Supervisory Contract Specialist

Summary This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics (OPAL), Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC). This position negotiates awards and administers strategic enterprise-wide multi-year, multi-billion dollar contracts for professional services. Responsibilities This position involves negotiating, awarding, and managing multi-year, multi-billion-dollar contracts. It oversees division chiefs responsible for professional service contracts and enterprise-wide ordering vehicles. Through strategic acquisition practices, this directorate ensures that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), particularly the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), has the necessary resources and program support to provide high-quality care and services to veterans. It also manages key initiatives such as the Integrated Healthcare Transformation (IHT 2.0) and the Integrated Critical Staffing Program (ICSP), which contribute to operational efficiency and mission success. Major Duties: Analyze, interpret and apply Federal procurement regulations. Review economic, technical and legal requirements for procurement to select the contract type with the appropriate pricing structure, terms and conditions. Apply proper regulatory references to evaluate, interpret and select contract provisions. Review technical evaluations and proposals to analyze cost/price and negotiate for contract actions. Formulate and recommend policies or plans relating to acquisition planning, procurement, and contract administration. Recommend and implement departmental contracting guides or procedures based on evaluating audit reports, studies, regulations or other relevant material. Assist program managers in developing required documentation for complex and/or high value procurements. Conduct research in the field of procurement and contracting to develop and recommend improved practices. Analyze markets, prepare forecasts and use research to develop acquisition strategy. Direct the activities of other acquisition specialists by establishing work schedules and priorities. Plan work to be accomplished by subordinates based on consideration of the difficulty and requirements involved and the capabilities of the staff. Evaluate performance of employees and approve or recommend improvements of work projects. Identify training needs of the staff and take a proactive role in their professional development. Meet with interested parties to defend procurement actions, needs or quality of services. Make presentations of source selection decisions or other procurement decisions to upper management. Provide technical advice or information to industry, government agencies, internal customers or other contract specialists. Organize and present technical contracting information in written format. Represent a department or organization at negotiations, conferences or other meetings. Provides day-to-day leadership, guidance, mentorship, program management, and oversight to staff. Holds staff accountable. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available with supervisor approval. Position Description Title/PD#: Supervisory Contract Specialist~/20752A Physical Requirements: The subject position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting, however where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces, or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations. Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position. Requirements Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Conditions of Employment: You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. You must possess and maintain Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting and Unlimited Contract Warrants. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements for the GS-13 and Above: 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 under Paragraph 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. GS-15 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience includes: Acts as a key Business Advisor for acquisition matters, formulates, and recommends policies, procedures, and strategies for the most expeditious and efficient way to acquire supplies, equipment, and services. Leads the development and execution of complex acquisition strategies and methodologies for awarding and managing mission-critical contracts, aiming to make the procurement process faster, more efficient, and simpler. Maximizes employee engagement by training, developing, and providing growth opportunities. Provides customer experience tailored to specific portfolios by customers outreach, long and short-term planning, and addressing customer complaints. Ensures that the organization meets or exceeds its established metrics and administers contracts in its portfolio efficiently, on time, and in compliance with laws and regulations. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Leadership Acquisition Strategy Contract Administration Communications Strategic Thinking Knowledge Management 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; religions; 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. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Agency Contact listed for this Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA).

Created: 2026-03-13