Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS), Assistant Commandant for Acquisition (CG-9), Director of Contracting & Procurement (CG-91), Office of Contract Operations (CG-912), in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

You will serve as a Contract Specialist with complete responsibility to plan and recommend contractual actions and phases for assigned projects. This position is located in the Office of Contract Operations, which acquires a full range of products and services including, but not limited to, primary systems, subsystems, support, operations, and maintenance contracts for the USCG.

Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team.

Typical work assignments include:

• Performing cradle-to-grave contract actions (pre-award, post-award administration, closeout, etc.) to include timely execution of invoice payments; and serving as Business Advisor to program officials to include using collaborative approaches to meet procurement objectives.
• Providing assistance with purchase request packages (i.e. performance work statements (PWS)/statements of work (SOW), market research documents, etc.).
• Developing new or innovative acquisition plans, source selection plans, contract terms, conditions, or financial agreements that may serve as a model for future system acquisitions.
• Independently reviewing contractor's performance through site visits, correspondence, and telephone conversation for completion of applicable contract clauses.
• Conducting extensive and sophisticated cost and financial analyses by utilizing cost estimating techniques, such as, learning curve, regression analysis, complex contractual arrangements, and extensive fact-finding.
• Serving as lead negotiator for contract modification for programs involving several interrelated contracts.
• Working collaboratively and proactively with all stakeholders (legal, small business, policy, etc.) in the procurement process to ensure Procurement Admiistrative Lead Time (PALT) and milestone schedules are met.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required.
• Unofficial Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.
• You may be required to serve a 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

To qualify at the GS-12 level:

BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must meet the following basic education requirement: a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's 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.

To qualify at the GS-13 level:

BASIC REQUIREMENT: You 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 bachelor's 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.

AND

2) 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-12 level in the Federal service. Directly related experience must have involved applying contracting principles, laws, regulations and procedures sufficient to plan, develop, implement, and maintain all aspects Applying contracting principles, laws, regulations and procedures sufficient to plan, develop, implement, and maintain all aspects 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 anticipating problems and providing advice to project personnel on effective implementation and time frames required.

EXCEPTIONS TO QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants who have been in a GS-1102 position, at or above the GS-13 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.

AND

3) Training refers to the May 7, 2014, Memorandum on Revisions to the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. Applicants must meet the FAC-C requirements and be certified at Level II or III at the time of application. Possession of certification must be indicated as part of application submission. 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.

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 agency's 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.

To qualify for the GS-13 level: Applicants at the GS-13 level must possess specialized experience equivalent to one 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 negotiation for contract modifications for programs involving several interrelated contracts.

To qualify for the GS-12 level: Applicants at the GS-12 grade level must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level that is similar to experience gained in the Federal sector. Examples of specialized experience will include all of the following: analyzing procurement requests to determine requirements, appropriate method of contracting, type of contract, and procurement plan; developing procurement/contractual documents inclusive of determining standard and non-standard terms and conditions; conducting pre-bid/proposal conferences and negotiations; and analyzing cost and pricing data and contractor responsibility.

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

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

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, or imprisonment.

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 at click here

Recruitment incentives may be authorized.

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).

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans , Peace Corps / VISTA volunteers , and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

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 you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6255. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements for this position will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

The necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities to perform this job are:

1. Knowledge of contracting and acquisition principles, laws, statutes, Executive Orders, regulations and procedures.

2. Knowledge of cost/price analysis and contract types, methods, and techniques for complex supply and service contracts.

3. Knowledge of negotiation techniques to conduct contract negotiations.

4. Ability to communicate orally.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

1. Your resume
2. If you are claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), submit a copy of your agency notice, most recent performance rating and most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level and duty location. If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. To be considered eligible, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position. Please see ICTAP eligibility.
3. OPM must authorize employment offers for former or current Political Appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information. Submit proof of your former or current status, such as your SF-50. Please see here.

All documentation as outlined above must be received by the closing date of the announcement. If you are unable to submit your documents electronically, you may fax or mail the documents. A fax cover sheet will be provided to you from the system, with fax number and instructions to transmit the requested documents. The required documents will also be accepted by mail and must be received by the closing date of the announcement. The mailing address is COMMANDANT (CG-123HQ), ATTN OFFICE OF CIVILIAN HUMAN RESOURCES (JOBS), US COAST GUARD, 2703 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AVE SE STOP 7912, WASHINGTON, DC 20593-7912.

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.