Duties

Summary

This position serves as the Director of the Office of Acquisition, Office of the Associate Administrator for Administration, in Washington, D.C. The Supervisory Contract Specialist is responsible for the procurement and administration activities of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), both headquarters and field. This includes, but is not limited to performance measurement, acquisition planning, operations, contract management.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As the Supervisory Contract Specialist, you will:

• Serve as Chief of the Contracting Office (COCO) for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) including carrying out all of the responsibilities and delegations described for the COCO in the Federal Acquisition regulation (FAR), Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR), and Transportation Acquisition Manual (TAM).
• Be responsible for the procurement and administration activities of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), both headquarters and field. This includes, but is not limited to, acquisition planning, contract award, contract management, pricing analysis, contract financing, control of Government furnished property/materials, modifications, contract modifications and terminations, and contract/grants closeout. The position responsibilities also encompass initiatives under the President's Management Agenda. Serve as the senior FRA advisor to the Administrator on procurement and administrative matters.
• Maintain liaison with counterpart offices in DOT. Serve as a member of the DOT Procurement Management Council. Represent FRA on procurement management matters in discussions with OST, other Government Agencies and private industry. Develop FRA policies, standards, and procedures and contributes to the development of Departmental as well as Government wide policies and procedures dealing with the acquisition process.
• Manage and direct the programs of the office. As supervisor, determine goals, assigns projects, make decisions on work problems, act on recommendations, furnish advice and assistance, approve and overrule actions, collaborate with heads of other units in work affecting them, advise higher level officials of program problems and their relationships to other programs. Ensure staff meets Department of Transportation (DOT) acquisition workforce requirements. Evaluate subordinate supervisors, and employees reporting directly. Ensure training and work assignments enhance professional growth.

The ideal candidate for this position will be able to perform the full range of acquisitions functions (pre-award and post-award) from simplified to complex contracts, delivery and/or purchase order, and Inter and Intra-agency agreements. The ideal candidate issued solicitations, evaluated proposals, performed cost and price analysis, monitors contractor performance, negotiates contract modifications, and is responsible for contract closeout.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: New supervisors must complete a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-15, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

• Experience planning and awarding contracts to include performing market research, selecting acquisition strategies, developing solicitation requirements and provisions, evaluating proposals, negotiating cost, price and terms and conditions and creating the final contract document using the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
• Experience managing and administering contracts after award to include evaluating and negotiating modifications, managing contractor performance against contract requirements, managing all financial aspects of the contract, and closing out the contract using the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
• Experience preparing Federal Acquisition Regulation based documents using an automated acquisition system.
• Experience leading or advising the work of other employees.

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:

• Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisitions Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.
• Manages Human Resources - Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance.
• 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.
• Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
• 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.

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



Education

Mandatory Education Requirement:

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.

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.

NOTE : 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
(https://jobs.monstergovt.com/dot/announcement/%5binster%20link%5d%20target=?_ref=b1jcblj3pt0)

All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

Additional information

This vacancy may be used by any DOT agency to fill similar positions within 90 days.

SENIORITY RIGHTS - LEAVES OF ABSENCE - RE-EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS: The FRA has determined that seniority rights, leaves of absence, and reemployment rights from prior railroad employment generally constitute an actual or an appearance of a conflict of interest. New employees may be required to divest themselves of such rights immediately upon hire if these rights are determined to constitute an actual or appearance of a conflict of interest. If new employees are permitted to retain such rights, which is generally the case for Railroad Safety positions, the rights must be divested at the end of the one year probationary period which begins with the date of appointment. Divestiture is a requisite to continued employment with the Federal Railroad Administration. No waivers will be granted of the divestiture requirement. Pursuant to 5 C.F.R. Parts 2635.403 and 6001.104, all FRA employees (or spouses or minor children of FRA employees) are specifically prohibited from holding railroad stock (including shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. which owns 100% of BNSF), whether held outright, in an IRA, or in a 401(k) or other plan. (Employees may hold a mutual fund which invests in railroad stocks, so long as the mutual fund does not invest more than 30% of its assets in such prohibited investments.) Employees having a prohibited financial interest must divest themselves of railroad stock within 90 days after their appointment to their positions. Neither the rule against holding railroad stock, nor the divestiture period, is in any way affected by the existence of re-employment rights which employees might have with railroad companies. Nor is there any monetary threshold for applicability of the rule against ownership of railroad stock; all dollar amounts are prohibited.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains a model federal work environment that is free of discrimination.

DOT ensures equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants for employment, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, or protected activity.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.

All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

Ultimately, the Automated Staffing Office is responsible for determining an applicant's eligibility. Please ensure that your resume provide enough detail to support your answers to the Vacancy Specific Questions.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process

Required Documents

A USAJobs built resume is required to apply

ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy. Formatted resumes can be uploaded when you arrive at the DOT application system. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/

The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position and consideration for which you are applying.

RESUME - Needs to be created within USA Jobs Resume Builder. It must show relevant experience, education and fully support the required specialized experience.

TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED if there is a stated education requirement for the series OR if you are substituting education for experience . The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

• If you have previously held a government position in the same series as this position, you may be able to provide an SF-50 showing that you have already qualified and worked in the federal service in this series.

NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

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.