This position is located in the Section of Financial Services (SFS), Office of the Managing Director. SFS is responsible for the preparation and oversight of the STB's financial statements and operations, the annual budget, development and monitoring of spending plans, payroll program management, travel, and user-fee collection. Merit promotion and/or non-competitive referral lists may be issued based on the needs of the agency. One or more positions may be filled through this announcement.

Duties

As the Contracting Specialist/ Procurement Analyst you will serve as the procurement/contracting subject matter expert and advisor to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and is responsible for planning, advising, and administering contracts, and interagency agreements for services and supplies all in support of the agency, and performing a variety of financial functions to facilitate financial and operational management applicable regulations adherence. You will perform the following duties: Serves as the contracting/procurement expert and advisor on the acceptability and applicability of overall procurement objectives. Provides advice and guidance on contracting matters to project managers and contracting officer representatives. Utilizes knowledge of various contract vehicles and applicable statutory requirements to develop and formulate standard operating procedures on issues critical to the STB contracting and procurement activities. Develops procurement objectives and strategies including terms of competition, selecting appropriate methods of generating proposals (solicited and unsolicited) and selecting appropriate methods, techniques, and instruments for implementing widely differing types of proposed projects or activities. Provides general oversight of agency purchase requests, interagency agreements, purchase orders, contracts, and other source documents to ensure that the agency's expenses remain within applicable limits and thresholds, are accurately documented, and does not violate agency policies, the Anti-Deficiency Act, the Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR), and applicable acquisition regulations. Reviews external audit reports on procurements and makes recommendations on findings. Analyzes Congressional inquiries involving procurements and prepares appropriate responses based on knowledge of procurement operations. Provides consultative technical advice and guidance to clients including the adequacy of work statements and specifications and provides guidance and support in the selection strategy, evaluation process, negotiation of business and technical terms, and the subsequent administration and formal closeout of the area's contracts. Monitors purchases, agreements, and contracts, to ensure award requirements are met. Communicates frequently with program managers and subject matter experts to discuss and advise on contractual, financial, and other administrative management matters. Must be FAC- COR II level certified or higher.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position applicants must meet the basic requirement, the mandatory training requirement, and the Specialized Experience as described below. Basic Requirements A. 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 of 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 B. 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. C. 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, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D. D. 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 FAC-C Level II or equivalent is required SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-13 LEVEL: To be qualified for this position at the GS-13 grade level, you must demonstrate in your resume one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level of Federal service such as Experience in advising agency personnel with objectively based information for decision-making on the administrative and programmatic aspects of agency procurement operations and management; 2) Evaluating programs, developing solutions to problems, formulating recommendations and providing input to a wide range of key planning documents; 3) Providing comprehensive recommendations on the need, operational feasibility, organizational structure, budget priorities, resource and operation constraints; GS-14 LEVEL To be qualified for this position at the GS-14 grade level, you must demonstrate in your resume one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level of Federal service such as Experience advising agency personnel with objectively based information for decision-making on the administrative and programmatic aspects of agency procurement operations and management; 2) Evaluating programs, developing solutions to problems, formulating recommendations and providing input to a wide range of key planning documents; 3) Providing comprehensive recommendations on the need, operational feasibility, organizational structure, budget priorities, resource and operation constraints; 4) Coordinating and/or administering all phases of assigned contracts from inception to completion including analyzing program requirements; and 5) Monitoring contract costs, schedules and performance; prepares monthly reports. Applicants will be evaluated on their resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience will be rated using an Assessment Questionnaire that is based on the following competencies needed to perform this job Acquisition StrategyCommunicationContracting/Procurement RegulationsFederal Acquisition Regulations 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; religious; 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.

Education

You must provide your transcripts to support your educational claims (Bachelor's degree and any additional transcripts containing required coursework listed in the Basic Requirements above). Transcripts may be unofficial copies, but they must come from an accredited college or university, and they also must include course names and the number of credit / semester hours. Click here to search the database of accredited institutions.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. You must provide translated transcripts.

Contacts

• Address Surface Transportation Board 395 E Street, SW Washington, DC 20423 US
• Name: Tara Rauch
• Phone: 202-934-0302
• Email: [email protected]