The incumbent serves as the Training Officer for the VHA Regional Procurement Office (RPO) West Admin. The purpose of the work is to provide administrative and technical support in all aspects of the planning, coordination and direction of the Training Program. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: Contracting Specialist - Total Rewards

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include: Participates in development of annual Training Plan. Provides technical guidance to DoCs and COs. Assists in training contract staff in accomplishment of tasks and projects. Interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, and instructions. Ensures all contract actions meet all applicable procurement regulations, Directives, Policies, Handbooks, etc. and performs technical contract reviews. Represents VA in contract management issues. Identifies trends from reviews performed and prepares reports. Identifies improvements to contract process/program. Develops, coordinates and participates in RPO's internal acquisition performance review program. Monitors performance monitors/measures related to acquisition. Conducts routine reviews of contract files in eCMS. Conducts reviews of contract actions for small business compliance and performs small business outreach. 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 RPO West. Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist (Training Officer)/PD040720 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, 08/21/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the 12. 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-13: Applicants must also meet the specialized experience for the GS-13 grade. You may qualify based on your experience described below for the GS-13 Contract Specialist (Training Officer) position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience includes experience with: Experience with industry standards for IT hardware and software utilization in the training environment to support learning strategies and advising on technical solutions; Expert knowledge of the training value of visual information systems and designs that support state-of-the-art learning strategies and review and approve technical solutions to ensure they adequately support training requirements; Federal Acquisition Regulations, Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts; Experience working with a wide range of contract types, special costs and performance provisions, and incentives to ensure cost effectiveness and efficiency; Expert data and cost analysis skills in providing in-depth analysis of proposed costs and conditions, meeting audit requirements and evaluating technical competencies to meet program goals and objectives; Extensive knowledge of procurement special emphasis programs such as Small and Disadvantaged Business considerations at the prime and subcontract levels, Buy American Policies, and funding constraints to evaluate impact on complex procurement transactions; Exceptional working knowledge of contract administration principals and practices to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract; Knowledge of electronic contract writing, and management systems used to fully solicit, award, and administer contracts. Education: There is no education substitute for the GS-13 grade. Preferred Experience: Current or prior Training Officer experience. 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, please 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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]