This involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11. At the GS-07/09 grades, the Procurement & Resources Specialist performs assignments of a limited scope with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work and availability of funds.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include: Serves as Procurement and Resource Specialist within the Network Contracting Office (NCO). Administers the assigned facility Purchase Card Program(s), to include Government Purchase Cards and Convenience Checks. Implements and maintains an integrated Purchase Card Program within assigned facility(s) based on guidance and direction from the Purchase Card Program Manager (PCPM). Provides purchase card program oversight necessary to support acquisition accountability, reviewing purchase card activities to ensure compliance with Federal, Agency, Bureau, and local acquisition regulations, policies, Directives, Information Letters, handbooks, and other guidance. Makes recommendations to the Service Line regarding the issuance and revocation of purchase cards and the modifications of processes. Monitors and reports on the status of outstanding purchase card operations and procurements and progress of transaction life cycles (i.e., from purchase to closure) to ensure internal controls, deadlines, and quality controls have been met. Provides advice and assistance on financial-related transactions (e.g., related to whether transactions are appropriate for purchase card use), areas of managerial discretion, and methods to achieve VHA program objectives. Assesses effect on organizational and/or Agency programs (e.g., related to equipment acquisitions, supply and logistic operations, purchase-card limit changes, etc.) and makes recommendations for procedural changes or implementation of process improvements to the supervisor. Establishes guidelines for purchase card users and approving officials and communicates them to facility Directors and other executive management staff. Creates and maintains records and prepares reports on cardholder and approving official actions, as required. Coordinates and monitors disputed procurements, billing errors, payments and credits that are not resolved with the vendor within the required number of days of receipt of the statement and assist or intercede when the dispute cannot be resolved in the normal method; this involves contacting the issuing bank and/or vendors for billing/credit information, matching invoices to Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP) transactions and performing follow-ups on delinquent actions. Produce comprehensive, data driven reports, applying analytical tools to identify trends, problems and to recommend and formulate specific resolutions to complex issues. Develops and standardizes training curriculum and materials for purchase card holders, approving officials, and other stakeholders. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Tour of Duty is 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible Schedules: Available Telework: 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. Remote: This is a remote position. (Remote refers to work performed on full-time basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space.) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. (Virtual refers to work performed on full-time basis using VA-leased space or at a VA facility other than the facility that hired the employee.) **For this position, telework (up to 80% per pay period) or remote work (100% off site) may be authorized upon supervisor approval if within the commuting distance of the advertised duty station(s) or within the geographical footprint of NCO (22). Position Description/PD#: Procurement & Resources Specialist/PD78627A, 56703A, 56704A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary in nature. There are no special physical requirements. The work is performed primarily in office areas or conference rooms and similar environments. However, it may require some traveling and visits to Government and/or contractor's facilities and other contract-related performance sites.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/31/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks as a GS-07. 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. Specialized Experience GS-07: Applicants must meet the specialized experience requirement for the GS-07 grade. You may qualify based on your experience described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: Possessing knowledge of commonly used acquisition regulations, financial principles, concepts, policies, and objectives pertaining to purchase card related functions. Experience with purchase card related functions to ensure legitimacy of transactions and evaluate the integrity and adequacy of program policies. Ability to recommend improvements and corrective actions on purchase card related functions. Experience with issuing and retrieving cards and convenience checks. Experience maintaining cardholder and approving official records, and conducting assigned periodic reviews. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full academic year of graduate education or law school, or a 4-year degree with superior academic achievement (SAA). Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work OR Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education described above to meet the qualification requirements for this position. Specialized Experience GS-09: Applicants must meet the specialized experience requirement for the GS-09 grade. You may qualify based on your experience described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience includes experience with: Possessing knowledge of commonly used purchase card practices, standard regulations and procedures for atypical purchases of supplies and equipment. Experience sufficient to review and interpret purchase card regulations and review purchase card documentation, validate information and data within the documents, evaluate purchase card authorization and termination procedures, provide training on new procedures and changes in regulation. Experience serving as a point of contact relating to Government Purchase Card Program for the assigned regions and the ability to ensure the Government Purchase Card is used for official government purchases. Experience conducting detailed reviews of procedures and processes and reviewing factual matters to validate and verify information. Ability to monitor the provision and termination of purchase card authorization; monitor and coordination of all training requirements needed to achieve program goals and objectives. Experience communicating regulatory changes to purchase card procedures and for providing training to staff on procedures. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B or JD. OR Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education that equates to 100% of the requirements for the GS-9 (only graduate education in excess of 1 year, 18 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and experience). Specialized Experience GS-11: Applicants must meet the specialized experience requirement for the GS-11 grade. You may qualify based on your experience 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 includes experience with: Experience interpreting policy decisions for the Government Purchase Card Program and/or other operation requirements and developing guidance for implementation of the same. Experience analyzing financial related data, interpreting guidance, and presenting results of inquiries orally or in writing to evaluate the existing purchase card program and resolving problem transactions. Experience working with interrelated activities involving procurement and supply procedures, which includes contracting, inventory management, distribution, fund control and automatic data processing. Knowledge of competitive negotiation procedures as they relate to micro and small purchases from open market sources. Experience using auditing, accounting principles, and appropriation data to identify appropriate fund control points, budget object codes and cost centers. Experience providing direction to facility purchase card coordinators and card holders to interpret guidelines and adapting procedures. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. OR Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education that equates to 100% of the requirements for the GS-11 (only graduate education in excess of 2 years, 36 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and 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; 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, visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

Transcripts: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must depict the name of the college to determine accreditation, and your name must also be displayed on the transcripts. If qualifying based on a degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show the date the degree was conferred. If selected, you must provide official transcripts. Transcripts should state degree conferred, and have a date. Undergraduate transcripts are required to meet the basic requirement for this position; please submit all transcripts. Copies of Official Transcripts are accepted and are the best way to ensure your education is interpreted correctly in accordance with OPM qualification standards, but unofficial transcripts are accepted if they contain all the required information. If credit for a course is being questioned by the HR Professional performing qualifications, it is your responsibility to provide supporting descriptive information (course syllabus/descriptions) in your application package.

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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in any field and meet one of the following:
1. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision.
2. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
3. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
4. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp.
For more information regarding SAA please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp#e4f.

Contacts

• Address VHA Service Center - 2 6100 Oak Tree Blvd Independence, OH 44131 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]