Associate Executive Director Technology Acquisition Center

Summary
This position provides leadership, strategic direction and management oversight for VA's Technology Acquisition Center, which is comprised of 362 employees. The incumbent is responsible for providing comprehensive acquisition support for VA's highly complex requirements, primarily strategic information technology systems. This strategic Federal asset is one of the largest centralized contracting activities within the VA with annual sales transactions of over $38 billion.
This job is open to

• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Senior executives
  Those who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
All groups of qualified individuals.
Duties
Duties include but are not limited to:

1. The Associate Executive Director is responsible for the operational execution, oversight, compliance, direction and support of all acquisitions within the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC). The Associate Executive Director provides leadership and direction to support VA Information Technology (IT) acquisitions. The Associate Executive Director provides leadership and direction to the TAC to ensure efficient and effective contracting activities and maintain compliance with Federal and agency regulations, policies, directives and operating procedures.
2. Oversees the development of contract actions having high-level significance and notably national in scope. Studies and evaluates the acquisition program and recommends policies to maintain an effective and efficient operation.
3. Recommends policies, plans, and strategies for acquisition planning, procurement, and contract administration in connection with acquiring IT supplies, equipment and services required.
4. Manages the development of strategic IT contract actions that have high-level significance and notability and are national in scope. Acquisitions consist of highly complex IT services and commodities; strategically sourced and enterprise-wide contracts. Evaluate the effectiveness and economy of the procurement activities under his/her control. Leads a program of quality control to assure that the TAC procurement program is carried out in accordance with generally accepted procurement criteria established within the Federal Government.
5. Serves as the Head of Contracting Activity for the TAC. Responsible for conducting analyses of procurement data to develop acquisition strategies leveraging V A's, as well as other government agencies, buying power.
6. Manages the strategic planning, operational improvement, and integrated performance management functions for the TAC. Maintains observation over the development of reporting mechanisms for critical operational and transformational metrics to gauge progress on strategic and operational initiatives and high-level progress reports, initiating corrective actions when necessary to reach stated goals.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• US citizenship is required.
• One year probationary period required for initial SES appointment.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Incumbents of this position will be subject to a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.
• Successful completion of drug screening required.
• Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF-278) is required within 30 days of appointment.
• May be subject to reassignment geographically or organizationally.
• VA structures its SES positions into pay bands. This is a Pay Band 3 position and the salary range is $141,022 - $195,000. Exceptions to the cap of the range may be considered in certain circumstances.

Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications, applicants must possess the following technical and executive core qualifications. These qualifications would typically be gained through progressively responsible management or executive level assignments such as director of a regional office, medical facility or program manager. An individual's total experience, education and volunteer work experience must demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of the position.
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.
MANDATORY EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to each of the following ECQs and include your name on each page. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and demonstrate the underlying competencies in the narrative. Examples should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities; the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services you managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed; and the results of your actions. You should use action oriented leadership words to describe your experience and accomplishments and quantify your experience wherever possible to demonstrate your accomplishments (e.g., number of employees supervised; size of budget managed; amount of money saved, etc.). Applicants should use the Challenge, Context, Action and Results (CCAR) model below when responding to each ECQ:

• Challenge. Describe a specific problem or goal.
• Context. Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale, etc).
• Action. Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
• Result. Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.

Your narrative response should not exceed 10 pages, be typed in 12 point font with one-inch margins. It is recommended that you include 2 recent (not older than 10 years) examples per ECQ and draft your ECQs in a Word document before uploading into the system to ensure these guidelines are met. Information that exceeds these guidelines will not be reviewed. Detailed information on each ECQ, the underlying and fundamental competencies, sample narratives and a tips sheet for writing effective ECQs are available in the "Guide To Senior Executive Service Qualifications" GUIDE (opm.gov) at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/.
1. Leading Change: The ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. (Underlying Competencies: Creativity and Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, and Vision)
2. Leading People: The ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Underlying Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others and Team Building)
3. Results Driven: The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. (Underlying Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving and Technical Credibility)
4. Business Acumen: The ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically. (Underlying Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management and Technology Management)
5. Building Coalitions: The ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. (Underlying Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy and Influencing/Negotiation)
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (TQ)s: In addition, all applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following specific TQ(s). Please label and include your name on each page. Please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled managing a large public or private sector organization that administers complex, rules-based benefits or services, etc. It is recommended that you draft your TQ(s) in a word document and then upload into the system.
TQ1. In depth knowledge of Federal acquisition practices, policies, regulations, and public law as it relates to acquiring information technology supplies, equipment and services with a portfolio of at least $100 million.
TQ2. The incumbent must possess knowledge and experience in analyzing complex programs and devising highly successful acquisition strategies in
support of an organization's acquisition requirements. Inherent to this qualification is the demonstrated ability to assess and prioritize customer
needs, develop with management a strategy to address those needs, and an organizational plan to execute the strategy.
Education
To meet basic requirements for the 1102 series, applicants must have completed a 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. COPIES OF TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE PROVIDED AS PROOF. CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT PROVIDE PROOF WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
FEDERAL ACQUISITION CERTIFICATION IN CONTRACTING (FAC-C)

• Applicants must possess or be eligible for Level Ill FAC-C certification in accordance with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) FAC-C Certification Standards or Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA); or
• Applicants who currently possess or are eligible for Level II FAC-C certification and can achieve Level III certification according to VA or DAWIA standards within eighteen months from the date of appointment to this position will also be considered.
• Please indicate in your application your level and source (VA, DAWIA) of certification or eligibility for certification.

Additional information
Veteran Preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.: https://www.opm.gov/faqs/topic/Senior-Executive-Service/index.aspx.
Drug Testing: All applicants tentatively selected for VA Senior Executive Service employment in any position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Incumbents of this position will be subject to a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Step 1:ECQ qualifications
Step 2:Technical Qualification(s)
Step 3:VA Executive Resources Board
Step 4:Nominating Organization may conduct interviews
Step 5:Approval by the Selecting Official (may include additional screening)
Step 6:OPM Qualifications Review Board certification

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  A complete application for this position includes the following items:
  1. Resume not to exceed 5 pages;
  2. Written narrative response to address each Technical Qualification(s) not to exceed 2 pages each; and
  3. Written narrative responses to address each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) not to exceed 2 pages each for a total of 10 pages; or
  4. Proo...