Clarification from the agency

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Current Federal employees in the competitive service who hold or previously held a non-temporary career or career-conditional appointment; Persons eligible for reinstatement, for non-competitive appointment, under an Interchange Agreement, and under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA).

As a Supervisory Contract Specialist, at the full performance you will perform the following duties:

• Serve as a first level Supervisory Contract Specialist and organizationally as the Section Chief in the ICE, Office of Acquisition Management (OAQ) within DHS.
• Provide supervision, direction, and guidance to subordinate personnel, managing, directing, and coordinating all aspects of major contracting and acquisition programs, and assigned program responsibilities.
• Responsible for supervising, overseeing the planning, negotiating, and execution of the acquisition and administration process for acquiring services and supplies, and ensuring successful contracting operations for the agency.
• Serve as approving negotiator and project manager responsible for pre-award and post-award contracting functions involving research and development through limited production, special technical services, and automatic data processing products and services. Performance of the function requires mastery knowledge of all types of contracting from fixed price through cost reimbursable.
• Pre-Award: Serve as expert technical advisor to program officials in procurement planning. Provides technical advice to high level officials and management staff of the procurement objectives to be used and approves the statement of work.
• Post-Award: Serve as Contracting Officer and approves and performs necessary contract management activities consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation guidance and contractual agreements. Interprets contract provisions of contractors and agency officials, and provides appropriate advice and guidance, using mature judgment, and defending all agency actions taken.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Time in Grade: Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the Federal service. Time in grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess one of the following:

Basic Requirements:
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 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 successfully perform the work of the position.

AND either B, C, or D. 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.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.This position may require specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

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 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 based on a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

AND

Certification requirement: This position has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF). If you do not upload the required certification/documentation as described below, you will be rated ineligible. The SPF for this position is:

• Applicants must hold an active Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level III or FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA equivalent unless waiver is in place.
• Current federal employees certified at Levels I, II, or III of the legacy FAC-C programs will automatically be certified in the FAC-C (Professional).
• DoD Contracting Professional Certification: For DOD applicants seeking to meet the certification requirements for FAC-C Level III through an equivalency determination, the incumbent must possess the following and provide the required verification documents:

1. A valid, current DoD Contracting Professional Certification is equivalent to a FAC-C (Professional).
2. Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting Level III Certification, or
3. Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB) showing proof of a DAWIA Level III certificate, or
4. Department of Defense Contracting Professional/Foundational Certification along with your DAU transcript.

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).

Minimum Qualifications:

In addition to holding Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level III or FAC-C Professional, or DAWIA equivalent unless waiver is in place, applicants must possess at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level or equivalent, as well as specialized experience:

• Providing technical guidance and coordination for contract specialists employees.
• Executing and performing various phases of the acquisition process.
• Conducting negotiations, award, and contract administration tasks.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

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.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience, education, and training will be rated using an Assessment Questionnaire that is based on the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job:

• Acquisition Strategy
• Attention to Detail
• Contracting/Procurement
• Writing

Based on your responses, you will receive a score from the Assessment Questionnaire between 70 and 100.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets).

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 70 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564, and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions (testing designated positions) are subject to random drug testing. Moreover, other drug testing of employees (e.g., reasonable suspicion drug test) may be conducted in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. All applicants tentatively selected for employment at ICE are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.

1. Resume showing relevant experience, education and training. Work experience must include: job title, duties, employer's name, employer's telephone number, employer's address, starting and ending dates (MM/YY), hours worked per week, and indicate whether or not we may contact your current supervisor. Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications (for more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions about the Five-Page Resume Limit).
2. Certification requirement: This position has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF). If you do not upload the required certification/documentation as described below, you will be rated ineligible. The SPF for this position is:

• Applicants must hold an active Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level III or FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA equivalent unless waiver is in place.
• Current federal employees certified at Levels I, II, or III of the legacy FAC-C programs will automatically be certified in the FAC-C (Professional).
• DoD Contracting Professional Certification: For DOD applicants seeking to meet the certification requirements for FAC-C Level III through an equivalency determination, the incumbent must possess the following and provide the required verification documents:

1. .Are you a current or former federal employee? Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held; your current promotion potential and proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases, and accessions.
2. Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or a list of coursework with hours completed. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. For example, specific courses accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or foreign education evaluated by an organization recognized for accreditation by the Department of Education as education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. college or university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.
3. Are you a veteran? You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility. The member 4 copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If claiming 10 point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference." If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information.
4. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Plan (ICTAP)? If so, submit a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
5. 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.
6. You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

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