Duties
Provide expert advice, and subject matter expertise on all acquisition-related matters across the Department of Commerce. Responsible for developing and implementing Departmental acquisition regulations, policies and guidance; providing oversight of all Departmental procurement operations; providing technical assistance for effectively implementing acquisition policies and strategies; presenting controversial, complex information to executive-level audiences across the Department.
As a Procurement Analyst, you will:
- Research, interpret, analyze, and apply acquisition-related statutes, regulations, policies, data, and metrics to provide technical assistance on complex acquisition-related topics, formulate, and implement Department-wide acquisition-related policies, develop reports, identify trends, and make strategic decisions.
- Conduct compliance and oversight reviews of pre-award and post-award acquisition activities, programs, and projects, analyzing work products and processes, and recommending solutions to ensure compliance and improve operational efficiency.
- Use program/project management principles, methods, techniques, and systems to manage acquisition-related projects and programs.
- Independently represents the organization at the executive level, presenting complex, controversial information both orally and in writing, providing expert advisory services, written decisions, and policy interpretation.
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Procurement Analyst ZA-1102-4,
FPL: 4 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
- A probationary period may be required.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
- All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Bargaining Unit Position: No
- Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes
- Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid
- License required: No
- Drug Test Required: No
- You must hold either a FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification. *NOTE** - Failure to provide transcripts and certifications will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
Qualifications
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series
Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
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.
This position is being filled under the Department Of Commerce (DOC) Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career path and pay band.
The ZA-04 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade levels.
To qualify at the ZA-04 level, you MUST meet the Basic Requirements AND Specialized Experience as stated below:
Basic Requirements: (You must submit a copy of certificates. Also, you must submit a copy of your transcripts, official or unofficial, to document your education.)
A. *Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13/ZA-04 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4 years of 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.
*In order to meet the agency mandatory requirements, applicants must either have obtained their FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification.
AND
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-03/GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience:
- Managing the full acquisition lifecycle (cradle-to-grave) for high-dollar (over $75 million, complex acquisitions, such as professional/technical services, architect-engineer (A/E), construction, or research and development (R&D), including acquisition planning, pre-and post-award administration, negotiations, contract modifications, price/cost analysis, contractor performance management, and contract terminations.
- Researching, interpreting, and applying acquisition statutes, regulations, and policies, including developing and implementing acquisition policy.
- Conducting acquisition assessments and evaluating compliance with acquisition laws, regulations, and implementing acquisition policy.
- Advising senior leadership on acquisition matters and communicating complex acquisition information effectively.
Education
There is a positive education requirement for this position, please refer to the above qualification section.
Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
**NOTE** - Failure to provide transcripts and certifications will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
NOTE:
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.
Additional information
The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Reasonable Accommodations (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority (DHA), rating, ranking and veterans' preference does not apply. While veterans' preference does not apply in DHA, preference eligibles are encouraged to submit their supporting documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).
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., two-page resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire and the result of the USA Hire assessment required for this position.
Applicants who meet the qualification requirements, as defined in the job opportunity announcement, will be referred for selection consideration.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
The technical assessment will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:
- Policy Research and Analysis
- Compliance
- Program/Project Management
- Communication
- Reading comprehension
- Decision Making
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Flexibility
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Reasoning
The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application. If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration.
- Classified or government sensitive information
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Photos of yourself
- Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
To preview the questionnaire, click the following link:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13011918
Required Documents
A complete application consists of the following:
- Resume.Your resume should list your educational and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week, if less than 40. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the qualifications/assessments. Your resume should also indicate your citizenship and if you are registered with the Selective Service System if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Refer to the "How you will be Evaluated' section for types of information not to include in your resume/application.
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable.
- CTAP or ICTAP applicant(s), MUST submit the following documents:
- A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; or a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice); or notice of disability annuity termination; or certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; or a copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
- Any documentation from your agency that shows your latest performance appraisal rating; AND
- Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
- Education. If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information.
- Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
- Position title;
- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
- Agency; and
- Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.
Failure to provide such documents when requested may result in lost consideration.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: See Note in Education Section for additional information.
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.