Lead Contract Specialist

Summary

The Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction (OALC) is led by the VA Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) and is responsible for directing department-wide procurement, acquisition, program management, contract administration, construction, and logistics activities. This office oversees the planning, design, construction, and facilities management of VA real property. The Selectee serves as a Contract Specialist (Team Lead) providing services to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)

Duties

THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION OR REMOTE POSITION. YOU MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RETURN TO OFFICE POLICY AND BE ABLE TO WORK ON SITE AT VA OWN/LEASED SPACE The Selectee will work closely and collaborate with program customers throughout VBA at all levels. The position is required to possess significant technical expertise and provide operational training at all levels of the organization. The Contract Specialist is also a subject matter expert in federal acquisition as it is practiced in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Duties include but are not limited to: Monitors work assignments and workload during all phases of the process to ensure objectives are met. Conducts team meetings to update members on workload, best practices, and continuing expectations. Provides quality customer service, including interacting with customers, answering customer inquiries, and effectively handling customer complaints. The incumbent is expected to assist team members with customer services issues, particularly when team members are not able to manage customer complaints or conflicts. Serves as an advisor to management on the full range of all team matters in support of VBA's mission and represents the Office of Procurement Operations supporting VBA as a subject matter expert at meetings, conferences and other forums which may include both public and private sector participants. Reviews and completes requirements related to special studies, projects and/or programs that have VBA wide impact. May serve as Acting Supervisor in absence of supervisor and/or represent leadership's perspective on Department or VBA wide meetings. May represent the supervisor in OIG, GAO meetings and assessments. Conducts technical reviews of contract files in the Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS) to assure all required contract documentation has been completed. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Contract Specialist/PD38991-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which 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; the 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 the 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. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/27/2026. Individual Occupational Requirements for Contracting Series, 1102 Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 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. AND B. 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. OR, C. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be 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 under Paragraph D. D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience for the GS-14 level of this position: Applicants must have one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Communicating assignments to Team members, developing strategies to accomplish assignments, and establishing milestones and deadlines based on instructions and expectations from the supervisor. Providing training; assisting team members with unusual or difficult tasks/assignments, performing quality assessments on completed work, and working with the team and individual members to identify areas of improvement by providing solutions for success. Researches, learns and applies a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods to identify, assess, analyze and improve team effectiveness, efficiency and work products. Provides recommendations and solutions to strategic planning matters in the areas of procurement, training, to include customer training on processes and requirements development. Participates in the strategic planning efforts to determine organizational acquisition priorities regarding organizational structure, workload balance, skill gaps, and procurement measures or metrics. Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, full-time/part-time status, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Mastery of the procurement functional area sufficient to apply experimental theories and new developments to problems not susceptible to treatment by accepted methods, to extend existing contracting techniques, and to develop procurement policies for use by other contracting personnel in solving procurement problems; or, familiarity with business strategy and program or technical requirements sufficient to perform or direct in-depth evaluations of the financial and technical capabilities, or the performance of the contractor. Demonstrates and applies knowledge of Federal, departmental, or agency, and local contract laws, regulations and procedures applicable to the acquisition and contract administration of extensive or unique equipment, services, construction. Applies knowledge of various types of contracts, methods of contracting, and selection factors to plan appropriate strategies to procure complex requirements, and to conduct negotiations in the preaward and post-award phases of contracting. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from the Office of Procurement. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from these offices.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Leadership Learning Problem Solving Reading Comprehension Reasoning Risk Management Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Technical Competence Written Communication USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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; religions; 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. Other Information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.