Supervisory Contract Specialist

U.S. Coast Guard•Chesapeake, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The United States Coast Guard is hiring a GS-1102-14 Supervisory Contract Specialist in its Deputy Commandant for Systems, Director of Contracting and Procurement/Head of Contracting Activity, Contracting and Procurement Office – Headquarters, located in Chesapeake, Virginia. The position supervises a branch of Contracting Officers and Contract Specialists and oversees contracting and procurement from planning through contract administration and closeout. It includes responsibility for complex acquisitions, primarily services and supplies, as well as significant, highly specialized procurements involving state-of-the-art systems and multi-million- to billion-dollar contracts. The supervisor leads branch operations, assigns and prioritizes work, manages schedules and performance, develops staff, and advises senior management. The position also serves as a senior business advisor and liaison, handles high-visibility and sensitive contracting matters, and may lead or participate in formal source selection evaluation boards. The incumbent maintains Contracting Officer qualifications and authority at the unlimited warrant level, and must hold FAC-C Professional or DAWIA Level III equivalent certification. A warrant board for limited and unlimited warrant authority is required unless waived by the Head of Contracting Activity. The position has a positive education requirement: a bachelor's degree or equivalent four-year course of study including at least 24 semester hours in specified business-related fields, along with the applicable mandatory training and experience requirements. At the GS-14 level, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-13; education cannot substitute for experience at this grade. A federal benefits package is offered, with benefits subject to position eligibility.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen and registered with, or exempt from, the Selective Service.
Must successfully pass a background investigation and meet reliability and trustworthiness standards.
Must have completed mandatory training prescribed for progression to GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions.
Must have at least four years of experience in contracting or related positions, including at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower level, subject to stated exceptions or waiver provisions.
Must have a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, including at least 24 semester hours in a combination of accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
For GS-14 qualification, must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-13 in the federal or private sector.
Specialized experience must include knowledge of contracting methods, types, principles, laws, statutes, Executive Orders, regulations, and procedures for pre-award and post-award actions.
Specialized experience must include knowledge of negotiation techniques and experience leading pre-negotiation strategy development, negotiating service and system acquisitions, and directing or performing post-award negotiations involving changes or modifications.
Specialized experience must include experience with cost and price analysis techniques.
Must be able to plan procurement collaboratively, develop and oversee procurement objectives, and coordinate complex contracts and schedules.
Must be able to perform Contracting Officer and contract-administration activities for significant, highly specialized procurements and administer state-of-the-art system acquisitions.
Must maintain the knowledge, skills, abilities, and qualifications required for unlimited Contracting Officer warrant authority.
Must sit for a warrant board for limited and unlimited warrant authority unless the Head of Contracting Activity waives it.
Must hold Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Professional (FAC-C) or DAWIA Level III equivalent.
Must meet all qualification requirements by the announcement's closing date.
Must submit required transcripts if relying on education or if required coursework is needed to qualify; foreign education requires evidence of comparability.
Must complete any mandatory training required for the position; additional training may be required.

Responsibilities

Supervise contracting staff and oversee pre-award and post-award contracting activities for a variety of acquisitions, primarily services and supplies.
Plan, direct, coordinate, and manage branch operations, including workload priorities, goals, long-range planning, and implementation of policies and procedures.
Assign and reprioritize work based on organizational priorities, assignment difficulty, employee capabilities, and schedules; monitor work for completion.
Evaluate subordinate performance and provide leadership, counseling, guidance, training, and development.
Initiate or recommend personnel actions, including recruitment, promotion, awards, discipline, performance appraisals, and reassignment; ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
Advise senior management on organizational planning, staff development, and management issues, and prepare reports and timely responses to data calls.
Oversee complex, high-value solicitations and contractual actions and serve as a Contracting Officer with signatory authority up to an unlimited warrant.
Advise management officials on contracting issues, maintain standards and equity in contractor assessments, and make decisions on non-routine, costly, or controversial matters.
As a lead Contracting Officer or Senior Contract Specialist, manage cradle-to-grave procurement activities, assess team workloads, assign or reassign actions, communicate assignments and milestones, and mentor staff.
Build cross-functional partnerships and foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, continual learning, and innovation.
Serve as a senior business advisor, consultant, and liaison to management, policymakers, and external organizations on challenging contracting and procurement developments.
Communicate issues, concerns, and potential impacts of high-visibility actions to appropriate senior and executive leaders.
Represent the organization at meetings and conferences and maintain working relationships with internal stakeholders, senior officials, government agencies, and private industry.
Manage acquisitions involving complex procurements, state-of-the-art systems and subsystems, and engineering and technical support services.
Chair or participate in Source Solution Evaluation Boards for competitively negotiated procurements.
Maintain knowledge of the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul and related supplemental regulations, policies, procedures, and guidance.
Conduct compliance and evaluation reviews of complex, unusual, or unprecedented contract activities, considering potential political implications.
Use automated systems to research sources, collect and document contractor past-performance information, prepare solicitation instructions, and direct technical, cost, and business-management evaluation teams.
Conduct collaborative procurement planning with program and stakeholder partners; develop, execute, and oversee procurement objectives and coordinate complex contractual actions.
Perform Contracting Officer and contract-administration activities for specialized procurements, including contract modifications, option exercises, and investigation and resolution of contractor issues, concerns, and delays.
Maintain the qualifications needed to obtain and retain Contracting Officer authority at the unlimited warrant level.