Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO).

The primary purpose of this position is to direct and oversee the planning, negotiation, and execution of the acquisition and administration process for acquiring commodities, which ensure the successful operation of DHS, and to also serve as a senior contract specialist administering complex and major acquisitions.

Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Duties

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As a Supervisory Contract Specialist (Associate Division Director), GS-1102-15, your typical work assignments may include:

• Managing complex, sensitive, critical, and precedent-setting DHS procurement programs and initiatives that serve as a guide for other DHS procurement activities.
• Serving as the primary point of contact for program officials on all acquisition and administrative matters affecting the major procurement of supplies and services. This includes but not limited to assisting customers in developing statements of work, procurement strategies, evaluation plans, pricing methodologies, and major contract administration plans.
• Establishing goals and office budget.
• Directly supervising and coordinating the activities of subordinate staff consisting of contract specialists.
• Developing performance standards, completing formal performance appraisals, and carrying out personnel management responsibilities to ensure productivity and efficient use of resources.
• Serving as a Contracting Officer authorized to solicit contract proposals, negotiate, enter into, execute, and administer/terminate the most complex and sensitive public contracts for DHS.
• Coordinating the extension of periods of performance, resolving delivery and acceptance disputes, approving partial and final payments, performing closeout of any necessary contract cancellations, and preparing and processing protest actions.

All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Qualifications

APPLICANTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY MEET THE INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE, AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR AS NOTED BELOW.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met prior to meeting the specialized experience.

A. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field 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.

-AND-

B. Completed 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 with at least 1 year of that experience satisfying the specialized experience described further below in this qualifications section; AND applicants seeking to meet the training requirements for this GS-13/14 position in accordance with the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications, are required to meet the Selective Placement Factor requirement described below in this qualifications section.

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 (waiver information provided below). NOTE: This exception only applies if you held a GS-1102 position prior to January 1, 2000. If you have not held a GS-1102 position prior to this date, this exception does not apply to you. This exception only allows you to apply for positions at the grade level you held as of January 1, 2000. In order to be promoted to a higher grade level, you must meet the Basic requirement above. You must provide an appropriate SF-50 to verify your grade level if you are a federal employee and applying for this exception.

When filling a GS-1102 vacant position for a GS-13 and above, the Senior Procurement Executive of DHS, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of paragraphs A and B of the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications 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, the Senior Procurement Executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position at DHS based on a waiver, DHS may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

NOTE: To receive consideration for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts for review. Your supporting documents must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-15

You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent private/public sector experience.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

• Serving as a primary point of contact and subject matter expert regarding negotiations and pre-award and post-award procurement actions;
• Providing authoritative recommendations to improve procurement operations;
• Serving as a lead, manager, or supervisor to a contracting or procurement team; and
• Applying expert knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and other procurement regulations and contracting principles to plan, develop, implement, maintain and administer all contractual aspects of a procurement program.

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR

This position has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF). Applicants must possess and submit the following certification:

• FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification

NOTE: If you do not submit one of the above certifications to demonstrate possession of the SPF or request a waiver, you will be rated ineligible.

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

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.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

This position requires specific coursework to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official or unofficial transcript which list courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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