Contract Specialist - Direct Hire -SME

Summary

This position is in the Office of Acquisition Management, which handles all acquisition management needs. The role focuses on helping plan, coordinate, and lead FTA's third-party contracting oversight program. Key duties include crafting policies, conducting research, and managing national technical assistance, oversight, and training for 800+ FTA grantees representing over $21 billion in value.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will: Perform delegated Acquisition Career Manager (ACM) responsibilities as directed by supervisor, advise the ACM on relevant acquisition workforce-related matters, and make recommendations for decision. Support the contracting and agency mission by primarily managing the contractual requirements process for the program offices, assisting in the development of acquisition strategies, developing the solicitation and contract award documentation, and contract administration. Audit or review major acquisitions of similar complexity; presents findings; recommends corrective actions and policy or procedure improvements; reviews advise on, develops, and recommends operating unit-wide or agency-wide procurement processes and systems, procedures, and policies; or equivalent assignment. Prepare various formal and informational communications to both internal and external audiences on acquisition-related topics. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical, writing, and communication skills paired with broad contracting experience, spanning operational roles or a drive to advance into policy and oversight. Outgoing, articulate, and highly professional, the incumbent serves as a positive agency representative to grantees, transit industry executives, CEOs, members of Congress, and state and local stakeholders. Requirements

CONDITIONS OF 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 the 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. SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Experience applying contracting principles, laws, regulations, and procedures applicable to all aspects of acquisition management to plan, procure, and administer contracts. Experience providing technical support to management to integrate the best industry practices and reduce risk by implementing new technologies, methods, and processes. Experience conducting acquisition compliance analyses, preparing and reviewing related program documents, correspondence, and creating reports, matrices, and briefings. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Customer Service - Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement. Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisition Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. Reporting Matrix - Knowledge of various reporting techniques. Plan and implement projects, and help define project scope, goals, and deliverables. Define tasks and required resources, collect, and manage project outcomes. Allocate and create a project schedule and timeline. Lead quality assurance and report on the project status. Present to supervisor and stakeholders reports on progress as well as problems and solutions and implement and manage changes when necessary to meet project deliverables. For all types of 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, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above 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 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. 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. 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. How You Will Be Evaluated

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully. Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination. You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Other Information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's 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 the Department of Transportation by email at, [email protected]. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation