The mission of the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO) is to transform the Department of Education (ED) into a high-performance, customer-focused organization by providing services to our customers that help them do a better job of managing their people, processes, and overall strategy. Within OFO, this position is located in the Office of Contracts and Acquisitions Management (CAM). This position may be detailed to another Federal agency.
The Executive Director is responsible for the overall management of the Department's procurement functions and provides leadership and coordination to Office of Acquisition Management immediate office staff and to the following components: (1) Program Contracts Group, (2) Operations Contracts Group, (3) Education Science Contracts Group, (4) Simplified Acquisitions Group, and (5) Performance and Logistics Group.
Each of the Contracting Groups provides contracting and acquisition support to designated client offices. Additionally, the incumbent serves as the Head of the Contracting Activity for all program components of the Department and all boards, commissions, and councils under management control of the Department with authority to oversee, execute, and sign all contracts and agreements.
In carrying out their duties, the Executive Director: Provides executive direction for the planning, coordination, control, and assessment of all contracting functions for the Department and is authorized to make decisions in all functional areas of contracting, with overall responsibility for an approximately $650 million acquisition portfolio; Directs the planning, development, and implementation of actions required to implement and support the agency's acquisition program, which includes information management systems, financial management systems, educational research, program evaluations, and support services to nationwide constituents and clients; Formulates and implements procedures and guidelines for conducting procurement and contracting functions efficiently and economically as well as directs the implementation of acquisition policies to ensure that CAM and the Department's principal offices comply with government-wide acquisition programs and all applicable laws, regulations, and executive direction; Develops, recommends, establishes, implements, and maintains acquisition policies, regulations, procedures, and procurement performance measures for the Department of Education, including Federal Student Aid (FSA), consistent with applicable Federal and Departmental laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures that impact the ED acquisition system and function; Provides guidance on and interpretation of acquisition related policies issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, General Services Administration, Office of Management and Budget, and other authorities; Serves as an advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Acquisitions, Chief Acquisition Officer, Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary, and other senior Department officials in all matters governing the administration, negotiation, and termination of Department contracts, acquisitions, and agreements; Approves, reviews, and modifies, as necessary, all Department initiated determinations required by statute to be signed by the head of the agency; Directs the implementation of a comprehensive Department-wide management control system that reinforces sound and ethical procurement practices and assures the integrity of the Department's procurement processes; Formulates, develops, and establishes innovative methods, techniques, and procedures to ensure that senior management officials are made aware of any abuses in the system, reinforce the importance of timely corrective action, and assure that the contracting process is void of organizational conflicts of interest; Supports and participates fully with the Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive in matters of policy interpretation, development, communication, implementation, and oversight; Collaborates with FSA's Head of Contracting Activity, sharing and implementing best practices (managerial, workforce development, and procurement) and leveraging resources to improve the effectiveness of both contracting activities and to support enterprise initiatives internally and externally; and Develops and maintains the procurement career management program to ensure an adequate and professional acquisition workforce at ED.
To qualify, applicants must have completed a 4-year 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.
Quintin.Durden@ed.gov · (202) 401-8548
This position is with Department of Education Headquarters, Department of Education.
The posted pay range is $151661 – $228000/yr.
This position is eligible for telework.
This position requires a Other security clearance.
Applications close on 2026-09-16.
This position is open under the 'Fed Competitive' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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