. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification.
5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements
6. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.

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

Kathleen Schrank
Address
Office of Field Operations - Region IV
233 Peachtree Street, NE
Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30303
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 access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the 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.


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