Supervisory Contract Specialist

Summary Chief Contracting Officer for the Phoenix Area Office in Phoenix, AZ, who will be responsible for all contracting, simplified acquisitions, Government purchase card transactions and agreements; and for carrying out a comprehensive plan for acquisitions support for the Phoenix Area health facilities and programs for emergency preparedness and response purposes. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021). Responsibilities Plans development, establishes and organizes the contract strategy for the overall acquisition contracting process within the Area for a wide variety of contracts, including Service, Construction, Purchased/Referred care contracts, staffing and locum tenens. Provides oversight of the full range of contract functions and actions, specifically the planning, solicitation, negotiation, source selection, award, administration, protests, terminations and closeout of contracts. Provides regional acquisitions support for the Area with the intent of optimizing regional buying power, reducing procurement lead-time, allowing specialization and providing a continuum of services. Directs the full range of contract administration actions required for the acquisition program that includes the issuance of task orders, contract modifications, negotiation of changes, exercise of options, investigation and resolution of contractor delays, contractor performance, subcontractor surveillance, disposition of claims, terminations, close-out and other required matters. Functions as the Area point of contact for protests and terminations. Provides contracting, acquisition review, support, and contract administrative support to other contracting offices. This is a competitive vacancy announcement advertised under Direct Hire Authority. Selections made under this vacancy announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given new appointments to the civil service; however, benefits, time served, and all other Federal entitlements would remain the same. Requirements Conditions of Employment Selectee may be subject to a probationary period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period may be required upon selection/placement. Confidential Financial Disclosure Form required. IHS Selectees that will work in an IHS health care facility may be subject to Employee Health Policies related to Measles and Rubella, and seasonal influenza immunizations. Vaccine exemption requests may be available according to the National and/or Service Unit guidance. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. Qualifications To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. 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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. 1) BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): A. 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 has been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of the position. AND B. Completion of 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. (You must provide transcripts and/or supporting documents.) OR C. 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. 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. In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below- 2) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-15 GRADE LEVEL: You must have one-year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Serving as a warranted Senior Contracting Officer for a wide range of complex procurements, including professional services, information technology, and construction - throughout the acquisition lifecycle, pre- and post-award Leading acquisition operations at an organizational level, including oversight of multiple teams executing complex federal acquisitions. Ensuring compliance with the FAR, agency acquisition regulations, competition requirements, socioeconomic and small business programs, fiscal law, ethics standards, and procurement integrity requirements. Reviewing, approving, or providing senior-level guidance on acquisition plans, procurement strategies, solicitations, source selections, negotiation objectives, contract awards, modifications, and contract administration actions. Resolving complex contracting matters such as protests, claims, disputes, terminations, performance deficiencies, organizational conflicts of interest, procurement integrity issues, or high-risk acquisition actions. 3) SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: In addition to the minimum requirements, the following certification is determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of a particular position. Applicants who do not meet a selective placement factor are ineligible for further consideration. Completion of FAC-C (Professional) or legacy FAC-C Level III Certification; OR Completion of DoD Contracting Professional Certification Selective Placement Factor Verification: Applicants must attach/include a copy of their FAC-C Professional certification and/or a most recent Defense Acquisition University (DAU) /FAI Cornerstone on Demand Continuous Learning Individual Progress Dashboard. Applicants with a DoD Contracting Professional certification must possess an active DoD Contracting Professional Certification and attach a copy of the certification and a current copy of the Acquisition Career Record Brief transcript. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Education This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: 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. For further information, visit Additional Information 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 CompetencyBased 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. ( 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. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous 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. This position is ineligible for the Bargaining Unit. You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).