Contract Specialist with Security Clearance

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Job description

Duties TSA is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Contract Specialist to join our team at the J- Band (GS-14 equivalent) level. In this leadership role, you will serve as a Team Lead and hold a Contracting Officer warrant. You will not only handle complex contracting tasks but also mentor a team of junior contract specialists. You will play a crucial role in ensuring the efficient and effective procurement of goods and services while adhering to all federal procurement regulations and agency policies. You will be responsible for analyzing GAO cases, federal statutes, and agency regulations to determine the best contracting approaches, mitigating risk and ensuring compliance. You will also be responsible for selecting acquisition strategies and motivating your team to execute the most effective contracting processes based on your decision-making abilities. This Contract Specialist position is located Enterprise Support (ES) Contracting and Procurement (C&P) Office, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as chief negotiator and team lead planning negotiation strategy to ensure attainment of goals and arriving at an agreement in the best interests of the Government in technical and cost areas. Recommends approaches to solve difficult or unique contracting issues. Serves as contract advisor to program officials in procurement planning meetings, advising program officials of the procurement objectives to be used and assisting in the preparation of statements of work. Participate in effecting better contracting oversight processes within TSA. Schedules work priorities and sets deadlines for work completion based on workforce availability, workload, and productivity analysis, defines technical work requirements, develops, and revises tactical and strategic plans as needed. Directly mentor and lead a team of junior contract specialists. Assign tasks, delegate responsibilities, and provide regular performance feedback. Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment. Promote professional development opportunities for team members, encouraging participation in relevant training and conferences. Other Individual Contracting Duties as assigned: Analyzes and evaluates contracting matters; initiation, development, and recommendation of contracting policies, procedures, guidance, and control for subordinate contracting activities within the Department. Meets periodically with program managers to jointly identify large-scale components, equipment, and support services to be acquired by contract; and Plans negotiation strategy, coordinates strategy with negotiation team, and leads the negotiations which are conducted with contractors to develop the contract prices and terms. Provides expert consultative advice, guidance, and instruction, both within TSA and as part of Homeland Security or inter-agency task forces or groups on contracting issues which often cross multiple projects/programs or functional areas. Interprets broad policies and objectives and develops new policies, procedures and approaches consistent with TSA operating requirements and strategic objecttives. Supports contract compliance reviews, providing evaluations from both a statistically supported and experientially derived perspective. Reviews and evaluates current policies and procedures for effectiveness and efficiency followed by a recommendation for retention, modification, or rescission as necessary. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application. Selective Service registration is required. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI). You must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance. Disclosure of your financial information is required. You must comply with education and training requirements for this position. Certification: You are required to provide a FAC-C (Professional), DoD Contracting Professional, DAWIA Level III or FAC-C, Level III certification. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. Qualifications You must meet all requirements listed below (A, B, C and D), unless you are covered by an exception, or an individual training waiver is necessary: A. Experience: 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. (see section D for specifics). B. Education: 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. Training Requirements: Applicants seeking to meet the training requirements for GS-13 and above in accordance with the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications are required to provide a FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional certification. FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional certification is PREFERRED. If an applicant has a DAWIA Level III or FAC-C, Level III, the Department may choose to obtain an Individual Training Waiver for that applicant. Therefore, applicants who do meet the above education and specialized experience requirements and have a DAIWA Level III or FAC-C Level III are encouraged to apply. The Department must obtain the waiver from the DHS Chief Procurement Officer prior to extension of an employment offer. D. Specialized Experience is defined as experience which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. In addition to the Basic Education Requirements, to qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-I or GS-13 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience leading and mentoring a team of contract specialists, demonstrating expertise in complex contract negotiation, cost and price analysis, and risk management, proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines, proven ability to work independently and as part of a team AND having comprehensive knowledge of federal procurement regulations and agency policies. Exceptions to Qualification Requirements (Applicable to Internal or Status Applicants Only): 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 Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. 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. Resumes must include the following: Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including the month and year) for work experience. State the number of hours worked in a position (i.e. full-time or part-time). If part-time, state the total number of hours worked per week. Performance level (i.e. band or grade) Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement. Educa

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