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Small Business Specialist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Dec 5, 2020
Duties

Summary

The Small Business Specialist position is located in the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). The position will provide advice and technical support to the Deputy Director, OSDBU, and will maintain daily contact with Agency program officials and prospective business clients in order to communicate information and facilitate Small Business' participation in development opportunities with USAID.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Small Business Specialist, your duties will include the following:
  • Analyzing buying activities' procurement plans to identify opportunities for U.S. based small business concerns; ensuring proper application of U.S. small business programs; negotiating with buying activities and the program offices to ensure appropriate small business utilization in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and agency policy.
  • Directing USAID contracting, program and technical officials regarding the proper use of 1) market research tools; 2) Federal small business search engines; 3) subcontracting plans; and 4) related Federal acquisition and assistance tools and resources.
  • Organizing and conducting vendor outreach activities to increase the Agency's small business vendor base; supporting and participating in USAID, other Federal agencies and industry outreach activities to promote the Agency and to provide guidance to small businesses.
  • Advising on U.S. based small business concerns relative to the acquisition process and the means to conduct business with the Federal government; educating potential contractors/service providers on acquisition and assistance procedures, such as advertisement and negotiation of acquisitions, submission of unsolicited proposals, and the Agency's Forecasts; assisting on small business concerns to address debriefings, responses to Sources Sought Notices, and other pre award and post award administrative issues.
  • Collaborating with senior managers to address and resolve difficult issues, specific situations, or problems; reviewing, analyzing and interpreting contracting policy to identify alternative courses of action; proposing solutions to complex and/or far-reaching issues that may have an impact on the Agency's small business program.
  • Utilizing the beta.SAM.gov System for Awards Management, and other related acquisition and assistance systems to identify capable small business concerns, and to track Agency's acquisition and assistance announcements and activities.
  • Promoting U.S. based small business programs; maintaining working knowledge of the changes to small business programs, related statutes, laws, regulations; disseminating information regarding changes in small business policy and related regulations to senior management and stakeholders.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - May require occasional travel.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13 - The GS-13 level is the full performance level.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • United States Citizenship is required.
  • Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • Time in grade must be met by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • Most recent SF-50 showing tenure code "1" or "2" (see Required Documents).

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date. This means that you must have served at least 52 weeks at the next grade level (or equivalent) below the grade advertised on this vacancy announcement.

Qualifications

GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: (a) serving as a primary point of contact to program officials to achieve an expansion in Small Business and/or subcontracting opportunities, (b) providing small business firms with technical and programmatic information regarding doing business with the Federal Government, i.e., providing advice, guidance, complex analysis on new or revised procurement policies and procedures, (c) providing technical expertise and serving as primary resource on relevant awards management systems; and (d) organizing and conducting Vendor Outreach Sessions (VOS) to increase the Agency's small business vendor base, including representing the Agency at external outreach activities.

GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: (a) serving as a contact within an office regarding Small Business opportunities, (b) providing information regarding Federal Government small business opportunities, i.e., providing advice on existing procurement policies and procedures, (c) serving as a contact on an awards management system; and (d) participating in Vendor Outreach Sessions (VOS) to that raised awareness on the Agency's small business vendor base.

GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: (a) served as a contact within an office regarding Small Business opportunities, (b) assisted in Vendor Outreach Sessions (VOS) to that raised awareness on the Agency's small business vendor base, (c) supports senior level staff in the obtainment of small business goals and objectives, or you must possess a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or at least three full years of progressively higher education leading to such a degree in a field related to the work of this position or a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first two years of graduate study.

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, relevant to the duties of the position to be filled, including volunteer experience.

CTAP / ICTAP candidates will be referred to the selecting official if they are found well qualified. Well-qualified means an eligible employee who possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum requirements of the position. A well-qualified employee must meet the qualification and eligibility requirements of the position, including any medical qualifications, suitability, and minimum education and experience requirements, meet all selective factors (where applicable); meet quality ranking factors and are assigned a score of 85 or higher; be physically qualified with reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying U.S. OPM-approved conditions; AND be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry without additional training.

A well-qualified candidate will not necessarily meet the definition of highly or best qualified when evaluated against other candidates who apply for a particular position. In the absence of selective and quality ranking factors, selecting officials will document the job-related reason(s) for qualification determinations.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement, however, if you are applying at the GS-11 grade level and you are using education instead of specialized experience to qualify, you must submit a copy of the transcript(s) that demonstrate possession of the education requirement (described under "Qualifications").

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.

Moving and relocation expenses are not authorized.

Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies:

https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .

EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement .

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement .

Veterans' Information: Veterans Information .

Telework: https://www.telework.gov/ .

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ .

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your application package to ensure you meet the job and eligibility requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) to determine if your answers to the assessment questionnaire are supported in your resume. If your answers to the online assessment questionnaire are not supported in the resume it will affect your eligibility for further consideration. You may be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible. Candidates that are rated as Highly Qualified will be referred to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies:
  • Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technology Application
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

  • Resume showing relevant experience.
  • CTAP Eligibles: Must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation such as a reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, a SF-50 reflecting your RIF separation, or a notice of proposed removal for declining a direct reassign or transfer of function to another commuting area.
  • If this position requires proof of higher education, you must include a copy of your transcript (unofficial or official) or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information. Please be advised that an official transcript will be required if you are selected for the position.
  • Most recent copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action); your document must reflect grade, step, tenure code "1" (Career) or "2" (Career-Conditional), and type of position occupied.


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.

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