Contract Specialist

Summary This position is located THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS), UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG), DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR MISSION SUPPORT (DCMS), ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR ACQUISITION (CG-9), DIRECTOR OF CONTRACTING AND PROCUREMENT (CG-91); Kearneysville, WV Responsibilities You will serve as a Business Operations Specialist in support of CG-914 – Office of C5I Contracting and Procurement and will be responsible for a variety of acquisition/contract data development (data improvement), analysis, development of standard operating procedures and reporting requirements for various programs. Being a U.S. Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team. Typical work assignments include (list not all inclusive): Serving as CG-914 Small Business Specialist. Working collaboratively with the USCG Headquarters Small Business Director, CG-914 Contracting Officers and Contract Specialists to manage small business requirements, while ensuring adherence to regulations, and policies. Coordinating and managing CG-9142 on-boarding process, procedures, and logistics of new personnel arriving to CG-9142. Drafting status reports and related documents for the CG-9142 Division Chief. Working with CG-9142 Contract Officers and Contract Specialists to identify and resolve issues related to specific aspects of the acquisition process. Responding to all DHS, USCG, and local CG-9142 data calls relating to various data bases and reporting tools. Assist with any business initiatives designated by the CG-9142 Division Chief. Establishing metrics and analysis systems to ensure actions are timely and reviewed at critical points. Responsible for implementing local procedural guidance to support new initiatives. Maintaining local organization chart, communication plans, continuity plans and SharePoint sites. Serving in a contracting officer capacity with limited warrant authority. If called upon to serve in a Contract Specialist capacity: Demonstrating complete responsibility to plan and recommend for execution of all phases of contract activities. Utilizing in-depth price/cost analysis techniques for supporting complex solicitation and contract award decisions. Preparing responses to Congressional inquiries, Freedom of Information Acts requests or other sensitive correspondence, including appeals, protests, etc. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Key Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation. Unofficial Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application. You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period. This position requires a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Qualifications Basic Requirements: To qualify for the GS-13 level: Applicant must possess specialized experience equivalent to 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-12) that is similar to experience gained in the Federal sector. Examples of specialized experience includes: performing procurement planning; developing procurement objectives in terms of competition and price range, and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, setting-aside polices and similar considerations; providing advice to project personnel on effective implementation and time frames required; developing new or innovative acquisition plans, source selection plans, and contract terms, conditions, or financial arrangement; performing contract administration activities; conducting extensive and sophisticated cost and financial analysis; and serving as lead negotiator for contract modifications for programs involving several interrelated contracts. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. NOTE: Education cannot be substituted for experience at this grade level. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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 has a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. ou must meet all three requirements listed below; unless you are covered by an exception:1) Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors 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.NOTE: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript.AND2) Completion of at least 4-years of experience in a contracting or related position, 1 year of which was directly related experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Directly related experience must have involved the application of contracting principles, laws, regulations and procedures in planning, developing, implementing, and maintaining all aspects of the administration of one or more major systems contracts; applying knowledge of a procurement functional area sufficient to provide expert technical leadership, staff coordination, and consultation; formulating guidelines, implementing new developments, and providing policy interpretation; performing in-depth evaluations of the financial and technical capabilities, or the performance, of the contractor.EXCEPTIONS TO QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants who have been in a GS-1102 position, at or above the GS-12 level, since January 1, 2000 without a break in service only need to meet the 1-year of directly related experience in order to qualify. The educational, training and additional years of contracting experience requirements do not apply to these individuals. AND3) Training is referenced within the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Modernization Memo issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy on Jan. 19, 2023. Applicants must meet the FAC-C (Professional) requirements and be certified at the time of application. Possession of certification must be indicated as part of application submission AND a copy of certificate/certification is required at time of application. Applicants not certified may still apply and be selected but must achieve certification within 24 months of appointment. A valid Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, provided the FAC-C education and continuous learning requirements have been met. Certification requirements may be viewed at click here – https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FAC-C-Modernization-Memorandum-19-Jan-2023.pdf NOTE: Individuals with the legacy FAC-C at any level automatically receive the FAC-C (Professional). NOTE: The agency may obtain a waiver for any individual not meeting the training requirements. The Coast Guard Head of the Contracting Activity must obtain the waiver from the DHS Chief Procurement Officer prior to the extension of an employment offer. NOTE: If you are currently employed with an agency other than DHS and seeking a lateral transfer AND you were promoted to an 1102 position at or above the GS-13 level (or equivalent) after 12/31/99 based on a waiver of the agencys training requirements, you will need to be approved for another training waiver before you can be hired into a GS-1102 position at or above the GS-13 level with DHS. If you were hired into your current GS-1102-13 or higher-level position, with a non-DHS agency, based on an educational waiver, you will still have to meet the educational requirements stated in Qualification Requirements #1. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You are required to submit your unofficial college transcripts from an appropriately accredited educational institution in order to document completion of the educational requirements for this position. The unofficial transcripts must be legible and include your name, major, school name/location, course title/number, date completed, grade and number of credits earned. Official transcripts will be required if selected prior to establishing an entrance on duty date. Information on Defense Acquisition University equivalent providers may be found at http://www.dau.mil/learning/appg.aspx. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here Additional Information E-Verify DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. Fair Chance Act The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicants criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to yorlanda.c.adams@uscg.mil. Recruitment incentives may be authorized. Recruitment Incentive – Selectee(s) for this position who are newly appointed to a permanent position are authorized to receive a one-time recruitment incentive of 10% of the salary, including locality for this position. Receipt of the bonus will require a 12-month service agreement. “Newly appointed” refers to the first appointment (regardless of tenure) as an employee of the Federal Government, an appointment following a break in service of at least 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government, or, in certain cases, an appointment following a break in service of less than 90 days from a previous appointment as an employee of the Federal Government. Relocation Incentive – Selectee(s) for this position who are current federal employees on permanent appointments and will be moving outside of the current commuting area of their current position to accept this position are authorized to receive a one-time relocation incentive of 10% of the salary including locality for this position. Receipt of the bonus will require a 12-month service agreement. The employee must establish a residence in the new geographic area prior to payment. Student Loan – Selectee(s) for this position who are newly appointed to a permanent or term position may be eligible for student loan repayment up to $10,000 (pre-tax) for one calendar year. More than one loan may be repaid if the combined repayments do not exceed $10,000. Receipt of this incentive will require a three-year service agreement. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit. More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued. If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s). If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 1(888)992-7387. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation Below is the link to the list of CRSPs, which are assigned by area: https://www.uscg.mil/Resources/Civil-Rights/Service-Providers/