Supervisory Contract Specialist

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Boulder, CO

30d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), with two vacancies in Silver Spring, MD; Norfolk, VA; Boulder, CO; Kansas City, MO; or Seattle, WA. As a Supervisory Contract Specialist, you will serve as a Warranted Contracting Officer, leading, negotiating, and administering the procurement of equipment with specialized, state-of-the-art, critical or scarce requirements. You will oversee the procurement of administrative services, characterized by a lack of previous cost data, use of various cost and fixed-price funding arrangements, multi-year contracts, frequent changes in terms or conditions, and similar difficulties. Additionally, you will review contracts and acquisition activities, develop guidance material on contracting issues, and provide technical advice to staff and management officials. You will also review requisition activities at field sites with delegated procurement authority for compliance with procurement regulations and department guidelines and policy. Furthermore, you will provide supervisory control over a staff of contract specialists, purchasing agents, and support staff engaged in contracting and acquisition activities, plan and schedule work for subordinates, develop performance standards, identify training needs, and resolve employee complaints and implement minor disciplinary measures.

Requirements

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• One year probationary period may be required.
• Payment of relocation expenses (PCS) is not authorized.
• A one year supervisory probationary period may be required (probationary period can be served concurrently).
• This position requires a Moderate Risk Security Clearance.
• Background investigation will be required.
• Continued employment is subject to applicant's successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service.
• Current Federal employees would be given new appointments to the civil service and may have to serve a new probationary period under CFR 315.802 (b).
• A one year probationary period will be required under the Direct Hire Authority unless you are a current Department of Commerce (including NOAA) employee; and are in the same line of work; have previously completed a probationary period; and with no more than a 30 day break in service.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period, we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: Your performance and conduct; Needs and interests of the agency; Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of then Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Applicants must have completed at least 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.
• Applicants must have completed of all mandatory training prescribed by the Department of Commerce for progression to the GS-13 or higher level contracting positions or equivalent.
• Applicants must have at least four years of experience in contracting or related positions, which must be documented on the applicant's resume.
• At least one year (52 weeks) of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position.
• Completion of all mandatory education/training prescribed by Department of Commerce for progression to GS-14 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.
• Selectees must meet the Basic Requirements as described in options 1, 2, or 3 below:
• Option 1. Meets all of a, b, and c below: Completion of Training/Certification: FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional or FAC-C (Legacy)/III or DAWIA (Contracting) Level II/III 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.
• Option 2. 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.
• Option 3. Waiver : DOC's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above.
• All employees in the GS-1102 series must be FAC-C certified at the appropriate level for their career path.
• Individuals in the 1102 series who are promoted into a new career path shall have 24 months to meet the FAC-C training requirements for the new career path.
• Employees must meet the OPM 1102 Qualification Standards for experience in order to be hired
• Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service.
• Evaluating, administering, or making recommendations on the full range of pre-award and post-award activities utilizing various types of contracts associated with the acquisition of a range of complex and specialized goods or services;
• Developing or reviewing contractual pricing arrangements and incentives; and
• Leading or managing a team or subordinate personnel, such as overseeing personnel actions, assigning work, setting priorities, and making decisions on employee development.
• Employees in GS-1102 at grades 14 and above are 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.
• This exception does not apply if there was a break in service after January 1, 2000.
• Education Substitution of education for specialized experience is not applicable to this vacancy.

Nice To Haves

• Candidates currently holding a FAC-C/DAWIA Level II or III certification are considered to have met all mandatory training requirements for this announcement.
• Selectees holding a FAC-C/DAWIA Level II certification will be required to complete all prescribed mandatory training to become certified FAC-C Level III within 24 months of employment.
• 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 NOAA HR Staffing Specialist.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a Warranted Contracting Officer, to lead, negotiate and administer the procurement of equipment with specialized, state-of-the-art, critical or scarce requirements.
• Oversee the procurement of administrative services, characterized by a lack of any previous cost data, use of a variety of cost and fixed-price funding arrangements, multi-year contracts, frequent changes in terms or conditions, and similar difficulties.
• Review contracts and acquisition activities, develop guidance material on contracting issues, and provide technical advice to staff and management officials.
• Review requisition activities at field sites with delegated procurement authority for compliance with procurement regulations and department guidelines and policy.
• Provide supervisory control over a staff of contract specialists, purchasing agents and support staff engaged in contracting and acquisition activities.
• Plan and schedule work to be accomplished by subordinates and develop performance standards to identify training needs.
• Resolve complaints from employees and implement minor disciplinary measures.

Benefits

• 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.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager