Supervisory Contract Specialist

This position is in the Office of the Deputy Administrator and is responsible for Commodity Procurement Program (CPP)-wide implementation of procurement policy and regulations, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR), and USDA Acquisition Manual (AGAM), providing procurement standard operating procedures and samples, and promulgating career and training guidance for the CPP Acquisition Workforce.

Major duties

• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Directs and manages all commodity procurement activities, including acquisition plans, solicitation development, award activities, delivery, payment, and closeout.
• Collaboratively, participates with senior management in program planning, policy determinations, evaluations, and decisions concerning acquisition, oversight and materiel management.
• Oversees the management and development of critical policies, procedures, and practices in acquisition and material management areas.
• Directs the formulation of short-term and long-term Division priorities for the CPP Strategic Plan and the yearly CPP Operating Plan.
• Formulates and initiates new or revised USDA/AMS/CPP policies; interprets and adopt national programs to meet CPP requirements.
• Develops effective relationships/liaisons with trade groups, associations, Federal and nongovernmental offices, as well as the public regarding CPP programs and commodity operations.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. BASIC REQUIREMENT: 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 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. 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. FOR THE GS-15 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Ensuring that procurements support planned and on-going operations that directly impact several major USDA programs and mission delivery Coordinating with executive level staff to make recommendations and implement solutions. Providing strategic leadership; overall planning, directing, coordinating long range plans and daily operations. Leading a team or project to include gaining cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals. There is no education substitution for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.