Summary Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center seeks a Supervisory Contract Specialist to serve as Chief for the Operations and Simplified Acquisitions Branch within the Office of Acquisitions. The Chief leads and directs programs associated with the full range of contracting functions including contract negotiations, administration and termination. Your work will have a significant impact on Volpe Center programs and operations. This position is in Cambridge, MA. Responsibilities As The Supervisory Contract Specialist, you will: Provide oversight of planning, directing, and coordinating the processing, awarding and administration of contracts and orders, and providing leadership and direction to a staff of employees engaged in acquisition and contracting activities. Manage the full range of contracting functions, including evaluating reasonableness of estimated costs and/or prices of proposed contract actions and adequacy of contractor accounting or purchasing systems, contract negotiations, administration, closeout, and termination. Provide oversight for Contracts for the procurement of research and development services, technical support services, building maintenance and repair services, rail equipment, and other equipment and supplies. Manage the Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) procurements and oversees and coordinates all matters pertaining to the Volpe Center's socioeconomic programs, including small and small disadvantaged area programs, industry assistance, business counseling; acts as liaison with the Small Business Administration (SBA). Participates with other Office of Acquisitions managers and program leaders in the development and implementation of acquisition policies, procedures, programs and goals impacting all acquisition activities The ideal candidate possesses expert knowledge in areas of procurement statutes and regulations, contracting principles, practices, and innovative acquisition techniques/approaches including comprehensive understanding of the entire range of acquisition processes and can manage a broad range of technical requirements in the development, implementation, and administration of contract programs, including fixed price, and cost reimbursement contracting. Superb communication skills are a must as this position will convey technical and administrative management requirements to employees, peers, executives and contractors across the agency. Volpe is committed to fostering an all-inclusive diverse workforce where employees feel valued for their unique backgrounds and qualities and have a sense of belonging and engagement in helping to advance transportation for the public good. PLEASE NOTE: Current Volpe employees with duty stations other than Cambridge, MA may apply for this position and may remain in their current duty station, if selected. Salary will be adjusted in accordance with the locality pay of the specific area. Salaries for areas are available on the OPM website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay­ leave/salaries-wages/2024/general-schedule/ Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date Required documents must be submitted by the closing date. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: New supervisors must complete a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed). PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). SECURITY CLEARANCE: Varies by position. If applicable, you must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position to which appointed. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Varies by position. If applicable, you may be required to file a confidential financial disclosure form (Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Form 450) or a public financial disclosure form (OGE Form 278e), within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. POSITION SENSITIVITY AND RISK: Varies by position and will be based on the position to which appointed. CERTIFICATION: FAC-C Level Ill is required to be obtained within 6 months from the date of hire, if the applicant is not already FAC-C Level Ill certified. Applicants must submit a copy of any current certification and/or transcripts with their application. The employee must meet the continuing acquisition education requirements required by FAITAS. REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for Remote Work. Remote work is an arrangement in which an employee works at an alternative worksite (e.g., from home) and is not expected to report to the office to work. Remote work location will be determined upon/after selection and may affect locality pay. If selected as a remote work position, must have access to high speed internet and cell phone service meeting current Agency standards from the approved work location within the Contiguous United State and sign a remote work agreement. The difference in salary is determined by the locality pay in each location. Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2024/general-schedule/ Qualifications To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications. To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Experience executing pre-award or post-award procurement actions and modifying standard contract procedures and terms to satisfy contract requirements (e.g., analyzing contracting issues and identify alternative courses of action or modifying standard contract procedures and terms). Experience developing the pricing structure and/or negotiation strategy where little contractual precedent exists to serve as guidance and leading the negotiations with offerors and/or contractors to reach a fair and reasonable price and/or terms and conditions. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisitions Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration. Acquisition Strategy - Knowledge of the principles and methods for developing an integrated acquisition management plan that describes the business, technical, and support strategies, including the relationship between the acquisition phases, work efforts, and key program events (for example, decision points, contract awards, test activities). Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Supervisory -Skills to include acquiring and managing human resources, promoting and leading a diverse workforce; creating a culture that encourages creativity and fosters high standards of ethics; developing a high performing organization through the use of sound performance planning and monitoring processes; and the recognition and reward of staff contributions. For all types of consideration, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education Basic Requirements for 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. Additional Information The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.