Job: Senior Contract Specialist

Jobing Description

Senior Contract Specialist
JOB SUMMARY:

Do you desire to protect American interests and secure our Nation while building a meaningful and rewarding career? If so, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling. DHS components work collectively to prevent terrorism, secure borders, enforce and administer immigration laws, safeguard cyberspace and ensure resilience to disasters. The vitality and magnitude of this mission is achieved by a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services secures America's promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system. Visit us at http://www.uscis.gov/.

Every day, our Senior Contract Specialist solicits, negotiates, administers, closes-out and terminates purchase orders and contracts; acquires a wide variety of commodities and develops, implements and reviews contracting plans for pre-award, post-award, price/cost analysis. This position of SENIOR CONTRACT SPECIALIST starts at a salary of $81,823.00(GS-13 step 1), with promotion potential to $106,369.00 (GS-13 step 10). Apply for this exciting opportunity to become a member of the Office of Contracting, Williston, VT within DHS US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

This announcement is issued under the Direct Hire Authority to recruit for positions for which the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer has a critical hiring need.

Who May Apply

Status Candidates which include:

* U.S. Citizens
* For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here

USCIS will not pay relocation expenses.
This position is in the bargaining unit.
This position is not considered "essential" for purposes of reporting to work when the facility might otherwise be closed.

Note: USCIS may fill one or more positions using this vacancy.

KEY REQUIREMENTS
* You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position
* Successfully pass a Background Investigation including financial disclosure
* You must pass a drug screening
* Meet relevant experience and/or education requirements
* You must submit resume and supporting documentation
* Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service

DUTIES:

The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence, and limited complexity.

As a Senior Contract Specialist, you will be responsible for the acquisition of equipment and services of significant importance to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. You will:

* Solicit, negotiate, administer, close-out and terminate purchase orders and contracts;
* Acquire a wide variety of commodities including furniture, telecommunication equipment, surveillance equipment, and various services and maintenance efforts;
* Develop, implement and review contracting plans for pre-award, post-award, price/cost analysis and a wide variety of procurement activities.

As a Senior Contract Specialist, you may also be required to:

* Ensure that the organization s strategic plan, mission, vision and values are communicated;
* Explain work assignments, actionable events, issues, and deadlines;
* Train team members in methods and techniques in team building, administrative procedures, and technical requirements of the job;
* Coach the team in consensus building.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

GS-13: You must complete all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency, possess 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions, and meet the basic education requirements. You qualify at the GS-13 level if you posses one (1) year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal government, such as:

* Acquiring equipment and services including the responsibility for solicitation, negotiation, administration, close-out and termination of purchase orders and contracts for a wide variety of commodities and providing technical advice, guidance and legal interpretations in all areas of contracting.

AND

* Successfully completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors 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 and completing mandatory training for the progression to a higher level contracting position such as Federal Acquisition Certification issued by the Federal Acquisition Institute or equivalent no lower than Level 2.
* Exception: If you occupied a position in the GS-1102 series since January 1, 2000, you meet the qualification requirements for that position. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, you will have to meet all job requirements, including specialized experience and the education requirement, in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver by the Department.

Basic Requirements

A. Training: 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-year s 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. 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. This position has a positive education requirement. Proof of successful completion of required course work must be provided to determine if you meet the basic qualification requirements for the position. Without this proof, your application will be rated ineligible.

C. Exceptions: Applicants who have been in a GS-1102 position (at or above a GS-13) since January 2000, without a break in service, will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupied 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: The Agency's Senior Procurement Executive may, at his or her discretion, waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above when filling a specific vacant position. 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.

The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the closing date of this announcement (Wednesday, February 15, 2012).

Travel: You will be required to travel occasionally.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

NOTE: Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. If you rated yourself higher than what is supported by your application material, you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. To view the questions in the questionnaire please click here: View Assessment Questions

Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority, veteran s preference and the rule of three do not apply. However, you are encouraged to submit proof of veteran s preference.

ddle>Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. Information about ICTAP or CTAP eligibility can be found by clicking here to access OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ ICTAP, you must be placed in the Well-Qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

BENEFITS:

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to www.dhs.gov/careers and select "benefits."

OTHER INFORMATION:

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

USCIS uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.