The purpose of this position is to serve as a Supervisory Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs with the responsibility for performing professional work involving procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: Contracting Specialist - Total Rewards

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include: Assisting in the execution of the NCO operational mission through acquisition support, directing the acquisition program supporting the VISN and VHA Program Offices, and serving as a communication conduit between facilities, Networks, and the Regional Procurement Office. Ensures coordination and development of Network contracts for supplies, services, and equipment while forecasting of contracting opportunities and coordinating efforts to reduce supply chain costs for the facilities within the network. Responsible for supervising employees from the GS-5 through GS-13 level. Hears and resolves group grievances or serious employee complaints. Development and execution of customer satisfaction surveys to ensure continuous improvements within the acquisition organization; communicates and coordinates satisfaction surveys with customers to determine their needs and satisfaction with the manner in which the acquisition system is meeting those needs. Assists in the development of new and innovative procedures and policy to improve efficiency, quality and effectiveness; assures reasonable equity. Responsible for informing the DOC of acquisition issues; and communicates VA and VHA acquisition policies to all affected parties. Participates in the assessment and formation of VHA acquisition policies and procedures. Recommends NCO policies that enhance and support effective acquisition operations, supply chain management an facilitates national VHA initiatives. Provides advice on work methods, practices and procedures; assist teams in identifying parameters of a viable solution. 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 the NCO 12. Applicant must either currently reside within the NCO 12 geographic footprint or relocate to that footprint prior to starting employment. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Contract Specialist (Deputy Director of Contracting)/PD12002-0 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, 08/12/2024. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks as a 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. Basic Requirements: Applicants must meet the basic requirement for this position.To meet the basic requirement for Contract Specialist GS-13 and above positions, applicants must have: 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 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, 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. 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. Note: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript. Specialized Experience GS-14: Applicants must also meet the specialized experience for the GS-14 grade. You may qualify based on your experience described below for the GS-14 Supervisory Contract Specialist position: 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. Examples of specialized experience includes experience with: Ensuring coordination and development of Network contracts for supplies, services, and equipment; assisting facilities with Forecasting of Contracting Opportunities (FCO) and coordinating efforts to reduce Supply Chain costs for the facilities within the Network. Adjusting work methods and procedures within the unit and developing technical data, estimates, statistics, suggestions, and other information useful to higher level managers in determining which goals and objectives to emphasize. Deciding the methodologies to use in achieving work goals and objectives, and in determining other management strategies. Assigning work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees. Evaluating work performance of subordinates in addition to giving advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. Experience developing acquisition program objectives and business strategies through coordination with leaders in the various services, care lines and programs across the Network. Coordinating acquisition strategies with other Network's following the structure, reporting mechanisms and operating policies of the overall acquisition program in order to obtain the best terms possible for the Network/Program. Education: There is no education substitute for the GS-14 grade. Preferred requirements are available on the following FAC link: Contracting (FAC-C) | FAI.GOV 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.

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]