Duties

Summary

This position is for a technical Category Manager within the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Strategic Sourcing, Category Management Division and is responsible for software category management activities for Information Technology (IT) spend categories. Responsible for defining buyer segments and strategically managing relationships, assessing buyer feedback to shape outreach/predict demand, and studying buying trends to align procurement solutions with VA priorities.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The first 50 candidates who applied will be considered for referral to the selecting official. Additional candidates in increments of 50 will be referred based on hiring needs.

This is a bargaining unit position.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available
Telework: Is available
Virtual: Not Available
Position Description/Title/PD#: IT Specialist/17421A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and to attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. Some employees may carry light items, such as papers, books, or small parts, or drive a motor vehicle. The work does not require any special physical effort.

Major Duties:

• Develop a comprehensive category management program that supports IT software categories such as supplier management.
• Establish and execute the processes for managing category management and vendor requests.
• Make category management decisions and recommendations that significantly influence agency IT policies and programs.
• Create and maintain technical non-governmental category specific resources and leverages expertise through universities, vendors, alliances, and associations.
• Consult with vendors, customers, acquisition and other key stakeholders to identify and specify requirements in alignment with VA Enterprise Architecture, security, and procurement regulations.
• Performs health checks on existing partnerships and remediate performance issues.
• Conducts expert performance and relationship management. Foster new supplier relationships.
• Evaluates vendor cost and technical proposals; and works with acquisition staff to develop procurement/acquisition documents.
• Performs market research and develop data requirements for current and future use in the management and direction of departmental-wide programs and functions.
• Independently perform cost-benefit analysis, life-cycle assessments, and other related cost saving evaluations.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel required up to 10% of the time.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• May serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume.

The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: experience in managing one or more Information Technology (IT) spend categories (e.g. hardware, services, telecommunications, security, software licensing) for a large, complex organization, to include a focus on cost efficient acquisitions, quality assurance, cost reduction strategies to include category specific strategic, spend and procurement plans; development and relationship management, as well as the management and optimization of supplier-facing business processes, within a large, complex organization of nationwide scope.

You may qualify based on your experience, as described below:

Experience - Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate.

For all positions individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. The employing agency is responsible for identifying the specific level of proficiency required for each competency at each grade level based on the requirements of the position being filled. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. AND

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes experience in IT category strategies to include software procurement, evaluation of software performance, market research for recommendation of alternative software solutions, collection and evaluation of data for software comparisons, and accounting for appropriate software licensing; analyzing relevant data to inform the improvement of category performance; providing technical guidance and support to acquisitions officials for both source selection and post-award contract monitoring activities.

Such experience is typically gained in the IT field or through the performance of work where the primary concern is IT.

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.

Note: 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.

Education

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/ .

Receiving Service Credit for 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.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in alphabetical order.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

• Resume

Documents Required:

• Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.