Self Determination Officer

This Self Determination Officer position is with Office of the Secretary of the Interior (Department of the Interior) in Phoenix, AZ. One position is being filled. Serves as lead contracting authority for the award, administration, and oversight of Indian Self-Determination (P.L. 93-638) contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, ensuring statutory, regulatory, financial, and audit compliance while providing technical guidance to support effective tribal self-governance. Duty location determined at selection. Must reside within 49 miles of a DOI office. Key duties: • Serves as Lead Awarding Official for P.L. 93-638 contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, performing pre- and post-award functions and ensuring compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies. Administers financial assistance and payment provisions for P.L. 93-638 agreements, including funding, cost reimbursement, obligations, distributions, and contract support funding. Reviews and analyzes tribal proposals and applications for completeness, accuracy, legal and regulatory compliance, funding limitations, and award readiness; coordinates internal reviews and resolves issues prior to award. Maintains official award files and records from proposal receipt through closeout, ensuring documentation supports contractual actions, financial accountability, audit requirements, and regulatory compliance. Monitors post-award performance and financial execution, identifies budget overages, shortfalls, and other issues, and recommends corrective actions to support successful agreement administration. Provides authoritative technical guidance and assistance to Self-Determination Specialists, USWFS staff, tribes, and tribal organizations on contracting methods, statutory authorities, waivers, financial requirements, and P.L. 93-638 program administration. Conducts and supports program reviews and compliance assessments of tribal self-determination programs; prepares findings, follow-up reports, and recommendations to address deficiencies and improve program operations. Develops and delivers training and technical assistance for USWFS and tribal personnel on P.L. 93-638 requirements, including financial, personnel, property, travel, indirect costs, contract support costs, and cost principles. Prepares reports and responds to information requests from departmental leadership; tracks appropriations and obligations, resolves discrepancies, and ensures timely and equitable distribution and utilization of P.L. 93-638 funds. Qualifications: In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time or part-time, hours must be included). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted. Selective Placement Factor: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor will be rated not qualified. Either Level 1 or Level 2 Awarding Certification are required to be considered for this position. Under the Bureau's Awarding Official Certification System (AOCS), any incumbent designated or delegated to function as an Awarding Official for contracts and grants under the Indian Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 93-638) must obtain and maintain continual certification through the Bureau's certification system. In addition to the above listed Selective Placement Factor you must also meet the Basic Qualification Requirements: For the GS-13 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level, or higher in the Federal service, or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience include: Providing leadership and/or management of the Indian Self-Determination and the Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA) as Amended and Public Law (P.L. 93-638) program activities. Serving as an Awarding Official providing advisory services to develop, coordinate, negotiate and award a variety of contracts and grants. Handling contract management, policy development reviews, negotiating and resolving administrative or management issues. Determining organizational training needs regarding self-determination and determining activities associated with the development of training and curriculum development to support the implementation of P.L. 93-638. Volunteer Experience: 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. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification and Time-In-Grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.