Contract Specialist Job in Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)

Vacancy No. CARX-25-12600760-GDe-DH Department Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics
Salary $88,520.00 to $115,079.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/8/2024 Close Date 11/15/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)


Summary

This recruitment is for four(4) vacancies with the Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics - Technology Acquisition Center located at: 23 Christopher Way, Eatontown, NJ 07724

This job is open to

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.

Duties

This position is bargaining unit eligible.

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 100 applications.
The first 100 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (100 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 100 in the order they applied.
Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is received by the system, the most updated submittal will be logged as the final submission time.

This position is eligible for 100% remote or up to maximum telework.
For Remote, it is preferred selectee reside within a 50-mile radius of a VA facility.
For Telework, selectee must reside within the local commuting distance of our Eatontown, NJ office.
This position is being announced as both Remote and Telework eligible.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Compressed Schedule: May be available with supervisor approval
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD44208A
Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary with no special physical demands. Incumbent may be subject to stress due to changed requirements, short deadlines, limited information, and uncontrollable workload peaks.


The purpose of this position is to serve as Contract Specialist within a Procurement Service, an acquisition function in the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC). The incumbent will be assigned the most complex and sensitive information technology contracts of the agency which include contracts valued at over $1 billion and those that may have Secretary and Congressional interest. Other unique instruments include intra/interagency agreements, blanket purchase agreements, contracts with universities, non-profits, as well as research and development contracts.

Major Duties include but are not limited to:

  • Drives continuous improvement efforts by incorporating feedback and insights to enhance procurement processes and increase operational efficiency.
  • Supports the automation of procurement processes, leveraging technology to streamline workflows and reduce manual workloads.
  • Serves as advisor to contracting teams and acquisition review boards and/or committees.
  • Serve as a liaison with contract officers to interpret and apply acquisition policy and regulations.
  • Perform work associated with procurement policy research, analysis, and interpretation or review of contract actions for compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
  • Provide guidance on the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, administration, award, and/or termination of contracts for the procurement of supplies and services.
  • Perform reviews to ensure that documentation supports determinations and findings in accordance with policy.
  • Identify alternative solutions and provide risk assessments and suggested management strategies to implement various recommendations to Contracting Officers, Contract Specialist, other team members, and OALC/OPAL/TAC management that enables decision/approval authorities to perform sound, well-informed, and timely decisions.
  • Establish priorities and milestones for assigned contracting projects.
  • Obtain a Digital Services certification.
At a Department level, the incumbent is responsible and accountable for a nationwide centralized acquisition program to support information technology and other types of highly technical service and supply contracts for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Government agency activities. The incumbent identifies special training needs, and conducts mentoring and contract training. The incumbent will guide, assist, mentor, and train junior Contract Specialists. The incumbent will be required to possess those requisite skills and experience to effectively deal with an assortment of contract issues at a full performance level.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • May be required to 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
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Qualifications

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

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
A. 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

B. 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.

C. 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 under Paragraph D.

D. 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.

AND

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression. Specialized Experience is defined as:
  • Administering contracts, contract law, acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts
  • Principles of acquisition planning; contract administration and termination techniques sufficient to administer and close out contracts.
  • Cost/price analysis techniques to evaluate contractor proposals, change order proposals and to conduct negotiations.
  • Knowledge of various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price; economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement
  • Experience in contract methods, to include simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items and special provisions
  • Knowledge of negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements.
  • Knowledge of the market and sources to include identification of offerors in specific socio- economic categories and analyze cost and pricing data.
  • Experience in large volume procurement for commodities, supplies, equipment, and services.
  • Understanding of technical complexity of commodities or equipment; commodity shortages; lack of competition among vendors; and in-depth price analysis.


There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 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.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

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.


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.GS-13 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 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.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Agency Contact listed for this Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA).

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.

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.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • Cover Letter
  • Other (1)
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

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

All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/15/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12600760.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Address
Technology Acquisition Center
23 Christopher Way
Eatontown, NJ 07724
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.


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


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