Contract Specialist at Phoenix

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy ID: 919240 

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Countrys service. If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.

The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).

Americas Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation.

DUTIES:Back to top

NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not to exceed 2 years).  Term appointments are non-status, non-permanent appointments of limited duration.  Term employees are eligible to earn leave and generally have the same benefits as permanent employees including health and life insurance, within-grade increases and federal Employees Retirement system and Thrift Savings plan coverage.  Term appointments may be extended without further competition.

 

This position is located in the Office of Procurement and Logistics in Phoenix, Arizona.  As a Contract Specialist, you will be responsible for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and Agency Policy.  Duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following: 

 

·  Serves as a member of acquisition planning teams;

·  Recommends the appropriate method of procurement;

·  Advertises all applicable requirements and prepares solicitation documents using agency contract writing systems for issuance;

·  Conducts public bid openings, reviews bids and determines responsiveness and responsibility of low bidder in accordance with regulatory requirements;

·  Closes out contracts upon completion;

·  Prepares offer documentation for awards including Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reports, solicitation and award synopses, etc.

 

Work Schedule:  Monday-Friday, Full-Time, 8:00am-4:30pm

 

  ***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications:

 

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:

 

Candidates must have completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors degree with a major in any field; OR 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: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

AND

EXPERIENCE: (In addition to the Basic Education Requirement listed above, you must also meet the following):

Candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower graded level in Federal service.  Specialized experience is defined as experience that has provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a GS-09 Contract Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience includes assisting with contract administration and acquisitions (i.e., change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims and contract close-out); negotiating routine contracts and negotiating prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements; interpreting contact laws, regulations and policies and applying them to acquisition issues; and monitoring contractor performance and compliance with terms and conditions of contracts.

 

A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.  Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.  Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (Copy of transcripts required):

Successful completion of 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B or J.D.  Graduate education used as substitution for experience must be in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. (Copy of Transcripts Required with your application/resume.)

COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (Copy of transcripts required):

Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience as described above may be used to meet the experience requirements.

 

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

·  Knowledge and ability to perform work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outline in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, public laws, and policies.

·  Ability to interpret and apply Federal procurement regulations, policies, and procedures to basic contracting situations.

·  Ability to meet deadlines and deal with rapidly changing situations.

·  Skill in communications which demonstrates negotiations techniques in order to serve as a negotiator, deal with a variety of high level industry and/or government officials, conduct meetings/conferences, etc.

·  Skill in written communications to prepare various correspondence, reports, briefings, and white papers.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  This position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting, however, where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces, or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations  Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.  WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.  If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.

Veterans Preference:

When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability.  If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

 

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group.  Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group.  Qualifying veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the best qualified group.  The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview.  The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

Country: USA, State: Arizona, City: Phoenix, Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.