The position is in the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Office of Field Programs, Memorial Products Service {MPS), Program Support Unit (PSU), duty station Washington, DC. The incumbent's primary responsibilities are the administration and surveillance of quality control and the inspection of headstone, marker, medallion and niche cover products manufactured at VA contractor's facilities in support of national, state, tribal and private cemetery order demands.

Duties

This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by AFGE. Please note that as provided for in the AFGE/VA Master Agreement the FIRST area of consideration for this position will be permanent employees of the local facility in which this position is being filled, the SECOND area of consideration will be employees at other VA facilities, and the THIRD area of consideration will be all other eligibles. The incumbent will review the plans, methods, procedures, systems, and programs of contracting facilities producing headstones and markers for VA procurement. While performing the duties of a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) him/herself will correctly exercise the COR Delegations of Authority as assigned in MPS. Evaluates, administers, analyzes, and advises on contracts for the procurement of headstones, markers, medallions, niche covers, and inscription services for the NCA, Contracting Services (CS), and MPS. Performs duties related to the contract pre-award process, i.e., the work necessary to secure a contract to acquire headstone and marker products. This may include making minor changes to existing NCA MPS drawings on the CAD system and providing technical drawings to potential and existing contractors. Prepares various documents to include, but not limited to, writing statements of work, performance work statements, determining appropriate product costs, performing cost analysis preparing solicitation information, writing justifications, and communicating and working with NCA Contracting Services on a regular and continuous basis. Performs data entry requirements in the NCA's headstone and marker ordering system along with generating reports, monitoring orders placed by cemeteries and MPS field sites. Performs quality assurance work that involves systematic prevention of defects, nonconformance to regulations and standards, identification of unsatisfactory trends and conditions, and the correction of any factors that may contribute to defective products. Establishes and maintains a contractor performance tracking system, tracking, and reporting on contractor performance, and identifying and analyzing trends in contractor performance. Program Specialists, (COR's), are required to travel to contractor manufacturing facilities and cemetery sites for the inspection of headstones, markers and niche covers to ensure they are compliant with contract specifications. Inspections can last for multiple days depending upon the inspection criteria. Site visits will be required for the purpose of inspecting products and operations and to evaluate performance and ensure compliance with the Statement of Work and specifications in current contracts. Assures all products and services accepted for VA, within their areas of jurisdiction, meet contractual requirements for quality and timeliness. Audits special problem areas and processes, investigates discrepancy reports, and verifies corrective action. Recommends applying well established principles such as increasing surveillance of materials quality, sampling, or other data analysis methods. Maintains a controlled audit of each assigned contractor's quality control procedures and appropriate records. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not available Telework: Available per agency policy. Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Specialist/PD1115254 The full performance level of this position is GS - GS-11. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• You must have a valid state driver's license.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/21/2023. 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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 your most recent non-award 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. You must have and maintain a valid state driver's license. You must be able to obtain and retain Level II Contracting Officer Representative certification within 3 months of hire. You may qualify based on your education and/or experience, as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited toevaluating, administering, analyzing, and advising on contracts for the procurement of goods and services for the agency. Obtaining and maintaining level II contracting Officer Representative certification. Performing duties related to the contract pre-award process. Preparing various documents to include, but not limited to, writing statements of work, performance statements, determining appropriate product costs, performing cost analysis preparing solicitation information, writing justifications and communicating and working with agency contracting services on a regular and continuous basis during these processes. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the 36 semester hours of graduate education earned. Reference: GS Qualification Standard - Administrative and Management Positions https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-ADMIN You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalysis and Problem SolvingCommunicationCritical ThinkingTechnical Competence 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: Must be able to lift 45 pounds. Incumbent will go onsite to visit contractors to inspect the headstones and markers which requires lifting. Lifting is also required in the office when receiving samples for inspection. The work is primarily sedentary in the office, although some slight physical effort may be required. Work is typically performed in a well-lighted office environment. Regular travel is required, often to remote locations for inspections and site visits which may be subject to extremes in weather and working conditions. Due to the remote areas frequented, a valid driver's license is required. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

PLEASE NOTE: 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.

Contacts

• Address National Cemetery Administration 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]