Small Business Specialist

Full Job Description

The position is located in the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (OSVA).

The incumbent provides small business policy advice directly to senior acquisition officials including the Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive.

Reports directly to the Executive Director as a senior advisor on complex issues involving agency and Government-wide policy.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/27/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Examining Congressional inquiries. Developing and coordinating legislative proposals.

Developing and coordinating small business strategy. Drafting materials for use in briefing senior policymakers. Identifying gaps in existing acquisition related policy coverage.

Implementing methodologies for reports on special analytical issues.

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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Examining Congressional inquiries; Developing legislative proposals; Developing small business strategy; Drafting materials for senior policymakers; Identifying gaps in policy coverage; and Implementing methodologies for special analytical issues.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC.

This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420. Major Duties:

Duties include but not limited to: Draft materials for Executive Director's use in briefing the Secretary, Deputy Secretary or other senior policymakers.

Develop and coordinate small business strategy enabling VA to meet its goals and comply with laws and regulations.

Develop and implement methodologies for reports on small business goal performance and special analytical issues.

Identify gaps in existing acquisition related policy coverage and make recommendations to the Office of the Secretary.

Review existing policy guidance from multiple and often conflicting sources in response to complex research requests.

Examine Congressional inquiries to identify relevant VA strategic interests, draft responses, and make recommendations.

Develop and coordinate legislative proposals, memoranda, VA handbooks and directives to implement recommendations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available at Manager's discretion. Telework: Ad Hoc telework as determined by agency policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: PD900030 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required