Lead Acquisition Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, Office of Patent Financial Management (OPFM), Acquisition and Travel Division (ATD). OPFM is responsible for managing and overseeing Patent specific resources in support of the establishment of Patent program activity targets; and providing Patent program-specific budget, financial management, travel, and acquisition support to the program areas reporting to the Commissioner for Patents.

Duties

• The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year. This position partners with program offices throughout the Patents organization, providing expert acquisition guidance to customers who rely on acquisition professionals to navigate the federal procurement process. You'll thrive in this role if you enjoy: Developing acquisition strategies and guiding program offices through the full acquisition lifecycle, from requirements development through contract administration and performance oversight. Analyzing acquisition programs, business operations, and procurement processes to identify opportunities that improve efficiency, strengthen compliance, and deliver measurable business results. Overseeing complex contracts by monitoring contractor performance, reviewing financials and deliverables, ensuring compliance with contract requirements, and protecting the Government's interests throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Building collaborative relationships with leadership, program offices, and stakeholders by providing expert acquisition guidance, helping customers navigate the federal acquisition process, and delivering business solutions that support the Patents organization. Serving as a technical leader by mentoring and coaching acquisition staff, sharing acquisition expertise, and leading process improvements that strengthen acquisition operations.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at General Business and Industry Series 1101. Selective Placement Factor: Applicants must possess an active FAC-COR Level III certification, or a comparable Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) certification recognized by a Federal agency as equivalent at the time of application. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service: Specialized experience for this position includes all of the following: Planning and advising on the full acquisition lifecycle, including developing acquisition strategies, requirements documents, statements of work (SOWs) or performance work statements (PWSs), and providing acquisition guidance to managers or program officials. Overseeing complex contract administration, including monitoring contractor performance, reviewing financials and deliverables, ensuring compliance with contract requirements, and serving as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or performing comparable contract oversight responsibilities. Analyzing acquisition operations and recommending improvements by preparing analyses, reports, or recommendations that strengthen acquisition processes, improve organizational performance, and support leadership decision making. 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.

Education

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.

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 at least 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.