Business Development Specialist

Job Summary

This position is located in the Small Business Administration, Office of Field Operations - Region X. The Business Development Specialist provides information on the purpose of the 8(a) Business Development program, eligibility requirements, and application process. The job is open to U.S. Citizens, Nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. It is also open to Federal employees, Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Veterans, Individuals with disabilities, Military spouses, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista, Family of overseas employees, and Land & base management.

Duties

• Under the supervision of a senior staff member, the incumbent provides guidance to small businesses to aid in development of small business principles and strategies to enhance their ability to compete successfully for both 8(a) and non-8(a) contracts.
• Focus on small business concerns eligible to apply for the 8(a) program and other SBA contract certification and business development programs.
• Researches and coordinates training related materials to meet the needs of small businesses and SBA organizations/agencies.
• Under the supervision of a senior staff member, the incumbent coordinates with the Office of Government Contracting Business Development as appropriate to meet compliance requirements.
• Provide advice/counseling to assist firm in the development of realistic and attainable objectives for their business regarding federal contracting.
• Provide advice, counsel, and guidance in the areas of marketing to federal government and contract administration.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You must successfully complete a background investigation.
• You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Incumbent requires a valid driver's license (VDL).

Qualifications

• GS-09: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector, that demonstrates the ability to work in all of the following: assisting in reviewing, researching, and referencing federal procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; participating in outreach, training, presentations, and education on a variety of business management and financial management topics; providing support to senior staff in promoting an organization's programs and services through outreach and marketing.
• GS-11: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: that demonstrates the ability to work in all of the following: reviewing, researching, and referencing federal procurement laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; assisting and coordinating training, educating, or developing businesses interested in working with the government or with prime contractors; promoting an organization's programs and services through outreach and marketing.

Additional Information
This is a bargaining unit position with AFGE Local 228. This is not a drug testing designated position (TDP). Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps 'surplus' or 'displaced' federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only). Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps 'surplus' or 'displaced' federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency). You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if: 1. You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a 'surplus' or 'displaced' employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF). 2. Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce. 3. The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced. 4. You meet the qualifications and other requirements of the job for which you are applying. This includes being rated as well-qualified for the position (score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment). Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit Consistent with work requirements and current SBA Policy, and all applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE the SBA offers employees opportunities to perform work at an alternative location (e.g. home). Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement if additional vacancies occur within 180 days of the date the certificates were issued.

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. Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on the information provided in the Occupational Questionnaire. To preview this questionnaire, click on the following link: You will be rated based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The occupational questions relate to the following Competencies required to do the work of this position:

• Business Development
• Compliance
• Education and Training
• Oral Communication
• Writing

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position may require an additional assessment that will be conducted.A Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications for the position. The additional assessment measures additional competencies required to perform the job. The additional assessment measures additional competencies required to perform the job. Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your responses to the assessment questions. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. If you meet basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories: 1. Best-Qualified: highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 2. Well-Qualified: competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, training, and education as applicable, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 3. Qualified: an overall basic level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category. Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1. meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria as described under 'Additional Information' above; and 2. submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility claim which can be found under the Required Documents section of this vacancy announcement.

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. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date/time of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission. 1. Your Resume - must contain the following information:

• Name, address, telephone number, email address;
• Supervisor's contact information, if available (indicate if you would prefer to be notified before your supervisor is contacted);
• Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
• If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy);
• If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
• An integral part of our selection process includes the completion of reference checks. Please provide the names and telephone numbers of three professional references (e.g., current and/or former supervisors, college or university professors, managers or coordinators of volunteer activities, etc.) who know your qualifications relative to this position and who we can contact to verify your credentials. Do not list personal friends or relatives.
• Please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. If your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy) of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.
• Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.

2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire 3. In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the occupational questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms, if applicable. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all documents are legible:

• Federal employees must submit proof of your permanent career/career-conditional competitive status ('1' or '2' in Tenure, block 24 and '1' in Position Occupied, block 34). Submit SF-50 showing current grade and tenure and an SF-50 showing highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different. NOTE: An award or detail SF-50 will not be accepted as proof of status.
• If you are using education as a substitution for experience (the announcement will state whether this is allowed), or if there is an educational requirement for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (unofficial or official) that clearly describes your qualifying education. If selected, official transcripts will be required;
• If you are claiming Veteran status, you must submit a copy of all required documents to support your claim (including a DD-214 showing character of service)see VetGuide;
• To receive consideration for a special appointment authority (30% Disabled Vet, Schedule A, Peace Corps, VRA, etc) you must submit all required documentation supporting your claim for Special Appointing Authorities;
• Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD-214 (showing the character of service) or other proof of service to receive consideration for veterans' preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit
• CTAP/ICTAP/RPL Applicants: Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (if applicable), your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330, and your most recent performance appraisal.

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