About This Position
As a Branch Chief incumbent will be responsible for the management, planning, coordination, and successful execution of acquisition activities undertaken by the assigned Branch. The position is in the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Office of Acquisition Solutions Development (ASD). Location: Any of the locations listed. We are currently filling 13 vacancies, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.
Qualifications
To evaluate your qualifications, your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience described below.
Your resume must not exceed two pages. To ensure your qualifications can be fully evaluated, we recommend including the following information: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement. Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts.
Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet experience requirements for each grade level you are applying to. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible. If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.
The GS-14 salary range starts at $127,624 per year and varies by location. To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or higher in the Federal service.
You must meet the requirements in 1, 2, or 3 below: All of a, b, and c below: (a) Completion of Training/Certification: FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification. (b) At least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions including 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the level described below; and (c) Completion of 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. Exception: If you were in a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000, you will be exempt from meeting the educational requirements for the grade level of that position. However, to be promoted you will have to meet Option 1 or
- Waiver: GSA's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above.
Note: Candidates that are missing either the 24 hours of business credit and/or the mandatory training certification, but are determined to be otherwise eligible, can be placed on a waiver certification by the HR staffing specialist. Transcript Requirement: To receive consideration for this position, applicants must submit transcripts documenting completion of the required bachelor's degree and at least 24 semester hours in the qualifying fields listed above. If you do not provide your bachelor's transcripts with your application, your eligibility for this position cannot be verified.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized experience is one year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined by leading or managing acquisition staff through all phases of procurement, from initial planning to contract close-out within an organization. This experience must include 4 out of the 6 statements below: ● Overseeing or leading pre-award, award and post award operations in an organization. ● Leading and managing a team of acquisition professionals, including assigning and reviewing work, establishing priorities, evaluating performance, providing technical guidance, and resolving complex contracting issues to ensure the timely and compliant execution of federal procurement actions. ● Advising senior level managers on acquisition and programming issues and recommending solutions. ● Monitoring and evaluating the respective organization's procurement programs.
Recommending modifications or alternate methods to accomplish program objectives. ● Applying knowledge of federal acquisition regulations, policies, and procedures to provide technical guidance and oversight to subordinate staff in analyzing and evaluating procurement policies and practices at the operational level. ● Advising on product contracts that are sensitive and/or controversial in nature.
Major Duties
Major Duties as a Branch Chief: Serves as a senior level contract specialist for major acquisitions supporting the ASD business portfolio that include, but not limited to, Multiple Award Schedules program and Government-wide Acquisition and Multi-Agency contracts (GWACs and MACs) and telecommunications programs that are characterized by large funding levels with a minimum commitment period of five years. Handles the organization's most complex, sophisticated and sensitive acquisitions, requiring an in-depth knowledge of contracting rules, regulations and procedures. Serves as principal contracting advisor to the program management office and represents the ASD organization as the contractual authority at conferences and meetings.
Meets with top agency executives within various Federal agencies to plan future procurements, and to resolve unique problems relating to ongoing contracts. Independently generates solutions to long-standing issues associated with existing as well as contemplated contracts. Controls contract administration activities, interprets contract provisions, ensures consistency in contract administration, advises the organization on resolution of conflicts and on needs for contract modifications, and implements lessons learned to improve contract administration.
Serves as Branch Chief, responsible for the supervision of contract officers and contracting specialists. Provides technical and administrative supervision/oversight to the assigned organizational staff. Oversee the daily operations of the organization.
Ensures higher-echelon guidelines and priorities are followed. Manages the development of short and long-term goals and plans for the Branch that are consistent with national performance goals and objectives.
Conditions of Employment
If selected, you must meet the following conditions: 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 or NonCareer SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
Serve a one year probationary period, if required. Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 4 investigation level).
Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position Serve a one-year supervisory probationary period, if required Conditions of Employment: This position description includes the requirements for the FAC-C (Professional) certification which mandates that the incumbent obtain and maintain the FAC-C (Professional) certification.
Education
Note: 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/
How You Will Be Evaluated
A panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the resumes of qualified candidates and assign a score for each of the five required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) based on the experience documented in the resume and narrative responses. Knowledge of Federal contracting principles, procedures, and techniques sufficient to serve as a senior contract specialist for large-scale, high-value acquisitions. Skill in building and maintaining strategic relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders to achieve acquisition and procurement goals.
Skill in managing, facilitating and overseeing contract administration activities, interpreting contract provisions modifications ardency in contract administration, and advising the organization on the resolution of conflicts and on the need for contract modifications, and implementing lessons learned to improve contract administration. Ability to provide technical and administrative supervision to a multidisciplinary staff of contracting professionals. Ability to manage organizational operations, including the development of short- and long-term strategic goals aligned with national objectives.
Demonstration of these KSAs must be supported by your resume.
Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process. Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process.
If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. If you are eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or GSA's Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), your resume must clearly demonstrate experience in at least 3 of the 5 required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to receive priority consideration.
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Additional Information
Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.
If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage. Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.
Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.
How to Apply
Submit a complete online application including any required documents prior to 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You can modify or complete your application any time before the deadline. Simply return to USAJOBS, select the vacancy, and update your application. For more detailed instructions on how to apply, click here: Apply for a GSA Job. If you are having issues applying to this announcement, you should switch to a different browser, network or device.
Note: Your firewall may block your transfer from USAJOBS to your GSA application. To begin, click the Apply Online button on the vacancy announcement. Sign in or register on USAJobs and select a resume and documents to include in your application. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be accepted by USAJOBS and will prevent your application from moving forward in the hiring process. Please see Required Documents for additional details. Once you have clicked Apply for this position now, you will be taken to the GSA site to complete the application process.
Click the Apply To This Vacancy and complete all steps in the application process until the Confirmation indicates your application is complete. If you click Return to USAJobs or get timed out prior to receiving confirmation, your application will not be submitted and cannot be considered for this job.
Note: Review the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section of this announcement to determine which apply to you and must be submitted online.
You may choose one or more of the following options to submit your document(s): Upload (from your computer) or USAJOBS (click the "USAJOBS" link to complete the transfer process). Need Assistance? Questions or issues completing an application and/or submitting documentation - contact [email protected] or 1-866-656-6831 Monday-Friday 7AM - 7PM EST, except for Federal holidays Specific questions on the position - contact the HR representative (Monday-Friday during normal business hours) listed on the announcement, prior to the application deadline You must receive HR approval before deviating from these instructions.
Be sure to APPLY EARLY as most assessments must be completed fully and submitted before the announcement closing.
Required Documents
ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit. Resume: Must not exceed two pages. Refer to the Qualifications section for resume requirements.
Current GSA employees: You must submit a legible copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, AND a SF-50 reflecting the highest grade held if different from your recent SF-50. Promotion Consideration: If your most recent SF-50 became effective within the past year, it may not demonstrate that you meet the one-year time-in-grade requirement. In that case, submit additional SF-50(s) (such as promotion, within-grade increase, grade/range increase, or an SF-50 with an effective date more than one year old) that clearly document you meet the time-in-grade requirement.
If you are CTAP Eligible - Submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal. Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50. College Transcripts: If you are using some or all of your college education to meet qualification requirements for this position, you must submit a photocopy of your college transcript(s).
Transcripts MUST show: name of the institution, student's name, course work/degree(s) completed/conferred and dates. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. For education completed outside the United States, also submit a valid foreign credential evaluation that substantiates possession of the required education.
Submit proof of contracting certification: FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification.