Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

SCENSION is seeking experienced, highly dependable Administrative Operations Leads / Operations Research & Management Analyst II professionals to provide mission-critical escort coordination and operational support to the Department of Defense's Office of Military Commissions.

This opportunity is best suited for professionals who combine strong administrative and operational coordination skills with the judgment, professionalism, discretion, situational awareness, and interpersonal maturity required to work in controlled Federal and military environments. The successful candidate must be comfortable interacting with a diverse population that may include Government officials, military personnel, victims and family members, witnesses, non-governmental organization representatives, members of the media, panel members, installation security personnel, and other authorized visitors.

This is not a traditional security guard position. The role is better understood as an administrative operations, visitor movement, access coordination, and mission-support position. The individual helps ensure that authorized personnel arrive at the appropriate locations, satisfy applicable access requirements, receive necessary information, follow established OMC and installation procedures, and are appropriately supported throughout hearings, trials, and CCTV viewing activities.

The ideal candidate is organized and calm under pressure, exercises sound judgment without constant supervision, anticipates operational issues before they disrupt proceedings, communicates clearly, safeguards sensitive information, and can manage changing schedules and priorities in environments where accuracy and procedural compliance matter.

Position Summary

The Administrative Operations Lead / Operations Research & Management Analyst II will support Task Area 6, Escort Support Services, providing administrative, logistical, visitor-access, transportation-coordination, CCTV-site, and operational support for OMC hearings and trial activities.

Task Area 6 may be performed throughout the National Capital Region; Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Fort Hamilton, New York; Fort Meade, Maryland; Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia; and potentially other locations throughout the United States where OMC establishes CCTV viewing sites.

The position requires flexibility because escort activities are driven by the commissions schedule rather than a conventional Monday-through-Friday workload. The PWS establishes normal operations from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time but specifically requires escort capability between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Personnel may occasionally work staggered schedules, weekends, Federal holidays, or other alternative schedules in support of court or trial activities.

Successful personnel will combine administrative coordination with disciplined execution of site access procedures, visitor accountability, transportation coordination, event readiness, information protection, and immediate escalation of operational or security issues.

Primary Responsibilities and Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

• Coordinate escort assignments, schedules, transportation requirements, visitor movements, site readiness activities, and other operational requirements associated with scheduled OMC hearings and trials.
• Meet authorized guests and visitors at Joint Base Andrews Visitor Control Center or other designated locations and accompany personnel to assigned OMC destinations, including travel to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay when required.
• Escort victims and family members, non-governmental organization representatives, media representatives, witnesses, panel members, and other authorized individuals in accordance with OMC and installation procedures.
• Coordinate visitor access with Government representatives, installation security offices, and other designated personnel before admitting individuals to CCTV viewing locations.
• Validate visitor credentials against Government-provided Authorized Personnel Access Rosters before permitting entry into designated viewing areas.
• Maintain accountability for escorted individuals throughout assigned movements and activities.
• Transport authorized personnel between designated locations when required and appropriately authorized.
• Reserve and coordinate 10- or 12-passenger rental vehicles when directed for authorized movements within the National Capital Region, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, or CCTV-site operations.
• Support visitor in-processing at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, including movement to designated processing locations for required badges and Government briefings.
• Verify that required security badges and media credentials are properly displayed in controlled locations.
• Collect and return Government-issued media badges and other Government property before escorted personnel depart.
• Coordinate and collect preordered meals for OMC guests when required.
• Communicate media movements to designated OMC Public Affairs personnel in accordance with established procedures.
• Prepare assigned CCTV viewing locations before proceedings by arriving at least 30 minutes before court activities, opening the designated room, setting up signage, disseminating authorized information, and confirming that the area is ready for use.
• Notify designated Public Affairs personnel of media representatives present at assigned CCTV viewing sites when required.
• Coordinate with installation security personnel to maintain appropriate site access and security.
• Explain posted CCTV-site rules to attendees, including restrictions against recording courtroom audio or video transmissions.
• Reinforce courtroom transmission restrictions through verbal reminders when necessary.
• Report violations, unauthorized activities, disruptive behavior, or other incidents immediately to the designated Government representative.
• Contact installation security personnel when circumstances require law enforcement or security intervention.
• Identify and report audio, video, or CCTV technical problems immediately to the onsite technical representative.
• Coordinate schedule changes and operational requirements with Government and installation personnel when court proceedings extend beyond normal business hours.
• Protect sensitive operational information and refrain from discussing legal decisions, commission proceedings, detainee locations, movement routes, or other restricted OMC information with guests or unauthorized personnel.
• Maintain professional, impartial, courteous, and controlled interactions with visitors regardless of the sensitivity or intensity of the proceedings.
• Document significant operational issues, visitor-support activities, incidents, schedule changes, and other information needed for Government or contract reporting.
• Support administrative tracking, roster management, schedule coordination, risk identification, and operational reporting associated with escort activities.
• Escalate anticipated staffing, access, transportation, scheduling, security, or logistical problems early enough for corrective action.
• Comply with OMC, Department of Defense, military installation, physical security, information security, badge, credential, key-control, and access-control requirements.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced, highly organized Program Manager / Project Manager I to provide contract-level program management for administrative support services supporting the Department of Defense’s Office of Military Commissions.

This is the principal management position for ASCENSION’s contractor workforce supporting the requirement and is designated by the Government as Key Personnel. The selected professional will serve as the primary liaison between the contractor and Government representatives while coordinating personnel, schedules, deliverables, reporting, and operational activities performed across multiple locations.

The ideal candidate is an experienced federal program or project manager who can operate independently in a mission-sensitive environment, communicate confidently with Government leadership, anticipate staffing and performance issues before they affect operations, and maintain disciplined control over schedules, deliverables, personnel activities, risks, and financial reporting.

This role is particularly well suited for someone with experience managing federal professional services, administrative support, defense, legal-support, law enforcement, national security, or other geographically dispersed service contracts. Because the Office of Military Commissions conducts activities in the National Capital Region, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other designated locations, the Program Manager must be comfortable coordinating personnel and activities across distributed operating environments.

Position Summary

The Program Manager / Project Manager I will provide day-to-day management and oversight of ASCENSION personnel and program-support activities associated with the Office of Military Commissions Administrative Support Services contract.

The position functions as the central coordination point between ASCENSION, contractor personnel, the Contracting Officer’s Representative, Contracting Officer, and other Government stakeholders. The Program Manager will translate contractual requirements into executable staffing schedules, management controls, reporting processes, and recurring operational activities.

The successful candidate should be a detail-oriented planner, disciplined communicator, proactive problem solver, and accountable delivery manager. The individual must be comfortable balancing multiple priorities, working with limited supervision, handling sensitive information, identifying emerging staffing or performance risks, and quickly coordinating corrective action.

The role requires strong skills in project planning, workforce coordination, performance monitoring, Government-client communications, document development, status reporting, financial tracking, risk management, and Microsoft Office-based project administration.

ASCENSION’s Project Manager I labor category similarly emphasizes management of project quality, schedule, cost, and scope; client meetings and presentations; coordination of other consultants; identification and mitigation of issues and risks; and production of project artifacts such as trackers, status reports, risk logs, calendars, and project documentation.

Anticipated Day-to-Day and Recurring Activities

The Program Manager / Project Manager I is expected to:

• Serve as the primary contractor liaison to Government representatives for matters associated with contract performance.
• Manage day-to-day program-support activities involving multiple projects, workstreams, employees, and performance locations.
• Coordinate contractor work schedules to maintain adequate staffing and uninterrupted mission support.
• Monitor personnel availability, planned leave, absences, vacancies, and schedule changes that could affect service delivery.
• Track contractual tasks, milestones, deliverables, due dates, dependencies, and Government-directed priorities.
• Ensure contract deliverables are complete, accurate, appropriately reviewed, and submitted according to required schedules.
• Maintain project calendars, task trackers, action-item logs, risk and issue registers, staffing records, and other program-management artifacts.
• Identify emerging schedule, staffing, operational, performance, or contractual risks and recommend mitigation actions before they affect the Government mission.
• Coordinate activities among contractor employees located at multiple Government facilities and mission-support locations.
• Communicate routinely with the Contracting Officer’s Representative and other authorized Government representatives regarding contract status, upcoming requirements, personnel matters, risks, and deliverables.
• Prepare the Monthly Status Report documenting activities performed, briefings and meetings conducted, accomplishments, milestones achieved, upcoming activities, personnel leave or anticipated absences, problems encountered or anticipated, and required financial information.
• Compile financial status information for the Monthly Status Report, including award amounts by CLIN, invoiced costs for the reporting period, cumulative invoiced amounts, remaining amounts, and percentage remaining.
• Develop and maintain the Escort Manning Roster identifying designated contractor personnel supporting CCTV sites and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay activities during scheduled hearings and trials.
• Coordinate staffing information with appropriate Government officials supporting escort and CCTV operations.
• Facilitate internal contractor meetings and Government-facing coordination meetings, as appropriate.
• Capture decisions, commitments, action items, responsibilities, and due dates resulting from project and contract-management meetings.
• Review work products for consistency with contract requirements, Government expectations, schedules, and applicable ASCENSION quality-control procedures.
• Escalate issues requiring senior management, Contracting Officer, or Contracting Officer’s Representative attention through appropriate channels.
• Support contract administration, performance reviews, post-award conferences, and periodic Government progress meetings.
• Coordinate operational changes when mission requirements necessitate staggered schedules, weekend work, Federal holiday support, or alternative working hours.
• Support workforce continuity by anticipating staffing requirements and coordinating replacement or backup personnel when necessary.
• Protect Government information, equipment, credentials, and sensitive materials in accordance with contract security requirements.
• Maintain professional boundaries appropriate to a non-personal services contract and ensure contractor personnel understand their contractor status.
• Coordinate approved travel requirements when personnel are required to support Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or other CONUS/OCONUS locations.
• Maintain organized and auditable program documentation sufficient to demonstrate contract performance and support Government surveillance activities.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking a Special Reviews and Data Calls Analyst to support the National Institutes of Health's Government Purchase Card Program with analytical, compliance, internal-control, and oversight-response activities.

The ideal candidate is an experienced federal program, compliance, acquisition, financial-management, or audit analyst who can investigate complex questions, assemble supporting evidence, interpret regulations and policy, analyze transaction and program data, and convert findings into clear, defensible responses for Government leadership and oversight organizations.

This position is particularly well suited for someone who has worked in an environment where accuracy, documentation, traceability, and defensibility matter as much as speed. The analyst must be comfortable responding to ambiguous or time-sensitive requests, determining what information is required, identifying authoritative source documentation, reconciling potentially conflicting information, and preparing an organized response that can withstand management, audit, or regulatory scrutiny.

Experience supporting Government Purchase Card programs, financial management, acquisition oversight, internal controls, audit readiness, OMB Circular A-123 activities, Inspector General reviews, GAO requests, or Federal data calls would provide particularly strong alignment.

The role directly supports NIH's responsibility for oversight of approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers and a purchase-card program with significant annual transaction activity.

Position Summary

The Special Reviews and Data Calls Analyst will provide analytical and operational support for special reviews and emerging oversight requirements affecting the NIH Purchase Card Program.

Unlike the recurring transaction-review functions performed by other members of the compliance team, this position concentrates on non-routine analytical assignments and Government response requirements. These may include semi-annual convenience check reviews, disputed transaction analysis, internal control reviews, targeted management studies, transaction research, corrective-action monitoring, and responses to information requests from organizations such as OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, and NIH's Office of Management and Assessment.

The analyst will collect and reconcile information from Government systems and program records, evaluate transactions and documentation against applicable requirements, identify exceptions or areas requiring additional investigation, develop supporting analyses, maintain working papers, and prepare briefing materials, written responses, reports, and supporting documentation.

Because oversight requests can arise unexpectedly, the successful candidate must be self-directed, highly organized, analytically curious, and able to manage multiple priorities under changing deadlines. The individual should know how to distinguish an unsupported assumption from a documented conclusion and be comfortable asking targeted questions when evidence is incomplete.

The position requires substantial use of Microsoft 365 tools, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, along with Government-provided purchase-card, banking, financial, and reporting systems. NIH's SOW specifically requires Government information to be securely maintained in Government systems such as SharePoint, shared drives, and Outlook.

Key Responsibilities and Day-to-Day Activities

• Analyze special data calls, oversight inquiries, program-management requests, disputed transactions, convenience checks, and other Purchase Card Program matters requiring research or analytical support.
• Review transaction data, supporting documentation, correspondence, purchase records, financial information, and program files to determine completeness, accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
• Interpret applicable requirements including the Federal Acquisition Regulation, GSA SmartPay guidance, OMB Circular A-123 Appendix B, HHS Purchase Card directives, NIH Purchase Card policies, and supplemental acquisition guidance.
• Research questions raised by NIH leadership, program officials, auditors, oversight organizations, Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute or Center Purchase Card Coordinators.
• Reconcile information obtained from multiple systems, spreadsheets, reports, correspondence records, financial data sources, and supporting documents.
• Evaluate transaction histories and documentation for unusual conditions, exceptions, inconsistencies, unresolved disputes, potential compliance concerns, or internal-control weaknesses.
• Conduct semi-annual convenience check analyses and document findings in accordance with applicable HHS and NIH requirements.
• Monitor disputed purchase-card transactions and maintain visibility into aging, status, responsibility, supporting documentation, resolution, and escalation requirements.
• Develop analytical workpapers that clearly identify data sources, methodology, assumptions, findings, supporting evidence, and conclusions.
• Prepare draft responses, memoranda, briefing papers, data tables, executive summaries, presentations, and supporting documentation for Government review.
• Support responses to OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, NIH OMA, and other internal or external oversight entities when requested by the Purchase Card Program.
• Validate information prior to submission to ensure calculations, findings, references, and supporting records are complete and traceable.
• Coordinate with NIH Purchase Card Program personnel to obtain missing information, clarify requirements, resolve inconsistencies, and verify findings.
• Track information requests, action items, due dates, Government questions, outstanding documentation, and response status through completion.
• Identify recurring trends or control weaknesses revealed through special reviews, disputes, data calls, or other analytical activities.
• Recommend practical corrective actions, additional controls, process improvements, training topics, or areas warranting additional monitoring.
• Maintain organized electronic records and supporting documentation within authorized NIH repositories, including SharePoint, shared drives, and Government email systems.
• Protect non-public Government information and comply with NIH and HHS information-security, privacy, records-management, encryption, and incident-reporting requirements.
• Contribute relevant activities, findings, outstanding issues, and support-service accomplishments to required monthly and annual program reports.
• Participate in meetings, briefings, status reviews, and ad hoc discussions with NIH program personnel and other stakeholders as required.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking a Training and Documentation Specialist to support the National Institutes of Health Government Purchase Card Program in maintaining accurate, current, clear, and accessible policy, training, compliance, and program communication materials.

The ideal candidate is an exceptional writer and editor who can take federal acquisition requirements, policy changes, program guidance, compliance findings, and subject matter expert input and transform them into materials that Government Purchase Card Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, Purchase Card Coordinators, and NIH leadership can readily understand and use.

This position is particularly well suited for someone whose experience sits at the intersection of technical writing, training material development, policy documentation, acquisition or financial program support, presentation development, and document quality assurance.

The successful candidate should be highly organized, detail-oriented, self-directed, and comfortable working with material governed by federal regulations and agency policies. The individual must be able to manage multiple recurring and ad hoc documentation requirements without sacrificing accuracy or consistency.

This is not primarily a graphic design or public affairs position. Its central purpose is to ensure that NIH's Purchase Card Program has accurate policies, current training content, standardized communications, professional briefing materials, and audit-ready documentation needed to administer and oversee the program effectively.

NIH administers approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers, making accurate and consistently communicated program guidance an important element of its control environment.

Position Summary

The Training and Documentation Specialist will support development, revision, quality control, and maintenance of documentation used by the NIH Purchase Card Program.

The specialist will work with the Senior Manager/Director, Senior Consultants, NIH Purchase Card Program personnel, and other subject matter experts to translate changes in policies, procedures, regulations, compliance findings, and program practices into clear operational guidance and training materials.

The NIH requirement specifically calls for contractor assistance with revising and implementing Purchase Card policies at least annually, updating online Government Purchase Card refresher training annually, updating new Cardholder and Card Approving Official training materials quarterly or when requested, preparing presentations for monthly Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinator meetings, preparing additional briefing materials, and developing new training in response to changing regulations or program trends.

The specialist may also support standardized letters and correspondence associated with compliance reviews, reports, responses to information requests, presentation decks, job aids, templates, and other documentation needed by the program.

The ideal candidate must be capable of understanding complex information, asking effective questions of subject matter experts, recognizing inconsistencies between source documents, maintaining disciplined version control, and producing polished materials under Government review deadlines.

Day-to-Day and Recurring Activities

The Training and Documentation Specialist is anticipated to:

• Develop clear, concise, and professionally formatted Government Purchase Card policies, procedures, guidance documents, job aids, training materials, presentations, and written communications.
• Review existing NIH Purchase Card Program materials for accuracy, clarity, completeness, consistency, usability, and alignment with current program requirements.
• Revise the NIH Purchase Card Supplement and related policy and guidance documents based on Government-approved changes.
• Update annual online Government Purchase Card refresher training for Cardholders and Card Approving Officials to incorporate current policies, regulations, recurring compliance issues, and program guidance.
• Develop and refresh training materials for new Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and other Purchase Card stakeholders on a quarterly or Government-directed basis.
• Translate regulatory, policy, and procedural information into plain-language instructions and practical training content appropriate for non-acquisition audiences.
• Research applicable Government Purchase Card requirements, including approved NIH and HHS policy materials and Government-provided regulatory references, to support documentation updates.
• Coordinate with program subject matter experts to validate technical content before materials are finalized.
• Prepare presentation decks and supporting materials for monthly NIH Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinator meetings.
• Create briefing materials, talking points, summaries, handouts, reference materials, and presentations requested by the Agency/Organization Program Coordinator.
• Draft standardized letters and correspondence communicating recommendations, compliance issues, corrective actions, or other Purchase Card Program information.
• Edit reports, memoranda, correspondence, policy documents, training content, presentations, and other work products for grammar, readability, formatting, consistency, and professional quality.
• Proofread materials prior to Government review and delivery, identifying conflicting terminology, outdated references, broken links, formatting errors, or inconsistencies.
• Maintain templates and standardized formats for recurring letters, reports, briefing packages, presentations, training materials, and program communications.
• Manage document versions, review comments, approval status, revision histories, and final Government-approved materials.
• Maintain program documentation within Government-approved repositories such as SharePoint, shared drives, and other NIH collaboration environments.
• Support development of written responses associated with special reviews, data calls, or inquiries from organizations such as HHS, GSA, OMB, GAO, OIG, and other internal or external stakeholders when requested.
• Identify opportunities to improve documentation consistency, usability, and accessibility across the Purchase Card Program.
• Incorporate lessons learned and recurring compliance trends into updated training materials, FAQs, job aids, or targeted informational products.
• Support development and delivery of specialized training for Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinators or Card Approving Officials when requested.
• Participate in internal project meetings, client status meetings, content reviews, and documentation planning sessions.
• Track assigned documentation and training deliverables to ensure products are completed within established schedules.
• Apply quality-control checklists before submitting deliverables for Senior Consultant, Senior Manager, or Government review.
• Protect sensitive Government information and follow NIH/HHS information-security, privacy, records-management, and document-handling requirements.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking a SharePoint and Compliance Operations Specialist to support the NIH Purchase Card Program's compliance review and program administration operations. This position is ideal for a detail-oriented Microsoft 365 professional who combines strong SharePoint document-management skills with disciplined records management, workflow coordination, reporting, and compliance-support capabilities.

This is not primarily a SharePoint development role. The successful candidate will use SharePoint, Outlook, Microsoft 365, shared repositories, and related tools as the operational backbone for a high-volume Federal compliance program. The Specialist will maintain organized electronic review files, track correspondence and review artifacts, manage document libraries and links, monitor workflow status, support monthly reporting, and help ensure that sensitive Purchase Card Program records are securely maintained and readily retrievable.

The position is particularly important because NIH administers a Purchase Card Program supporting approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers and processes approximately 27,000 purchase card transactions each month. The individual in this position will help ensure that the documentation supporting reviews of this activity remains organized, traceable, protected, and available to the review team and NIH leadership.

Candidates should be comfortable working independently in an environment involving multiple concurrent reviews, recurring deadlines, sensitive financial and procurement information, and frequent coordination with compliance reviewers, program leadership, Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute/Center Purchase Card Coordinators.

Position Summary

The SharePoint and Compliance Operations Specialist will provide the technology-enabled administrative and knowledge-management support necessary to execute NIH Purchase Card compliance reviews efficiently.

The Specialist will establish and maintain orderly electronic workspaces for targeted transaction reviews, comprehensive Government Purchase Card file reviews, review reports, correspondence, supporting documentation, monthly reporting, and program administration. NIH specifically requires contractors to securely store information in Government systems including SharePoint, shared drives, and Outlook and to maintain links to data and draft/final reports through the OALM-DSAPS shared SharePoint environment.

The Specialist will work closely with compliance reviewers and project leadership to ensure review artifacts move through the appropriate lifecycle from receipt, organization, review, follow-up, report development, Government approval, finalization, and retention.

This individual should therefore bring a combination of SharePoint/Microsoft 365 administration, document control, records organization, workflow tracking, quality control, and Federal compliance discipline.

ASCENSION has directly relevant organizational experience supporting Federal customers with SharePoint administration, development, migration, data management, document libraries, workflows, user access, and reporting. For DHS/FPS, ASCENSION personnel developed and administered SharePoint team sites, libraries, governance solutions, and repositories supporting national program operations.

Day-to-Day and Recurring Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Maintain SharePoint sites, folders, document libraries, lists, links, and supporting structures used to manage Purchase Card compliance-review records.
• Organize documentation associated with targeted transaction reviews, comprehensive Cardholder/Card Approving Official reviews, follow-up reviews, special reviews, and program support activities.
• Manage electronic review artifacts through clearly defined draft, Government review, approved, finalized, and archived statuses.
• Monitor the NIH Purchase Card Compliance Outlook inbox for incoming documentation, responses, review correspondence, follow-up items, and other program communications.
• Track requests for supporting documentation issued to Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute/Center Purchase Card Coordinators.
• Route incoming documentation and correspondence to the appropriate reviewer or project team member.
• Maintain review-status trackers showing scheduled reviews, documentation received, outstanding information, Government review status, final-report status, due dates, and follow-up requirements.
• Create and maintain links to supporting data, draft reports, final reports, review correspondence, and related records for inclusion in required monthly reports.
• Support preparation of monthly activity reports summarizing targeted reviews, Government Purchase Card file reviews, review statistics, support-service activities, outstanding issues, dispute-related data calls, and links to supporting information.
• Validate that required electronic files and review documentation are complete before reviews or reports advance to the next stage.
• Apply standardized naming conventions, folder structures, metadata, version-control practices, and records-management procedures to review documentation.
• Control document versions to minimize duplicate files, superseded reports, conflicting review records, and unauthorized modification.
• Coordinate with compliance reviewers to identify missing documents, aging requests, overdue responses, and review artifacts requiring follow-up.
• Maintain calendars, schedules, milestones, and review-status information supporting the annual risk-based compliance review schedule.
• Support preparation and organization of materials for entrance conferences, exit briefings, Institute/Center debriefings, monthly meetings, and other Purchase Card Program activities.
• Prepare standardized templates, trackers, correspondence logs, document-control records, status summaries, and recurring operational reports.
• Assist with management of program policies, procedures, training materials, briefing materials, and related controlled documentation.
• Configure SharePoint lists, views, alerts, library settings, metadata fields, and other approved functionality that improves information retrieval and workflow visibility.
• Recommend practical improvements to document-management and review-tracking processes while remaining within NIH-approved tools, security requirements, and system configurations.
• Perform quality-control checks to confirm documents are appropriately named, stored, versioned, linked, accessible, and associated with the correct Cardholder, Card Approving Official, Institute/Center, or review.
• Protect sensitive Federal financial, procurement, personnel, and program information from unauthorized disclosure.
• Follow approved procedures for transmitting, storing, accessing, and handling Government information.
• Escalate missing records, access problems, potential information-security issues, unresolved workflow bottlenecks, and approaching review deadlines to project leadership.
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager/Director, Senior Consultants, compliance reviewers, NIH Purchase Card Program Manager, COR, and other authorized Government personnel.
• Support continuous improvement of the compliance operations environment by identifying repetitive manual activities suitable for SharePoint configuration or approved Microsoft 365 workflow improvements.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking a Purchase Card Compliance Reviewer to support the National Institutes of Health Purchase Card Program with transaction review, compliance monitoring, documentation analysis, audit support, records management, and reporting.

This position is well suited for an early- to mid-career professional who has experience in federal acquisition, Government Purchase Card administration, procurement review, financial compliance, internal controls, audit support, transaction analysis, or federal program operations.

The ideal candidate enjoys detailed analytical work and is capable of examining transactions and supporting documentation objectively, identifying exceptions or potential compliance concerns, communicating professionally with government personnel, and maintaining defensible records of how each review was completed.

This is not simply an administrative document-processing position. The reviewer serves as part of NIH's control environment for a Purchase Card Program supporting approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 NIH Institutes and Centers. NIH reported more than $266 million in Government Purchase Card spending during FY2025.

The successful candidate should therefore be highly organized, analytical, persistent in following up on incomplete documentation, comfortable interpreting policies and regulations, and capable of managing multiple reviews simultaneously without sacrificing accuracy or documentation quality.

Position Summary

The Purchase Card Compliance Reviewer will provide analytical and operational support for NIH's Government Purchase Card compliance program.

The reviewer will help evaluate purchase card transactions and cardholder files for adherence to applicable federal, HHS, and NIH requirements. Reviews may examine appropriate delegation of purchasing authority, integrity of the acquisition process, procurement compliance, receipt and acceptance documentation, records retention, and other internal-control requirements identified by NIH.

The position will support both targeted transaction reviews and more comprehensive Government Purchase Card file reviews. Responsibilities will include requesting and analyzing supporting documentation, monitoring the NIH Purchase Card Compliance Inbox, maintaining review trackers, documenting findings, following up with Cardholders and Card Approving Officials, and helping prepare standardized review reports and summaries.

The reviewer will work with transaction data and documentation maintained in government systems such as SharePoint, shared drives, Outlook, bank electronic-access systems, NBS, and nVision, as access is provided. NIH specifically requires contractor personnel to securely store and manage government information within authorized systems.

The position requires sound professional judgment. The reviewer must distinguish between a documentation deficiency, procedural issue, potential policy violation, and transaction requiring escalation while ensuring conclusions are supported by evidence.

ASCENSION's Operations Research / Management Analyst I labor category is a strong contractual mapping for this role. That labor category requires a bachelor's degree and two years of experience and covers operational analysis, reporting, research, performance monitoring, data analysis, and documentation of findings.

What You Will Do

The Purchase Card Compliance Reviewer is expected to:

• Review Government Purchase Card transactions and associated supporting documentation for compliance with applicable NIH, HHS, GSA, and federal requirements.
• Examine transaction records for indicators of policy exceptions, missing documentation, questionable purchasing activity, split purchases, inadequate approvals, receipt and acceptance deficiencies, or other potential compliance concerns.
• Request invoices, receipts, approvals, purchase documentation, justifications, and other supporting records from Cardholders and Card Approving Officials when additional documentation is required.
• Monitor the NIH Purchase Card Compliance Inbox and maintain timely, professional correspondence with Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinators, and Purchase Card Program personnel.
• Track assigned targeted reviews from initial notification through documentation receipt, analysis, findings development, Government review, and final disposition.
• Validate whether documentation received is complete and sufficient to support individual purchase card transactions.
• Document review procedures, evidence examined, conclusions, recommendations, and instances of non-compliance in a consistent and auditable manner.
• Apply Government-provided business rules and established review criteria when screening purchase card activity.
• Identify transaction trends or patterns that may warrant additional analysis, follow-up, or escalation.
• Support analysis of transaction data and risk-based identification of transactions requiring additional review.
• Maintain review trackers showing transaction status, documentation requests, outstanding responses, findings, corrective actions, and report completion.
• Prepare draft transactional review summaries and standardized correspondence identifying recommendations or non-compliance.
• Support completion of review reports within NIH's required 45-calendar-day reporting period after receipt of required documentation.
• Conduct detailed Cardholder and Card Approving Official file reviews using NIH-provided review criteria, file documentation requirements, and Purchase Card Program guidance.
• Participate in virtual entrance conferences, review meetings, exit briefings, and debriefing sessions as assigned.
• Explain preliminary findings clearly and professionally to Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and program stakeholders.
• Follow up on identified deficiencies to determine whether agreed corrective actions have been completed.
• Maintain electronic working papers and supporting documentation in NIH-authorized systems such as SharePoint, Outlook, or shared drives.
• Compile individual review findings for inclusion in Institute-level summaries, management reports, and program statistics.
• Contribute transaction and review statistics to ASCENSION's monthly activity reporting.
• Assist with special reviews, data calls, disputed transaction research, convenience-check analyses, or similar Purchase Card Program activities when requested.
• Protect sensitive Government information and comply with NIH and HHS information security, privacy, records-management, and Rules of Behavior requirements.
• Escalate potential high-risk transactions, recurring deficiencies, unusual activity, or unresolved documentation issues through established review channels.
• Maintain an organized workload while managing multiple transaction and file reviews at different stages of completion.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking a highly analytical, detail-oriented Senior Transaction Data Analyst to support the National Institutes of Health Purchase Card Program in identifying financial, procurement, compliance, and transaction risks across a large Government Purchase Card environment.

This individual will serve as a primary analytical resource responsible for transforming monthly purchase-card transaction data into actionable risk intelligence. The analyst will evaluate transaction completeness, apply NIH business rules, identify suspicious or high-risk activity, recognize emerging purchasing patterns, support compliance reviews, and develop reporting and analytical products that help NIH protect public funds and strengthen program oversight.

The ideal candidate combines advanced data-analysis capability with financial, procurement, audit, fraud-risk, or compliance experience. The strongest candidate will be comfortable working with large transaction datasets, identifying anomalous patterns, explaining findings to nontechnical stakeholders, documenting defensible conclusions, and translating policy requirements into repeatable analytical rules.

This is not simply a dashboard-development position. The successful candidate must be capable of answering questions such as: Which transactions warrant further investigation? Why? What business rule or purchasing pattern triggered the concern? What documentation is needed to validate the transaction? Does the transaction comply with applicable purchase-card requirements? Is the issue isolated or indicative of a broader trend?

NIH operates a significant purchase-card environment consisting of approximately 950 Cardholders, 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers, more than $266 million in FY25 spend, and approximately 27,000 transactions each month. The Senior Transaction Data Analyst will therefore play an important role in helping NIH focus compliance-review resources on transactions presenting the greatest financial, regulatory, or operational risk.

Position Summary

The Senior Transaction Data Analyst will analyze NIH Government Purchase Card transaction data to support data mining, targeted compliance reviews, risk identification, reporting, and broader Purchase Card Program oversight.

The analyst will obtain or receive monthly transaction files, validate data completeness, reconcile and organize transactional information, apply established NIH business rules, develop additional risk indicators based on transaction trends and Government Purchase Card requirements, and identify transactions requiring additional review. NIH expressly requires the contractor to use a data-analysis tool and to develop analytical rules that supplement Government-provided business rules.

The analyst will work closely with program leadership, compliance reviewers, Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute/Center Purchase Card Coordinators. The position will support the development of suspicious/high-risk transaction reports, targeted review populations, program statistics, monthly reports, annual trend reporting, and dashboards or other decision-support tools.

This position requires strong judgment. Not every anomaly represents noncompliance, and not every compliant-looking transaction is necessarily low risk. The analyst must be capable of investigating patterns, testing assumptions, validating supporting information, documenting methodologies, and presenting conclusions in a manner that can withstand management, audit, and regulatory scrutiny.

What You Will Do

The Senior Transaction Data Analyst is expected to:

• Analyze approximately 27,000 NIH Government Purchase Card transactions each monthly cycle using structured data-mining and risk-analysis techniques.
• Validate incoming transaction datasets for completeness, accuracy, duplicate records, missing fields, inconsistent values, and other data-quality conditions before analysis begins.
• Reconcile transaction information received from NIH, banking systems, or authorized financial-management systems to establish reliable analysis populations.
• Apply NIH-provided business rules to purchase-card data to identify transactions warranting additional review.
• Develop supplemental risk rules, indicators, thresholds, queries, and analytical tests based on Government Purchase Card regulations, transaction patterns, historical findings, and emerging risk trends.
• Identify suspicious, unusual, potentially prohibited, split-purchase, high-dollar, high-frequency, duplicate, outlier, or otherwise high-risk transactions for further investigation.
• Score or categorize transactions using risk-based methodologies that allow compliance-review resources to focus on higher-risk activity.
• Select transactions for targeted review based on analytical results, Government business rules, trends, and professional judgment.
• Support risk-based selection of Cardholders and Card Approving Officials for comprehensive GPC file reviews.
• Analyze purchase patterns across NIH Institutes and Centers to identify recurring conditions, systemic issues, and emerging program risks.
• Review supporting transaction documentation when assigned and determine whether the information adequately supports the transaction and applicable purchase-card requirements.
• Document analytical methods, assumptions, business rules, findings, exceptions, and recommendations so analyses are reproducible and defensible.
• Maintain analytical datasets and supporting information within authorized NIH systems such as SharePoint, shared drives, and designated Government repositories.
• Develop dashboards, analytical summaries, management reports, visualizations, pivot analyses, and other decision-support products.
• Prepare transaction-risk reports identifying transactions requiring additional review or management attention.
• Generate statistics describing targeted reviews, completed reviews, findings, risk categories, noncompliance trends, and outstanding actions.
• Monitor trends across monthly transaction cycles and determine whether changes to analytical business rules or risk thresholds should be recommended.
• Participate in quarterly reviews of transaction business rules with NIH program personnel and recommend modifications based on observed results.
• Translate complex transaction data into concise findings and visual narratives suitable for Government program managers and senior stakeholders.
• Contribute data and analytical content to required monthly activity reports and annual Purchase Card Program reports.
• Support special reviews, data calls, convenience-check analyses, disputed-transaction analysis, and other ad hoc analytical requests.
• Assist with responses to potential information requests from organizations such as HHS, OMB, GAO, GSA, OIG, or NIH management when requested.
• Coordinate with compliance-review personnel to ensure analytical findings are translated into appropriate transaction-review actions.
• Protect Government financial and other nonpublic data in accordance with NIH/HHS information-security requirements.
• Communicate emerging risk patterns and significant findings promptly to the Senior Manager/Director and designated NIH personnel.
• Recommend opportunities to improve analytical workflows, reporting processes, data-quality controls, or decision-support tools.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst to support the National Institutes of Health Purchase Card Program in monitoring Government Purchase Card activity, conducting transaction and file compliance reviews, identifying procurement and internal-control risks, and helping NIH protect the integrity of a purchase card program that supports approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers.

The ideal candidate combines Government Purchase Card knowledge, federal acquisition and procurement compliance experience, analytical judgment, internal-control expertise, and strong written and verbal communication skills. This individual should be comfortable examining large volumes of transactional information, identifying unusual or high-risk activity, reviewing supporting documentation, applying federal and agency-specific procurement policies, documenting findings objectively, and discussing potentially sensitive compliance issues with Government personnel.

This position is well suited for an experienced GPC Compliance Analyst, Senior Audit Analyst, Internal Controls Analyst, Procurement Compliance Analyst, Acquisition Compliance Analyst, or financial/compliance professional who understands that effective compliance review requires more than checking documentation. The analyst must be able to identify risk patterns, understand the business context surrounding transactions, distinguish administrative errors from significant control weaknesses, and present findings that NIH can use to improve program integrity.

The individual should be detail-oriented, analytical, organized, self-directed, tactful, and comfortable working with limited supervision. The analyst must be able to manage multiple concurrent reviews, work within established review schedules, maintain secure documentation, communicate effectively with cardholders and approving officials, and meet firm reporting deadlines.

Position Summary

The Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst will perform operational, compliance, financial-control, and acquisition-related analysis in support of NIH's Government Purchase Card Program.

The NIH Purchase Card Program manages oversight, administration, training, policy implementation, and customer service for a program that recorded more than $266 million in FY2025 purchase card spending. The Government Purchase Card is used primarily for micro-purchases but may also be used as a payment mechanism for purchases above the micro-purchase threshold.

Working under the direction of ASCENSION's Senior Manager/Director and in coordination with the NIH Purchase Card Program Manager and Contracting Officer's Representative, the analyst will review purchase card transactions and supporting documentation for compliance with governing requirements, including applicable provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, GSA SmartPay requirements, OMB Circular A-123 Appendix B, HHS purchase card guidance, NIH purchase card policies, and related acquisition requirements.

The analyst will help NIH identify suspicious, unusual, high-risk, inadequately documented, or potentially non-compliant transactions by analyzing transaction data against Government-provided business rules, transaction patterns, and professional judgment. The role will also support comprehensive Cardholder and Card Approving Official file reviews, entrance and exit conferences, findings development, corrective-action follow-up, Institute- and Center-level debriefings, and recurring program reporting.

The individual may also support purchase card policy updates, training materials, special reviews, disputed transaction analysis, data calls, briefings, and responses to internal or external oversight organizations.

What You Will Do

The Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst is expected to:

• Analyze NIH purchase card transaction data to identify transactions requiring additional review based on established business rules, risk indicators, transaction trends, regulatory requirements, and professional judgment.
• Review purchase card transactions and supporting documentation for compliance with NIH, HHS, GSA SmartPay, Federal Acquisition Regulation, and applicable Government Purchase Card policies.
• Examine transaction documentation for appropriate delegation of authority, procurement integrity, receipt and acceptance, records retention, purchase justification, and other applicable compliance requirements.
• Evaluate documentation submitted by Cardholders and Card Approving Officials to determine whether transaction files adequately support the purchase.
• Identify suspicious, unusual, high-risk, or potentially non-compliant transactions requiring additional investigation or follow-up.
• Document review findings, recommendations, exceptions, and instances of non-compliance using NIH-approved review templates and procedures.
• Request supporting documentation and clarification from Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute or Center Purchase Card Coordinators when additional information is required.
• Monitor correspondence and review activity through the NIH Purchase Card Compliance Inbox and other Government-designated systems.
• Conduct targeted transactional reviews arising from data-mining and risk-analysis activities.
• Perform comprehensive Government Purchase Card file reviews covering statistically significant samples of Cardholder and Card Approving Official activity.
• Apply risk-based methodologies to support the selection of Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, transactions, and files for review.
• Prepare proposed schedules for compliance reviews and coordinate review activities with NIH Purchase Card Program personnel.
• Coordinate entrance conferences with Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinators to discuss planned reviews and identify known areas of concern.
• Facilitate exit briefings with Cardholders and Card Approving Officials to communicate preliminary findings and explain the basis for proposed recommendations or non-compliance determinations.
• Prepare standardized review letters and reports describing findings, recommendations, compliance issues, and required corrective actions.
• Complete transactional and file review reports within established NIH timelines, including the applicable 45-calendar-day reporting requirements.
• Conduct follow-up reviews when necessary to determine whether corrective actions associated with prior findings have been implemented.
• Analyze recurring compliance findings and transaction patterns to identify broader program risks, systemic control weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop Institute- and Center-level summaries of review findings, trends, recurring issues, and areas requiring management attention.
• Present review findings during Institute- or Center-level debriefings with Purchase Card Coordinators, Agency Program Coordinators, Government representatives, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain complete, organized, auditable review documentation and working papers.
• Reconcile transactional data and verify that data files are complete before performing analysis.
• Securely store Government information in approved NIH environments such as SharePoint, shared drives, Outlook, and other authorized systems.
• Support quarterly reviews and refinement of transaction-monitoring business rules based on observed trends, regulatory changes, and emerging risk indicators.
• Assist with updates to NIH Purchase Card policies, guidelines, supplements, procedures, and related documentation.
• Support development and revision of Government Purchase Card refresher training, Cardholder training, Card Approving Official training, and related materials.
• Prepare briefing materials and presentations for monthly Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinator meetings and other program meetings.
• Support special reviews, data calls, convenience check analyses, disputed transaction reviews, and other Purchase Card Program inquiries.
• Assist with preparing responses and supporting documentation for potential requests from OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, NIH management organizations, and other oversight entities.
• Contribute purchase card compliance statistics, findings, trends, outstanding issues, and review status information for monthly and annual program reports.
• Identify risks early and elevate significant compliance, documentation, schedule, data-quality, or internal-control concerns to the Senior Manager/Director.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Purchase Card Program Manager / Senior Manager to lead contractor support for a high-volume federal Government Purchase Card compliance, oversight, and program administration environment supporting the National Institutes of Health.

The ideal candidate combines the discipline of an audit/compliance manager with the operational leadership of a federal program manager. This individual should understand how Government Purchase Card transactions are reviewed, how regulatory and agency requirements translate into compliance testing procedures, how questionable transactions are identified through data analytics, and how findings must be documented, communicated, corrected, and reported.

This is not simply a project scheduling role. The successful candidate will be expected to manage a team responsible for evaluating purchase-card activity across a program serving approximately 950 Cardholders, 500 Card Approving Officials, and 30 NIH Institutes and Centers, with approximately 27,000 purchase-card transactions per month. The individual must be comfortable supervising compliance reviews, reviewing workpapers, interpreting federal acquisition and purchase-card requirements, working with transaction data, presenting findings to Government officials, and maintaining rigorous quality standards.

We are looking for someone who is highly organized, analytically minded, tactful when communicating compliance findings, comfortable operating with limited supervision, and capable of managing simultaneous review cycles, deadlines, corrective-action follow-up, reporting requirements, and Government stakeholder expectations.

Position Summary

The Purchase Card Program Manager / Senior Manager will provide day-to-day management, quality control, technical oversight, and client coordination for ASCENSION's support to the NIH Government Purchase Card Program.

The Program Manager will oversee activities associated with purchase-card transaction monitoring, targeted transaction reviews, Cardholder and Card Approving Official file reviews, data mining and risk analysis, policy and procedure support, training development, special reviews, monthly and annual reporting, and stakeholder briefings.

The position will serve as a primary contractor interface with the NIH Purchase Card Program Manager, Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC), Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and other designated NIH stakeholders. The individual will ensure contractor personnel consistently apply NIH business rules and applicable Government Purchase Card requirements, maintain appropriate documentation, meet established review timelines, protect Government information, and promptly escalate compliance, schedule, quality, and operational risks.

A critical element of the position is translating transaction data into actionable compliance oversight. NIH requires review of 100 percent of purchase-card transactions through data mining, business rules, trends, and risk indicators to identify transactions warranting further examination. The Program Manager will therefore need enough analytical understanding to oversee the review methodology, challenge findings, recognize anomalies, and ensure that conclusions are evidence-based and defensible.

Key Responsibilities and Day-to-Day Activities

The Purchase Card Program Manager / Senior Manager will:

• Lead day-to-day execution of the NIH Purchase Card Program support task order, ensuring contractor activities remain aligned with scope, schedule, quality requirements, and Government priorities.
• Supervise contractor staff conducting targeted transaction reviews, comprehensive Government Purchase Card file reviews, data analysis, documentation reviews, policy support, training support, and reporting.
• Coordinate directly with the NIH Purchase Card Program Manager, COR, A/OPC, and other Government stakeholders regarding workload, priorities, schedules, findings, emerging risks, and required Government decisions.
• Develop and maintain integrated schedules for transaction reviews, Cardholder/Card Approving Official reviews, reporting requirements, meetings, policy updates, training activities, and other recurring deliverables.
• Oversee the analysis of approximately 27,000 monthly purchase-card transactions using Government-provided data, NIH business rules, transaction trends, regulatory requirements, and contractor-developed risk indicators.
• Ensure the team applies a risk-based methodology for identifying suspicious, unusual, potentially noncompliant, or otherwise high-risk transactions requiring additional review.
• Review data-mining methodologies, business rules, sampling approaches, findings, supporting documentation, and recommendations before submission to NIH.
• Coordinate quarterly reviews and updates of purchase-card business rules with Government representatives.
• Manage targeted transaction review activities, including notification, documentation requests, analysis, follow-up, findings development, and final review correspondence.
• Ensure targeted review reports are prepared within applicable NIH-established timelines, including the 45-calendar-day reporting standard identified in the SOW.
• Plan annual Government Purchase Card file reviews using a risk-based approach covering the required population of Cardholders and Card Approving Officials.
• Coordinate review schedules with NIH before Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute/Center Purchase Card Coordinators are formally scheduled.
• Facilitate entrance conferences, exit briefings, Institute/Center debriefings, status meetings, and other compliance-related discussions.
• Review workpapers and supporting evidence to ensure compliance conclusions are complete, consistent, traceable, objective, and supported by documentation.
• Evaluate findings involving procurement procedures, delegations of authority, receipt and acceptance, documentation, record retention, agency policy, and other applicable purchase-card controls.
• Monitor corrective actions and follow-up reviews for previously identified noncompliance.
• Maintain rigorous quality-control procedures for review files, reports, briefing materials, correspondence, schedules, and other deliverables.
• Track open findings, outstanding documentation requests, Government dependencies, corrective actions, and overdue items through structured management tools.
• Prepare monthly activity reports summarizing data-mining activities, targeted reviews, file-review status, review statistics, support activities, disputes, outstanding issues, and links to supporting Government repositories.
• Develop the annual purchase-card activity report summarizing activity and trends across NIH's 30 Institutes and Centers and providing evidence-based recommendations.
• Analyze recurring findings and transaction patterns to identify systemic weaknesses, emerging compliance risks, training needs, or opportunities to strengthen program controls.
• Support NIH with annual updates to purchase-card policies, guidelines, supplements, desk procedures, and related program documentation.
• Monitor changes to applicable federal and departmental guidance and assess potential impact to NIH purchase-card procedures and review protocols.
• Oversee updates to annual Government Purchase Card refresher training and other training materials for Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute/Center Purchase Card Coordinators.
• Support development and delivery of specialized purchase-card training responding to compliance trends, policy changes, or emerging program risks.
• Prepare executive-level presentations, dashboards, briefing materials, review summaries, and talking points for monthly Purchase Card Coordinator meetings and other Government meetings.
• Coordinate special reviews, convenience-check analyses, disputed-transaction support, data calls, and other ad hoc assignments.
• Support preparation of Government responses to inquiries from entities such as OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, and NIH internal oversight organizations when requested.
• Maintain Government information and review documentation in authorized repositories such as SharePoint, Government shared drives, Outlook, and other approved NIH systems.
• Enforce personnel onboarding, suitability, information-security training, Rules of Behavior, nondisclosure, records-management, and information-protection requirements across the contractor team.
• Escalate significant compliance findings, security concerns, schedule risks, resource constraints, or performance issues promptly to ASCENSION leadership and designated Government officials.
• Mentor consultants and analysts to promote consistent application of review methodologies, Government Purchase Card requirements, quality-control standards, and professional judgment.
• Recommend process improvements, automation opportunities, analytic rules, templates, dashboards, and management controls that strengthen program oversight without compromising Government-established procedures.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Unit Security Specialist / SCIF Security Specialist to provide hands-on security program support to the U.S. Air Force's 20th Attack Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

This position is designed for an experienced military or Department of Defense security professional who understands that effective security administration directly enables operational mission execution. The 20th Attack Squadron conducts MQ-9 Remote Split Operations, and its personnel depend on properly maintained clearances, access authorizations, SCIF procedures, security records, inspections, and facility controls to execute daily flying operations.

The ideal candidate will bring practical experience supporting Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, Sensitive Compartmented Information programs, personnel security, physical security, information security, and access control programs. This individual should be comfortable operating independently in a classified military environment, interpreting and applying security requirements, maintaining inspection-ready documentation, identifying potential security deficiencies before they become mission-impacting issues, and coordinating directly with military security organizations and intelligence-community stakeholders.

We are particularly interested in candidates who are disciplined, highly organized, discreet, dependable, and comfortable assuming ownership of security processes with minimal supervision. Strong candidates will understand that seemingly administrative activities such as badge rosters, visitor verification, alarm testing, access documentation, and Fixed Facility Checklists are operational controls that protect classified information and preserve uninterrupted access to mission facilities.

Position Summary

The Unit Security Specialist will provide analytical, advisory, technical, administrative, and functional support for the 20th Attack Squadron's collateral and SCI security programs. The specialist will directly support primary and alternate Special Security Representatives and SCIF Special Security Representatives while helping administer information, industrial, physical, and personnel security activities.

The position encompasses significantly more than routine security administration. The specialist will help maintain SCIF accreditation and physical-security documentation, administer SCIF and alarmed-facility access, support personnel-security incident processing, maintain SCI material accountability, support inspections, coordinate alarm testing, maintain SOPs and Emergency Action Procedures, and assist with SCIF reaccreditation activities involving Air Combat Command Special Security Office and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

This role requires an individual capable of balancing recurring compliance activities with unexpected security issues and operational requirements. The specialist must maintain accurate records, work effectively with multiple security organizations, protect sensitive information, recognize deficiencies, communicate issues promptly, and consistently meet exacting security standards.

The PWS establishes particularly high performance expectations, including complete visitor-clearance validation, complete badge documentation, timely monthly reporting, and highly accurate self-inspection and routine inspection performance.

Day-to-Day and Recurring Responsibilities

The selected candidate will:

• Administer day-to-day collateral and SCI security support for the 20th Attack Squadron and applicable subordinate SCIFs.
• Maintain the unit badge roster, Alarmed Facility Access Authorization documentation, SCIF access rosters, and associated access-control records.
• Validate personnel and visitor security clearances before granting or facilitating access to the 20 ATKS SCIF.
• Support primary and alternate Special Security Representatives and SCIF Special Security Representatives in administering unit security programs.
• Coordinate security activities with Whiteman AFB Security Offices, Air Combat Command Special Security Office, Defense Intelligence Agency, 509th Security Forces Squadron, unit SSRs, and the Contracting Officer's Representative.
• Process personnel-security matters involving SCI-cleared personnel, including Personnel Security Incident Reports and For Cause discharge documentation.
• Assist with SCI-related security incident reporting, documentation, investigation support, and required follow-up actions.
• Maintain the unit's SCIF Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Action Procedures.
• Review security procedures and documentation to ensure alignment with applicable Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Air Force, Air Combat Command, and local security requirements.
• Maintain and appropriately dispose of SCI material in accordance with applicable security requirements.
• Inspect SCIF physical-security conditions and identify deficiencies requiring corrective action, including doors, seals, light intrusion, and other facility-security conditions.
• Maintain Fixed Facility Checklists and TEMPEST addendum checklists for the unit SCIF and applicable subordinate facilities.
• Support SCIF reaccreditation activities in coordination with Air Combat Command Special Security Office and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
• Review proposed SCIF modifications and changes for compliance with applicable DIA and Air Combat Command security requirements.
• Draft co-utilization agreements when Special Access Program access requirements make them necessary.
• Execute and document required monthly random security inspections.
• Coordinate quarterly alarm system testing, document test completion, and provide required notification to the 509th Security Forces Squadron.
• Support the unit alarm-monitoring program and associated SCIF security-control activities.
• Prepare monthly program-status reports and security-violation summaries for the Unit Commander or designated official.
• Maintain the Squadron SCIF access roster as a recurring contract deliverable.
• Support annual security reporting requirements to Air Combat Command Special Security Office.
• Assist with internal and external SCIF inspections and promptly coordinate correction of identified discrepancies.
• Train or assist in training unit Special Security Representatives on applicable security processes and responsibilities.
• Document security training activities, alarm tests, security incidents, inspections, and corrective actions.
• Complete directed computer-based SCI/security training within required timelines.
• Attend Government-funded in-residence ICD 704/SEAD personnel-security training and ICD 705 physical-security training when directed.
• Provide verbal or written task-status information for inclusion in weekly 20 ATKS Commander staff meetings.
• Maintain Government security records, files, and supporting documentation in accordance with applicable Air Force records-management requirements.
• Protect Government property, classified information, systems, and records according to their applicable classification and safeguarding requirements.
• Identify emerging security risks, documentation gaps, access problems, or facility deficiencies before they result in security violations or mission disruption.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Technical Specialist III with Embedded Site Lead Function to serve as the Unit Security Specialist and onsite contractor lead supporting the U.S. Air Force's 20th Attack Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.

This position is designed for a seasoned Department of Defense security professional who understands that effective security administration in an operational flying squadron extends well beyond processing clearances or maintaining access lists. The selected professional will help maintain the personnel, physical, information, industrial, and SCI security infrastructure necessary for Airmen to perform a classified operational mission safely and without avoidable interruption.

The ideal candidate brings substantial experience operating in a military or Department of Defense security environment and can independently manage competing security requirements, anticipate compliance risks, maintain highly accurate records, coordinate with multiple security organizations, and quickly resolve issues before they affect mission operations.

Just as important, this individual will serve as ASCENSION's onsite Site Lead and primary day-to-day contractor interface with the 20 ATKS and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The successful candidate should therefore combine deep security expertise with mature judgment, professional communication, organization, leadership, customer-service orientation, and the ability to manage sensitive issues appropriately.

This position is especially well suited for a former or current security professional with experience as a Unit Security Manager, Special Security Representative, Assistant Special Security Representative, SCIF Security Manager, Security Specialist, Personnel Security Specialist, Physical Security Specialist, or similar DoD/Intelligence Community security role.

Contractor Role Summary

The Technical Specialist III / Unit Security Specialist / Site Lead will provide analytical, advisory, technical, functional, and administrative support for the 20 ATKS collateral and Sensitive Compartmented Information security programs.

The employee will assist the Government's primary and alternate Special Security Representatives and SCIF security representatives with day-to-day operation of the squadron's security programs. Responsibilities span SCIF access management, badge and access authorization administration, security incident reporting, personnel security actions, security training, physical security, SCI material accountability, inspections, alarm testing, security documentation, facility accreditation, and required monthly and annual reporting.

The position also carries an embedded leadership responsibility. As ASCENSION's Site Lead, the employee will coordinate contractor activities with the 20 ATKS and COR, communicate status and emerging risks, help manage assigned timelines and deliverables, escalate issues requiring corporate or Government attention, and help ensure that ASCENSION's work remains timely, complete, accurate, professional, and responsive to mission requirements. The PWS specifically calls for effective integration and coordination, timely issue identification, corrective action, clear organizational responsibility, and customer satisfaction.

Because the Air Force expects contractor personnel to begin fully trained and perform a majority of the required work with minimal support from squadron personnel, this is not an entry-level security position.

Position's Day-to-Day Activities

The selected individual will:

• Serve as ASCENSION's onsite Site Lead and primary contractor point of coordination with designated 20 ATKS representatives and the COR.
• Coordinate assigned contractor security-support activities, schedules, priorities, status updates, deliverables, and issue resolution.
• Monitor performance, workload, deadlines, and emerging security issues and elevate risks requiring Government or ASCENSION management attention.
• Support the operational execution of collateral and SCI security programs across personnel, physical, information, and industrial security disciplines.
• Maintain unit badge rosters, SCIF access rosters, Alarmed Facility Access Authorization records, memoranda, and supporting access documentation.
• Verify visitor clearances and access eligibility before permitting access to controlled or classified spaces.
• Assist with SCI-related security incident reporting, inquiries, investigations, documentation, and required notifications.
• Process or support Personnel Security Incident Reports and For Cause discharge documentation involving SCI-cleared personnel.
• Maintain SCIF Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Action Procedures so documentation remains current with applicable requirements.
• Coordinate with Whiteman AFB security offices, ACC/SSO, DIA, 509th Security Forces Squadron, and other authorized organizations on security matters within the scope of the position.
• Support SCIF reaccreditation activities and associated documentation for the unit SCIF and applicable subordinate SCIFs.
• Inspect physical security conditions of accredited SCIF spaces and identify deficiencies requiring repair or corrective action.
• Maintain Fixed Facility Checklists and TEMPEST addendum checklists supporting accredited facilities.
• Review proposed SCIF modifications and support coordination necessary to maintain compliance with applicable DIA and ACC/SSO requirements.
• Draft co-utilization agreements when Special Access Program access or facility-sharing arrangements require documentation.
• Manage accountability, maintenance, safeguarding, and authorized disposal of SCI materials in accordance with applicable security guidance.
• Prepare the unit for internal and external security inspections and assist in responding to findings or discrepancies.
• Conduct or coordinate monthly random inspections and maintain required inspection records.
• Coordinate quarterly alarm testing, maintain alarm-test logs, and provide required notifications.
• Support the unit alarm-monitoring program and applicable subordinate SCIF requirements.
• Develop monthly security-program status information, including security violations and investigation status, for the commander or designee.
• Prepare the required monthly program status report, SCIF access roster, and security-violation compilation for delivery by the first duty day of each month.
• Support required annual reporting to ACC/SSO.
• Assist with training of unit Special Security Representatives and other personnel performing assigned security functions.
• Complete required online security training within Government-established deadlines.
• Attend Government-funded in-residence training addressing ICD 704/SEAD personnel security and ICD 705 physical security, as directed.
• Maintain complete, current, and audit-ready Government records and security documentation.
• Provide verbal or written status information to the COR for weekly 20 ATKS command staff reporting.
• Identify security, schedule, quality, staffing, or customer-service concerns early and recommend practical corrective actions.
• Ensure contractor work products are accurate, complete, timely, professionally presented, and compliant with applicable procedures.
• Protect Government-furnished equipment, information, records, and classified material in accordance with applicable safeguarding requirements.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced, highly organized Project Manager I / Contract Quality Control Manager to provide fractional corporate oversight for a Department of the Air Force operations support contract supporting the 20th Attack Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

This individual will serve as ASCENSION's management and quality-control focal point for contract performance. The successful candidate will help ensure that personnel remain qualified and available, required services are performed accurately and on schedule, contractual obligations are tracked, performance problems are identified early, and corrective actions are implemented before they affect Air Force operations.

The ideal candidate is a disciplined federal contractor professional who combines project management, contract administration, quality assurance, risk management, and personnel coordination skills. We are seeking someone who is comfortable operating independently, communicating with Government and corporate leadership, monitoring a small but mission-critical workforce, and escalating problems before they become performance failures.

This role is especially well suited for a professional who has supported Department of Defense, Air Force, intelligence, security, law enforcement, or other mission-critical federal programs and understands that effective contract management depends as much on disciplined follow-through, documentation, staffing continuity, and quality control as it does on project scheduling.

The individual must be able to work effectively in an environment where operational requirements can change quickly and where continuity of service is essential to the customer's mission.

Position Summary

The Project Manager I / Contract Quality Control Manager will provide corporate project management, contract administration, quality assurance, personnel oversight, risk management, and performance monitoring for ASCENSION's support of the 20th Attack Squadron.

The Air Force requires the contractor to coordinate the activities necessary to execute the requirement; manage the timeliness, completeness, and quality of problem identification; provide corrective action plans; identify issues promptly; effectively manage subcontractors when used; establish clear lines of authority and responsibility; and maintain customer satisfaction and professional conduct.

The position will therefore function as a bridge among ASCENSION executive leadership, assigned contractor personnel, subcontractors if applicable, and Government contract stakeholders.

Quality oversight is particularly important. The draft PWS requires the contractor to establish and maintain a quality program designed to identify and prevent service defects before performance becomes unacceptable and requires submission of the contractor's Quality Control Plan within 15 days of award.

This position will develop and maintain the management controls necessary to satisfy those obligations while ensuring that the onsite resource supporting the 20 ATKS remains focused on mission delivery.

ASCENSION's existing GSA labor category for Project Manager I requires a bachelor's degree and at least five years of relevant experience and encompasses management of project quality, schedule, cost, scope, risks, client interactions, meetings, contractor activities, and deliverables.

Day-to-Day and Recurring Responsibilities

The Project Manager I / Contract Quality Control Manager will:

• Manage ASCENSION's overall contractual, staffing, schedule, performance, and quality oversight activities for the 20 ATKS Operations Support Services effort.
• Establish the contract management structure, responsibilities, escalation procedures, communication protocols, performance controls, and corporate oversight processes required at contract startup.
• Develop ASCENSION's contract-specific Quality Control Plan and coordinate its submission within the required 15-day post-award timeframe.
• Monitor contract performance against PWS requirements, deliverables, performance standards, due dates, staffing requirements, and Government expectations.
• Review contractor-generated work products and recurring deliverables for completeness, accuracy, timeliness, professionalism, and contractual compliance before or following Government delivery, as appropriate.
• Maintain a contract compliance tracker identifying requirements, deliverables, responsible parties, due dates, completion status, and outstanding actions.
• Maintain a contract risk and issue register addressing operational, staffing, quality, schedule, security, subcontractor, and customer-service risks.
• Identify emerging performance problems before they affect mission delivery and develop mitigation strategies in coordination with ASCENSION leadership and assigned personnel.
• Coordinate corrective action plans when deficiencies, missed requirements, performance concerns, or quality issues are identified.
• Track corrective actions through completion and verify that corrective measures address the underlying cause rather than only the immediate symptom.
• Monitor recurring Government performance requirements, including monthly reports and other required submissions.
• Confirm that recurring contract deliverables are prepared and submitted within required timeframes.
• Coordinate with the assigned contractor employee to obtain status information required for Government reporting and weekly 20 ATKS Commander staff-meeting updates.
• Monitor staffing continuity, attendance, employee availability, training currency, qualifications, and any circumstances that could affect contract performance.
• Coordinate replacement staffing when assigned personnel resign, become unavailable, lose required qualifications, or otherwise cannot continue performance.
• Develop staffing contingency and succession measures to minimize disruption to mission-essential support.
• Support recruiting and candidate evaluation activities when replacement or surge personnel are required.
• Verify candidate qualifications against PWS education, experience, security, and technical requirements before presenting personnel for assignment.
• Coordinate personnel-change notifications and supporting documentation required for Government approval.
• Manage subcontractor activities, if subcontractors are used, including work allocation, deliverables, performance, communication, and corrective actions.
• Monitor potential organizational conflicts of interest associated with subcontractor work assignments.
• Facilitate communications among ASCENSION leadership, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and Government stakeholders.
• Prepare project status updates, management briefings, action-item trackers, risk summaries, quality reports, staffing reports, and corrective-action documentation.
• Conduct periodic quality reviews of contract records and project documentation.
• Verify that contract personnel maintain required training, administrative documentation, security-related requirements, and professional standards.
• Support contract phase-in activities and ensure operational readiness within the PWS's 30-calendar-day maximum transition period.
• Coordinate phase-out and knowledge-transfer activities when necessary to prevent disruption of mission support.
• Maintain appropriate contract-management records and documentation in accordance with contract requirements and ASCENSION procedures.
• Escalate significant contractual, staffing, customer, quality, security, or performance risks to ASCENSION executive leadership promptly.
• Advise ASCENSION leadership regarding contract performance, resource needs, emerging risks, customer concerns, and recommended management actions.
• Apply ASCENSION's ISO 9001-aligned quality management principles to promote documented, repeatable, measurable, and continuously improving contract-management practices.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Workforce Planning and Succession Analyst who combines human capital expertise with strong business analytics capabilities to help HUD leadership anticipate workforce needs, identify critical positions, evaluate leadership continuity risks, and make informed succession and talent-management decisions.

This is not a traditional HR generalist position. The ideal candidate is a human capital analyst who can translate workforce information into executive-level insight. The individual should be comfortable working with workforce datasets, organizational structures, position and staffing information, competency data, succession indicators, and leadership requirements to help HUD understand where workforce vulnerabilities exist and what actions may be necessary to sustain mission continuity.

The role directly supports HUD's need to develop succession strategies that promote leadership continuity and talent retention, identify critical roles, develop succession approaches for key positions, support future-leader development, and establish mechanisms for measuring succession-planning effectiveness. It also intersects with HUD's portfolio analytics and executive briefing requirements, meaning the analyst must be able to convert complex workforce information into clear findings, visualizations, recommendations, and decision-ready briefings for senior leadership.

Candidates who are strongest for this position will bring experience in workforce planning, human capital analytics, succession planning, talent management, organizational analysis, workforce data visualization, competency or skills analysis, and executive reporting.

ASCENSION's existing Human Capital Management capabilities include workforce analytics, employee records analysis, organizational and position management, strategic workforce activities, HR/HC dashboard development, attrition analysis, position-management data reconciliation, and organizational assessment.

Position Summary

The Workforce Planning and Succession Analyst will provide analytical and advisory support to HUD executives and program stakeholders responsible for organizational continuity, workforce readiness, succession planning, and leadership development.

The analyst will evaluate workforce information to identify mission-critical positions, potential succession vulnerabilities, workforce gaps, retirement or turnover exposure, leadership pipeline considerations, and organizational capacity risks. The individual will help convert these findings into structured succession planning products, workforce planning analyses, dashboards, briefing materials, and recommendations that allow HUD leadership to make informed decisions concerning workforce continuity.

A major responsibility of the position will be transforming potentially fragmented workforce information into a coherent decision-support picture. The analyst may work with organizational charts, workforce inventories, staffing data, position information, competencies, vacancy information, workforce demographics, attrition trends, development activities, and other Government-provided information. The individual should be comfortable assessing data quality, reconciling inconsistent information, developing analytical methodologies, identifying meaningful workforce indicators, and clearly communicating limitations or assumptions associated with the data.

Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

The individual selected for this role is expected to:

• Analyze workforce, organizational, position, competency, talent, vacancy, attrition, retirement-eligibility, and related human capital information provided by HUD.
• Identify positions, occupational groups, functions, and leadership roles that may represent heightened succession or workforce-continuity risk.
• Assess workforce trends and organizational dependencies that could affect HUD's ability to sustain critical mission functions during planned and unplanned personnel transitions.
• Develop analytical methodologies and decision criteria for identifying mission-critical positions and evaluating succession readiness.
• Evaluate workforce supply, workforce demand, talent pipelines, competencies, developmental needs, and organizational capacity against current and anticipated mission requirements.
• Map critical positions to required competencies, knowledge, experience, leadership capabilities, and potential feeder positions.
• Conduct gap analyses comparing existing workforce capability with anticipated organizational and leadership requirements.
• Develop succession-planning matrices, workforce risk profiles, talent-pipeline assessments, leadership continuity assessments, and related decision-support products.
• Establish key performance indicators and workforce measures for monitoring succession readiness, critical-position coverage, talent development, workforce vulnerabilities, and implementation progress.
• Create dashboards, charts, tables, heat maps, scorecards, and other visual products that communicate workforce conditions and succession risks to decision-makers.
• Integrate workforce information from multiple Government-provided sources into structured analytical datasets and reporting products.
• Validate workforce data by identifying inconsistencies, missing information, duplicate records, unusual trends, and other data-quality concerns before analysis.
• Document data definitions, assumptions, analytical methods, calculation methodologies, business rules, and limitations so that findings can be understood and reproduced.
• Translate technical workforce analysis into concise findings, implications, recommendations, and decision points appropriate for executive audiences.
• Prepare executive briefing materials, presentations, summaries, talking points, workforce analyses, and supporting documentation.
• Support HUD executives and stakeholders in interpreting workforce trends and understanding the organizational implications of succession-planning findings.
• Facilitate interviews, working sessions, data-review meetings, and discussions with human capital professionals, program leadership, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders.
• Gather qualitative information from stakeholders to supplement quantitative workforce analysis and identify institutional knowledge, competency, or transition risks that may not be evident in available datasets.
• Recommend practical workforce and succession actions based on documented analytical findings while preserving Government responsibility for policy and personnel decisions.
• Monitor established succession-planning indicators and periodically evaluate whether workforce risks, leadership pipelines, or critical-position coverage are improving.
• Update analytical products as workforce information, executive priorities, organizational structures, or succession-planning assumptions change.
• Maintain organized analytical files, source data, supporting documentation, version histories, and decision records in approved collaboration and knowledge-management repositories.
• Coordinate with program management, analytics, human capital, communications, and executive support personnel to ensure workforce analysis supports broader HUD transformation and organizational objectives.
• Review reports, presentations, dashboards, and analytical products for accuracy, completeness, consistency, and executive readability before delivery.
• Incorporate Government comments and revisions into draft and final products within established review cycles.
• Protect sensitive workforce and personnel-related information and follow applicable Federal, HUD, contractual, records-management, privacy, and information-security requirements.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Policy and Governance Analyst to provide regulatory research, policy analysis, governance, compliance, risk, and executive advisory support to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This position is designed for a professional who can interpret complex regulatory and policy requirements, determine how those requirements affect organizational operations, and translate findings into practical recommendations for senior government leaders. The analyst will support HUD as the Department addresses reorganization, operational efficiency, accountability, modernization, and other executive-level initiatives.

HUD's Executive Support Services requirement is intended to enhance operational capabilities, improve efficiency, and align departmental activities with HUD's mission and long-term objectives. The successful candidate must therefore be more than a policy researcher. ASCENSION is seeking someone capable of connecting regulations, policy, governance structures, operational processes, internal controls, risk, and executive decision-making.

The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, highly analytical, organized, comfortable working with incomplete or evolving information, and skilled at distinguishing regulatory requirements from policy choices and operational practices. The individual should be capable of working independently, managing multiple research and analysis assignments, identifying potential compliance or governance issues before they become problems, and explaining complex findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

This role is particularly well suited for someone with experience in federal management consulting, regulatory affairs, public policy, compliance, governance, internal controls, program analysis, or management analysis.

Contractor Role Summary

The Policy and Governance Analyst will support two closely related HUD executive support functions.

Under Regulatory Assessment and Policy Formulation, the analyst will review existing regulations, identify opportunities for clarification or improvement, analyze the operational effects of proposed policy changes, research recognized practices, benchmark policies or governance approaches, engage stakeholders, and develop evidence-based recommendations for HUD leadership.

Under Governance, Compliance, and Assurance Support, the analyst will help establish and maintain frameworks that support adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies. Activities may include compliance assessments, risk monitoring, audit support, internal control reviews, regulatory documentation, emerging-requirement analysis, and recommendations to strengthen accountability and transparency.

The role is advisory. HUD retains responsibility for inherently governmental policy and management decisions. The PWS specifically establishes the work as non-personal services and reserves Government decision-making authority to HUD.

The analyst should therefore be able to research, assess, document, advise, and recommend, while clearly distinguishing contractor analysis from Government policy decisions.

Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

• RESEARCH federal laws, regulations, executive directives, HUD policies, strategic plans, guidance, Government Accountability Office or Office of Inspector General findings, and other authoritative sources relevant to assigned policy questions.
• REVIEW existing regulations, policies, directives, governance structures, standard operating procedures, and internal controls to identify inconsistencies, gaps, duplication, ambiguities, or opportunities for improvement.
• ANALYZE proposed regulatory or policy changes to determine potential effects on HUD programs, organizational structures, business processes, stakeholders, resources, risk, and mission outcomes.
• ASSESS organizational compliance with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, governance requirements, and established controls.
• DEVELOP regulatory crosswalks, policy comparison matrices, compliance checklists, assessment instruments, governance models, decision papers, issue briefs, and executive summaries.
• BENCHMARK HUD policies, processes, governance practices, and controls against federal requirements and relevant public- or private-sector practices.
• IDENTIFY regulatory, policy, operational, governance, and compliance risks and document recommended mitigation strategies.
• EVALUATE the effectiveness of existing governance structures and internal controls and identify opportunities to strengthen accountability, oversight, and transparency.
• MONITOR emerging regulatory and policy developments that could affect HUD programs, operations, organizational responsibilities, or executive priorities.
• SYNTHESIZE qualitative and quantitative information from multiple sources into concise findings and actionable recommendations.
• DRAFT policy recommendations, analysis memoranda, regulatory assessments, briefing papers, executive summaries, presentations, and supporting documentation.
• PREPARE documentation needed for compliance reviews, audits, regulatory inquiries, or executive governance activities.
• FACILITATE interviews, working sessions, and stakeholder discussions to obtain subject matter expertise and validate policy or governance findings.
• COORDINATE with program offices, functional stakeholders, subject matter experts, project managers, and other consultants to obtain information required for assessments.
• MAINTAIN policy inventories, requirements matrices, risk registers, issue logs, research repositories, action trackers, and supporting documentation.
• PRESENT findings, alternatives, impacts, risks, and recommendations in formats suitable for senior executive review.
• RESPOND to questions from leadership by conducting focused research and developing defensible, evidence-based analyses.
• TRACK stakeholder comments and incorporate approved revisions into draft and final deliverables.
• VERIFY that analytical products are accurate, supported by authoritative sources, logically structured, and traceable to underlying evidence.
• SUPPORT quality reviews to ensure deliverables incorporate HUD comments, reflect comprehensive research and analysis, and meet required accessibility standards.

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Federal Procurement Analyst to provide acquisition research, procurement planning, market analysis, solicitation development, and acquisition decision-support services to senior leaders within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This position is intended for a federal acquisition professional who understands how mission requirements move from an operational need into an executable federal procurement. The successful candidate will be able to assess requirements, conduct defensible market research, evaluate procurement alternatives, develop acquisition documentation, support evaluation activities, and translate complex procurement information into concise recommendations for executive decision-makers.

The ideal candidate combines strong knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, federal acquisition lifecycle, market research, acquisition planning, requirements development, and source-selection support with the analytical discipline of a management consultant. The individual should be comfortable working across contracting, program, financial, legal, technical, and executive stakeholder groups while maintaining the distinction between contractor advisory support and inherently governmental decision-making.

HUD is establishing the Executive Support Services BPA to help senior leadership advance reorganization, succession planning, operational improvement, strategic initiatives, and other executive priorities. Procurement support is therefore not simply an administrative function. It is an enabling capability through which HUD executives obtain the professional services, technologies, and other resources needed to execute departmental priorities.

This position is particularly well suited for candidates with backgrounds such as Acquisition Analyst, Procurement Analyst, Contract Analyst, Contract Specialist, Acquisition Support Specialist, Procurement Consultant, or Federal Acquisition Consultant.

Position Summary

The Federal Procurement Analyst will support HUD executives and designated acquisition stakeholders throughout appropriate portions of the federal procurement lifecycle. HUD's PWS specifically calls for expert guidance involving procurement strategy development, solicitation activities, evaluation, contract management, procurement best practices, federal regulatory compliance, statements of work, evaluation criteria, contract terms, market research, sourcing approaches, vendor identification, executive briefings, analysis, and procurement problem resolution.

The analyst will transform program requirements, stakeholder input, procurement data, market intelligence, applicable acquisition regulations, and procurement constraints into organized analyses and actionable acquisition products. Work may require independently researching complex issues, identifying risks or gaps, comparing procurement alternatives, developing recommendations, preparing executive-level materials, and coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders.

The successful candidate should be a highly organized, analytical, detail-oriented, and responsive professional who can work effectively with limited supervision. The candidate must be comfortable operating in environments where requirements evolve, priorities compete for attention, and senior executives require accurate information quickly.

Because the PWS establishes the engagement as non-personal services, contractor personnel provide analysis and advisory support but do not perform inherently governmental functions or make decisions reserved for Government personnel.

Position Day-to-Day Activities

The Federal Procurement Analyst is anticipated to:

• Analyze program and operational requirements to identify acquisition considerations, procurement dependencies, constraints, risks, and documentation requirements.
• Conduct federal procurement market research to evaluate potential vendors, contract vehicles, commercial practices, acquisition methods, competitive conditions, and sourcing alternatives.
• Develop market research reports, acquisition analyses, procurement recommendations, and supporting documentation for Government review.
• Support development and refinement of Statements of Work, Performance Work Statements, Statements of Objectives, specifications, and other requirements documents.
• Translate program-office requirements into clear, measurable, and acquisition-ready procurement documentation.
• Assist with acquisition strategy development by analyzing procurement alternatives, contract structures, sourcing approaches, schedules, risks, and potential acquisition constraints.
• Prepare draft evaluation criteria, technical evaluation factors, instructions, acquisition planning materials, and related procurement documentation, as authorized.
• Review acquisition documentation for completeness, internal consistency, traceability, clarity, and alignment with approved requirements.
• Research applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions, agency acquisition guidance, policies, procedures, and procurement practices to support contracting decisions.
• Analyze procurement schedules and critical milestones to identify dependencies that could affect acquisition timelines.
• Develop cost-estimation inputs, comparative analyses, procurement research tables, decision matrices, and related analytical products when required.
• Assess acquisition risks and develop recommended mitigation strategies for Government consideration.
• Evaluate market information and vendor capabilities against stated Government requirements.
• Support acquisition teams during solicitation preparation and evaluation activities without performing inherently governmental source-selection decisions.
• Organize acquisition information, evaluation documentation, research findings, and supporting records to improve auditability and decision traceability.
• Prepare executive-level briefings, decision papers, recommendations, presentations, and procurement status summaries.
• Synthesize complex contracting and program information into concise findings suitable for senior HUD executives.
• Coordinate with contracting officers, contracting officer's representatives, program managers, subject matter experts, financial personnel, technical teams, and other authorized stakeholders.
• Facilitate acquisition-related working sessions, stakeholder discussions, and Integrated Project Team meetings when requested.
• Track procurement actions, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, decisions, and follow-up actions.
• Identify incomplete requirements, conflicting assumptions, documentation deficiencies, procurement bottlenecks, or unresolved dependencies requiring Government attention.
• Recommend process improvements that strengthen acquisition efficiency, consistency, documentation quality, and procurement visibility.
• Maintain accurate working files, analyses, decision-support materials, and Government records in accordance with applicable HUD requirements.
• Respond to Government comments and revise analytical products and deliverables within established review periods.
• Ensure assigned deliverables are professionally written, analytically sound, appropriately researched, and Section 508 compliant when applicable.
• Protect procurement-sensitive, proprietary, acquisition-related, and other non-public information encountered during contract performance.
• Support additional acquisition research and executive procurement initiatives assigned through applicable task orders.