Contract Specialist/Senior Contract Specialist

Summary

This position is for a Contract Specialist/Senior Contract Specialist in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). In this role, the incumbent will be responsible for providing the full range of contracting support to assigned FHFA program office(s).

Duties

Office of the Chief Financial Officer The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) provides leadership and oversight of the Agency's budgeting, financial management, strategic planning, contracting, internal controls, and enterprise risk management functions. The OCFO ensures fiscal integrity, promotes effective resource allocation, strengthens risk and performance oversight, and supports data-driven informed decision-making to advance the Agency's mission and strategic goals. Position Overview The Contract Specialist/Senior Contract Specialist will be responsible for assisting program office(s) in defining their acquisition needs; identifying sources for goods and services; determining the most appropriate method of procurement; negotiating the terms and conditions of complex contracts; and implementing all acquisition policies and procedures. Major Duties & Responsibilities The Contract Specialist/Senior Contract Specialist duties listed below are at the EL-13 grade level. Depending on the grade level selected, the incumbent will perform the following duties with varying levels of supervision and difficulty: Serve as contracting officer and business advisor in contracting for one or more FHFA program offices, with unlimited signatory authority over contracts with large funding levels and involve highly visible, agency-wide strategic programs. Perform work that includes the full range of contract specializations such as negotiation, cost and price analysis, and administration; and the entire range of contracting functions; i.e. award, pre-award, and post-award. Plan and develop the acquisition strategy for the assigned program office's acquisition program. Manage the contract portfolio for assigned program office(s); determine the types of contracts and contract vehicle to be used and prepare all supporting acquisition-related documents; and monitor contract performance. Serve as the principal contracting advisor on the team; provide acquisition support to team members; coordinate with General Counsel and other offices during the acquisition process; and appoint the Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs). Direct contract administration actions required for the acquisition program, including the issuance of contract modifications, exercise of options, investigation and resolution of contractor delays, contractor past performance evaluation, disposition of claims, terminations, and similar matters. Obtain appropriate audit and technical data; plan the negotiation strategy with the FHFA program office; and lead the negotiations with contractors to develop contract price, terms, and conditions. Apply appropriate methodologies and is responsible for such actions as carrying out assignments; advising FHFA staff; and implementing policy and regulatory requirements. Ensure contracts meet the requirements of relevant legal contracting provisions. Support outreach to qualified owned businesses during the solicitation process. Participate in providing information regarding FHFA's compliance with these regulations as requested. Maintain accurate obligation data in the procurement system, and participate in audits conducted by the Bureau of Fiscal Services, FHFA OIG, GAO, etc. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and evaluation

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13041795 All of the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references or through other means, such as the interview process. This verification could occur at any stage of the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible. In accordance with the Fair Chance Act, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) may not request, in oral or written form, that an applicant for an appointment to (FHFA) disclose criminal history record information before the appointing authority extends a tentative offer to the applicant. Allegations of FHFA violations of this Act may be submitted to fairchanceactcomplaints@fhfa.gov or to Fair Chance Act Complaints, Office of Human Resources Management, Employee Relations Branch, FHFA 400 7th Street, SW Washington DC 20219 within 30 days from the agency employee's alleged non-compliance with the law.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Ryan Stanger at ryan.stanger@fhfa.gov or 771-233-7320 to obtain an alternative application.

Required documents

FHFA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. All applicants are required to submit the following supportive documents: 1. Your Resume: Whether you have written a federal resume before or not, you may want to check out the new USAJOBS Help Center link (USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?), as it details what you should, and should not, include in your resume. Below you will find some of the required information that you should include in your federal resume: Contact Information: Your name and the best way to contact you. Relevant work experience: Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement. Education, certifications or licensures: If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume. Other important information regarding your resume: As a part of the Executive Order 14170 titled, "Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service", all applicant resumes must be 2 pages or less. The long-form Federal resume style is now prohibited under this Executive Order. To be compliant with this guidance, please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Due to the new 2-page resume limitation, finalists for this position may be asked to provide additional previous employment information for pay setting purposes. 2. SF-50's are required with the exception of current FHFA employees. Please include an SF-50 that shows your tenure (1 or 2 in Block 24) and competitive status (1 in Block 34). You will not be considered without this. The SF-50 should show highest grade held on a permanent basis in the competitive service. You must provide an SF-50 that indicates your competitive eligibility. 3. Required, if applicable: This position requires a minimum level of education or a combination of education and experience. Please submit your transcripts (official or unofficial) along with your application if you choose an option that requires transcripts. Failure to provide transcripts, when required, will result in removal from the hiring process. Note: If you are selected for a position, an official transcript will be required before onboarding. 4. Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.) 5. Required, if applicable: Veteran's Preference Documentation (DD-214, Member Copy 4 or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge. Disabled veterans and other applicants eligible for 10-point Veteran's Preference please include: documentation to validate your claim - VA letter, SF-15, etc.). 6. Other Supporting Documents: Cover Letter, optional Schedule A letter, if applicable Important Notes: Utilize the preview feature of USA Jobs to view your documents and ensure the formatting remains and all documents are legible. Additional materials will not be accepted after the announcement closes (e.g. updated grades, updated resume, etc.). Your full name must be clearly visible on all documents. Do not submit encrypted documents. Tips: Encrypted documents do not transmit properly through USA Jobs. We recommend, you save the document as a new PDF or Print to PDF to ensure the document comes through properly and is displayed properly using the USA Jobs preview feature. If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualification. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Additional information

An Overview of FHFA's Benefits provides a summary of benefits for the current fiscal year. This position is subject to initial Financial Disclosure and subsequent annual filing requirements. If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx). Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to Federal employees who have been involuntarily separated or whose positions are surplus. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet CTAP/ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified with a score of 90 or above; and (3) submit required documentation. For more information, visit: For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. FHFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age (40 or older), genetic information, parental or marital status, prior protected EEO activity, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: FHFA provides accommodations to applicants with disabilities unless it would create an undue hardship. To request an accommodation, contact reasonableaccommodations@fhfa.gov. All requests are reviewed case by case.