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

Vacancy No. CARX-12664104-25-DHA-JB Department Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics
Salary $90,025.00 to $117,034.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/15/2025 Close Date 1/21/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)


Summary

This position is a contract specialist in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics (OPAL). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest health care organization of its kind in the world. OPAL negotiates, awards, and administers multi-year, multi-billion- dollar contracts for supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and Agency policy.

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 eligible for the bargaining unit but not represented.

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 200 applications. The first 200 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number will not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management after 11:59 p.m. est. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 200 in the order they applied.

Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed.

This position must meet eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a FAC-C Level Professional certification. Certification requirement: FAC-C (Professional)

  • NOTE: As of February 1, 2023, the FAC-C certification program has transitioned to a single-level FAC-C (Professional) requirement: certification with foundational training and an examination, Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional.
  • https://www.fai.gov/certification/fac-c/new-fac-c-professional
  • New hires without certification shall follow the FAC-C (Professional) requirements. Detailed information on core curricula courses is available at Contracting Certification Course Web Series - Defense Acquisition University (dau.edu).
Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer's Representative (FAC-COR): A valid, current FAC-C (Professional) is considered to have met the FAC-COR requirements for all levels, however, an individual with FAC-COR certification does not meet the requirements for the FAC-C (Professional).
  • DoD Contracting Professional Certification: A valid, current DoD Contracting Professional Certification is equivalent to a FAC-C (Professional).
  • Current federal employees certified at Levels I, II, or III of the legacy FAC-C program will automatically be certified in the FAC-C (Professional).
This position may require the incumbent to obtain a warrant, if deemed necessary by the supervisor based on workload and agency needs. If the supervisor determines a warrant is required, the incumbent must apply for up to Level III warrant authority, accept the warrant, and execute the warrant authority in support of the mission.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available with supervisor approval.
Telework: May be available with supervisor approval.
Duty Location Status: Will work remotely from authorized duty location
Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist/20710A
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Physical Demands: The subject position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting, however where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces, or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations. Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • You may be required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period unless you meet the exceptions in 5 CFR, part 315.802.
  • 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
  • Official Accredited Transcript
  • If you are a current federal employee, appointed under the direct-hire authority, you will be given a new appointment.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • Must meet eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a FAC-C Level Professional certification
  • Continuous Learning Points will need to be completed as assigned within date specified by organization.

Qualifications

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

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

For the GS-13, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable in difficulty and responsibility to GS-12 if outside the Federal service, is required.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

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. (Must attached documentation at time of application).

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 is defined as:
  • Experience with Federal Acquisition Regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts.
  • Experience with cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals, change order proposals and/or to conduct negotiations.
  • Experience with various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and/or cost reimbursement.
  • Experience with contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items, special provisions, modifications, and/or settlements.
  • Experience negotiating prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and/or settlements.
  • Experience with commercial and/or industrial business practices.
  • Experience with contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance/compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract.
  • Experience utilizing an electronic contract writing and management system to solicit, award, and administer contracts.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.

You will be rated on the following Competencies:
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Accountability
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Reasoning
Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

Education

There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.

There is an educational requirement for the GS-13 level as stated in the Individual Occupational Requirement. A transcript MUST be uploaded with your application.

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. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

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.

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.

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/.

Veterans Preference: Veterans preference does not apply under this Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) i.e. category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants.

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

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.

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.

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

Required Documents

Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • Resume
  • Transcript
The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript, SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Post Graduate Degree Transcript
  • Undergraduate Degree Transcript (Associates, Masters)
  • Performance Appraisal
  • Professional Certification (FAC)
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript (Bachelors)
  • Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
  • Transcript(s): unofficial copies are sufficient with the application; however, if selected, official transcripts will be required. If your official or unofficial transcripts do not provide the information listed below, include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements. Official or unofficial Transcripts MUST include:
    • Student's Name
    • Name of the School
    • Specific Degree or Certificate Program
    • Current and Cumulative GPA/academic standing
    • Past and current coursework
    • Degree Conferment Date - if your transcript does not reflect your degree conferment date, you must provide official educational supporting documentation that includes your degree conferment/graduation date.
Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education visit NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
  • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
  • An SF-50 showing 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
  • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
  • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
    • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
    • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
    • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must also submit:
  • Certification of expected separation, reduction-in-force separation notice, or notice of proposed removal; and your most recent performance evaluation; and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from.
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 01/21/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12664104.

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
Strategic Acquisition Center
10300 Spotsylvania Ave
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
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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