Supervisory Contract Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current, permanent federal employees serving under career/career-conditional competitive service appointments or exceptive service appointments eligible under an Interchange Agreement; persons eligible for non-competitive appointment under special appointment authorities; current or former employees eligible under CTAP/ICTAP or reinstatement; and veterans eligible to apply under Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and/or 30% or more disabled veterans.

Major Duties:

• Distributes and tracks work assignments within the team and ensure work assignments are carried out at various stages of completion, to assure compliance with Federal and VA acquisition regulations, VA policies, VA directives, VA information letters, and VA Handbooks.
• Supervise a group of employees performing work at the GS-03 through GS-13/14 level. Exercise supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised.
• Serves as a point of contact for internal and external customers. Incumbent is a working Contract Specialist and maintains up to 20% of the normal production workload of a senior contract specialist on the team thereby handling the most complex and highly visible actions.
• Performs the administrative and personnel management functions relative to staff supervised. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. Observes workers' performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques. Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Resolves informal complaints and grievances.
• Responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to assure accomplishment of affirmative action objectives by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices regarding race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap.
• Perform a variety of leadership functions to ensure the work of the organization is carried out in support of the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision and values, assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion.
• Monitor and report on status and progress of work, check on work in progress and review completed work to see that instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met.
• Maintain program and administrative reference materials, project files and relevant background documents and make available policies, procedures and written instructions from the supervisor.
• Report to the contracting office Director periodically on team and individual work accomplishments, problems, progress in mastering tasks and work processes, and individual and team training needs, including findings and recommendations from meetings and dealings with other team leaders, program officials, public, and other customers on issues related to or that have impact on the team's objectives, work products and/or tasks.
• Plan, develop and establish contractual strategy for acquisitions, supporting major projects or programs of critical importance to VA and other Government agencies; this includes: developing acquisition strategies, use of a wide variety of acquisition methods, determining pre-negotiation positions, determining the type of contracts and negotiation authorities, and preparing justifications. Direct a full range of contract administration actions.
• Serve as principal contracting advisor to management for all contracting matters supporting VA's mission and representing the Department as a contractual authority at interagency/interagency conferences, meetings, and other forums; these may include both public and private sector participants. Lead for critical acquisition programs.
• Conduct conferences and oral presentations with prospective contractors to arrive at a clear understanding of solicitation requirements.
• Incumbent is assigned projects and establishes priorities and milestones. Consideration must be given to program and political issues, market trends, and commercial practices.
• The incumbent exercises a great deal of authority and responsibility. Sound judgment is required in the decision process and incumbent must use good judgment as to when to involve the Director, or other managers within VA and in other Government agencies.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Limited to ad-hoc with supervisor approval
Compressed/Flexible: Available upon management approval.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD44334A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• The incumbent of this position must meet all eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a Level III FAC-C certification and Unlimited Warrant. The incumbent must also obtain and maintain DITAP certification.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/12/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements

AND

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 addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements listed above, applicants must also meet the specialized experience listed below.

GS-14 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience is defined as providing technical advice or information to industry, government agencies, internal customers, or other contract specialists. Directing a full range of contract administration actions such as contract modifications, negotiation of changes, exercising of options, resolution of delays, disposition of claims, tracking contractor performance, and other related matters. Performing duties such as developing acquisition strategies, determining pre-negotiation positions, and determining the types of contracts and negotiation authorities.

Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, full-time/part-time status, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Acquisition Strategy
• Communications
• Contracting/Procurement
• Customer Service
• Leadership

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.

Physical Requirements: This 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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Demonstrate a full range of contract administration actions such as contract modifications, negotiation of changes, exercising of options, resolution of delays, disposition of claims, tracking contractor performance, and other related matters. Perform duties such as developing acquisition strategies, determining pre-negotiation positions, and determining the types of contracts and negotiation authorities.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area:The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Eatontown, New Jersey or Austin, Texas. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 23 Christopher Way. Eatontown, New Jersey 07724 or 1615 Woodward St, Austin, TX 78741.

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.

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., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Acquisition Strategy
• Communications
• Contracting/Procurement
• Customer Service
• Leadership

FSA Competencies

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be contacted for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All current, permanent VA Employees in the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC)
• All other current, permanent VA employees
• All other applicants (if status)

Applicant Count: This announcement will remain open until the closing date, 06/12/2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 100 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.

During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

• Resume

*FOR CURRENT OR FORMAL FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Please view the 'Current and Former Federal Employees: Validating Time-in-Grade and Eligibility' section below to ensure you are submitting the proper SF-50/s Notification of Personnel Actions.

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 (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• FAC-C Professional/Level III certificate
• DITAP certification
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.

Current and Former Federal Employees: Validating Time-in-Grade and Eligibility

Required document to demonstrate eligibility:

• Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which for current employees, must be effective the first pay period (01/11/2026 or later) of the current calendar year. The SF-50 should note your current position or most recently held position, tenure, type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) Non-GS employees (including Federal Wage System and pay band employees) who do not receive annual pay adjustments in January, must submit a SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.

Required document/s to demonstrate Time-in-Grade (TIG):
TIG requirements apply to applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, and current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
Applicants who must meet TIG, in addition to their most recent SF-50, must submit:

• Official SF-50 that shows you hold or held the grade (or a higher grade) for the position you are applying for, or
• Official SF-50/s that show you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this.)

Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include (in addition to your most recent SF-50) to meet TIG requirements include:
- Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions to the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the JOA; or
- SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than 1 year from the closing date of the JOA.
NOTE: Do not submit Award SF-50s (or other SF-50s that do not provide sufficient information to verify time-in-grade.)

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 http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

IF APPLYING AS A CTAP/ICTAP ELIGIBLE:
You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility for CTAP/ICTAP:

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps