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Ascension is seeking an accomplished Senior Federal Acquisition Program Manager to provide executive-level contract and program oversight for a federal acquisition support engagement.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned federal program management professional who understands how acquisition support organizations operate and can provide senior guidance to a multidisciplinary acquisition team while maintaining productive relationships with Contracting Officers (COs), Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs), program officials, contractor personnel, and other stakeholders.

This is not a full-time operational Project Manager position. The anticipated level of effort is approximately 36 hours per contract year, and the individual will be engaged at strategically important points throughout performance, including contract startup, executive reviews, quarterly meetings, risk or staffing issues, deliverable reviews, and transition activities.

The successful candidate must be comfortable operating with limited supervision and providing concise, executive-level advice. The individual should be skilled at quickly assessing program performance, identifying risks before they affect delivery, recommending practical corrective actions, and ensuring that contractual commitments are being fulfilled.

Because this position supports federal acquisition activities, the candidate should understand the importance of acquisition integrity, confidentiality, organizational and personal conflicts of interest, procurement-sensitive information, and the distinction between contractor advisory support and inherently Government responsibilities.

Position Summary

The Senior Federal Acquisition Program Manager provides senior-level oversight of Ascension’s performance supporting federal acquisition and contract-management activities.

The position advises Ascension leadership and the Government CO/COR on matters involving contract performance, staffing, quality, schedule, risk, reporting, transition, and overall execution. The Program Manager reviews the performance of the contractor team and helps ensure that acquisition-support activities and contract deliverables are performed accurately, timely, professionally, and in accordance with applicable requirements.

The Program Manager supports an environment involving the full federal acquisition lifecycle, including acquisition planning, market research, solicitation development, source-selection support, award documentation, contract administration, acquisition reporting, strategic sourcing, category management, contract-vehicle support, vendor engagement, customer outreach, training, and transition.

The position may also provide senior oversight of communication plans, performance measures, templates, acquisition-file management, data calls, customer relations, vendor interactions, and support for NIH-wide or multi-agency contract vehicles.

The Program Manager serves strictly in an advisory and contractor-management capacity and will not negotiate contracts, obligate Government funds, or perform inherently Governmental functions.

Expected Activities and Responsibilities

The Senior Federal Acquisition Program Manager will:

• PROVIDE executive-level oversight of contract performance, staffing, schedule, quality, risks, deliverables, and overall contractor performance.
• SERVE as a senior contractor-management interface with the Government CO, COR, Contract Supervisor, and other designated Government stakeholders.
• ADVISE the CO/COR and Ascension leadership regarding emerging performance issues, staffing concerns, delivery risks, quality concerns, and potential corrective actions.
• REVIEW acquisition-support program performance to determine whether assigned activities are progressing in accordance with established requirements, schedules, and service expectations.
• MONITOR contract-level risks, issues, action items, staffing concerns, deliverable status, and performance commitments.
• ASSESS trends affecting acquisition performance and recommend proactive risk-mitigation or process-improvement actions.
• OVERSEE contractor staffing and continuity planning, including the timely identification of potential vacancies, performance issues, or replacement requirements.
• VERIFY that required personnel remain appropriately qualified, trained, cleared, badged, and prepared to perform assigned responsibilities.
• PARTICIPATE in quarterly update meetings with the COR, Contract Supervisor, and other Government stakeholders.
• PREPARE FOR and SUPPORT executive-level reviews concerning contract performance, accomplishments, challenges, upcoming priorities, risks, decisions, and corrective actions.
• REVIEW bi-weekly and monthly program reporting, as appropriate, to ensure status, risks, accomplishments, difficulties, and planned activities are accurately communicated.
• ENSURE significant issues identified during quarterly meetings are incorporated into appropriate status reporting and tracked through resolution.
• OVERSEE the timely preparation and submission of contract-level reports, presentations, meeting materials, and other required management deliverables.
• SUPPORT acquisition file management, program performance reporting, data-call investigation, and response development when senior management involvement is required.
• PROVIDE senior guidance regarding customer relations, vendor engagement, acquisition outreach, training activities, and communications supporting Government contract vehicles.
• REVIEW communication plans, customer-facing materials, presentations, templates, SOPs, fact sheets, training resources, and similar products when executive oversight is appropriate.
• SUPPORT Government and contractor stakeholders in resolving significant operational, performance, or coordination issues.
• COORDINATE with acquisition specialists, functional specialists, the Assistant Project Manager, and other contractor personnel to ensure consistent execution across workstreams.
• OVERSEE implementation of approved corrective-action and risk-mitigation strategies.
• SUPPORT contract kickoff activities and provide senior oversight of personnel onboarding and initial contract execution.
• REVIEW transition-in and transition-out strategies and plans to promote continuity of operations and orderly transfer of responsibilities, documents, knowledge, and Government-related materials.
• PARTICIPATE in transition meetings or training sessions when senior management involvement is required.
• ENSURE contractor operations protect procurement-sensitive, proprietary, confidential, Privacy Act, and other non-public Government information.
• IDENTIFY actual or potential organizational or personal conflicts of interest and ensure they are immediately escalated through appropriate channels.
• MAINTAIN professional and effective relationships with senior Government, contractor, vendor, and stakeholder personnel.