Duties

Help

The position requires knowledge of contracting principles, laws, regulations and procedures applicable to pre-award and post-award actions sufficient to award and administer A/E, Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Early Contractor Involvement, Best Value Source Selections, Lowest Price Technically Acceptable, Multiple Award, Small Purchase, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), Utility Energy Savings Contracts (UESC), simplified acquisition procedures, service acquisitions and construction contracts. (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent certification is required.

The Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) serves as the agency's Chief Acquisition Officer, Senior Procurement Executive, and Head of Contracting Authority. The CPO provides leadership, strategic planning, management, and oversight for all procurement activities at the Architect of the Capitol.

Major Duties:

• Maximizes the use of full and open competition to promote fairness and efficiency in procurement activities.
• Increases the adoption of performance-based contracting, emphasizing outcomes and accountability in vendor relationships.
• Collects and standardizes procurement information, enabling more informed and efficient procurement decisions across the agency.
• Ensures that acquisition planning and strategy development directly support the agency's mission and objectives.
• Establishes clear lines of authority, accountability, and responsibility for acquisition decision-making, ensuring transparency and effective oversight.
• Carries out all powers, functions, and duties delegated by the Architect, specifically in relation to acquisition functions.
• Ensures and maintains the integrity of the agency's procurement process, safeguarding ethical standards and compliance.
• Applies data-driven decision-making to evaluate program
• Manages the direction of agency acquisition policy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Assesses the requirements for agency personnel regarding acquisition knowledge and skills, identifying gaps and areas for development.
• Establishes training and certification standards for acquisition professionals to ensure a skilled and capable workforce.
• Manages rotational assignments to provide opportunities for personnel to apply contracting skills in diverse setting.
• Manages the direction of agency acquisition policy, issuing policies to promote uniform implementation of acquisition procedures in compliance with controlling laws and regulations.
• Recommends proposed acquisition policies or legislation to the Architect and Congress, ensuring the agency remains proactive in legislative matters.
• Develops and implements innovative approaches to address complex challenges within the acquisition framework.
• Represents the organization in high-level meetings with other agencies and industry leaders, fostering collaboration and advancing mutual goals.
• Builds and sustains relationships with internal and external partners, advocating for organizational priorities and ensuring alignment with interagency efforts.
• Leads efforts to enhance public trust and transparency in acquisitions by engaging stakeholders and effectively communicating the organization's missions and objectives.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must meet the education requirement.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent certification is required.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards

Must possess certification at Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional) Certification or the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act equivalencies.

Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

Candidates for the GS-15 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service OR equivalent level in the private sector, military or other.

Examples of specialized experience include: (1) Leading a large procurement group that executes complex contracts with innovative acquisition strategies. (2) Serving as a high-level expert and advisor on acquisition regulations and contracting procedures. (3) Utilizing performance metrics, setting short and long range goals, and analyzing and mitigating risk. (4) Awarding and administering construction and supplies and services contracts. (5) Providing guidance and performance expectations to encourage employee career growth and advancement.

The ideal candidate is an exceptional speaker/briefer when articulating procurement and management issues to senior executives, political appointees, staffers and Members of Congress.

Education

This position requires a Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent certification.

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 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.

Transcripts must be provided if selected.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education:

Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.

You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.

Additional information

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

A variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.

The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.