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VA ACQUISITION ACADEMY (VAAA) Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT)

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

I. APPLICATION SUBMISSION CHECKLISTApplicants for the VAAA Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT) must complete and submitthe following items (collectively referred to as the “application package”) to VAAASALT@va.govby 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) on Friday, May 8, 2020. The application, resume, certificate, andrecommendation form(s) must be submitted as PDFs. The biography must be submitted as aWord document. The photo must be submitted as a .jpeg (preferred) or .png.

■ Application Form

■ Resume (including cover page template)

■ Electronic Copy of FAC-C Level III Certificate or Senior Level FAC-P/PM Certificate(demonstrating current certification)

■ Recommendation Form (including a recommendation from an Endorsing Official ifapplicant is a team lead and not a supervisor but meets all other eligibilityrequirements)

■ Student Biography and Photo

II. APPLICATION COMPLETION INSTRUCTIONSApplication Form (To be completed by the Applicant)

a. The Application Form is composed of three sections: Personal Information,Employment Information, and Certification Statements. Applicants are to completethis form in its entirety.

b. Once the requested information has been provided, the applicant should carefullyreview the certification statements at the bottom of the Application Form. Theapplicant will need to check the box next to each statement acknowledging that he/she has read and agreed to the outlined terms.

a. The applicant must complete the Resume Cover Page template provided below (seeAppendix A). Based on his/her inputs to the template, he/she must demonstratetwo years of recent, current agency experience in the 1102 series or as a P/PM inan acquisition role, with current status reflecting an official supervisory positionwithing the GS-13 through GS-15 level. Non-supervisors in a team lead role can beaccepted into SALT with a recommendation from an Endorsing Official (more

Resume Cover Page and Individual Resume (To be completed by the Applicant)

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b. The applicant must also provide a current Resume with the application packagehighlighting his/her professional history, including: work experience, certifications, awards,publications, and other notable achievements. The titles on your resumes should beconsistent with the job title of your position description as an 1102 or acquisition P/PM.Resumes should reflect the most pertinent information associated with this program.Please be sure to exclude from your resume any references to Personally IdentifiableInformation (PII), such as personal address or social security number.

Electronic Copy of FAC-C Level III or Senior Level FAC-P/PM Certificate (To be provided by the Applicant)

a. As proof of current FAC-C Level III or Senior Level FAC-P/PM certification, the applicantmust submit an electronic copy of his/her FAC-C Level III or Senior Level FAC-P/PMCertificate demonstrating active certification status.

Recommendation Form (To be completed by the Applicant’s Immediate Supervisor)

a. After completing/compiling the Application Form, Resume Cover Page, Resume, and FAC-CLevel III or Senior Level FAC-P/PM Certificate, the applicant should submit the applicationpackage to his/her immediate supervisor to complete the Recommendation Form.

b. The applicant’s immediate supervisor will complete the Supervisor Information andSupervisor Recommendation portions of the Recommendation Form (both sections must becompleted, and the Supervisor Recommendation can not exceed 1,000 characters).

c. Upon completion of the Supervisor Information and Supervisor Recommendation sections,the immediate supervisor should carefully review the certification statements at the bottomof the Recommendation Form. He/she will need to check the box next to each of thestatements acknowledging that he/she has read and agreed to the outlined terms. Futureworkload for your employee should take into consideration the training time at VAAA as wellas commitments to outside classroom assignments and Capstone challenge (estimated 50 to70 hours).

d. After completing his/her sections in the Recommendation Form, the immediate supervisorshould return the application package to the applicant. The applicant will then submit thecompleted package unless he/she does not meet the supervisor requirement, which willnecessitate an additional recommendation by an Endorsing Official (see below).

e. In the event the applicant is not a Supervisor, but is a Team Lead and meets all other SALTeligibility requirements, he/she may still apply to the SALT program provided anEndorsing Official, defined as one level above the applicant’s supervisor, recommends thecandidate for approval.

information below). Only supervisors and team leads will be considered for participation in SALT.

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If that Endorsing Official is the HCA (contracting) or SES (program management), he/she will be identified on the application and no additional signature/commentary is required as each HCA and SES will select the best-qualified SALT applicants based on the panel evaluation. Endorsing Officials, as applicable, will need to complete the Endorsing Official Information portion of the Recommendation Form.

f. The Endorsing Official should then carefully review the certification statements at thebottom of the Recommendation Form. He/she will need to check the box to formallyrecommend the applicant and address the short prompt. The Endorsing Official shouldconsider the commitments the candidate and their supervisor are making as to workloadmanagement of future assignments (see subsection c. above).

g. The Endorsing Official should return the application package to the applicant uponcompletion.

Student Biography and Photograph

Applicants are required to submit a brief biography and a photograph as part of a complete application package. The bio and photo should be sent as separate attachments with your application. The bio must be submitted as a Word document and the photo must be submitted as a .jpeg (preferred) or .png. These materials will be printed and shared with all FY21 SALT participants.

Student BiographyThe biography should be no more than two (2) paragraphs outlining professional accomplishments, certifications, and personal hobbies. Please include:

First Name, Last Name, Title, Team Identifier (if applicable), SAC/TAC/NAC (if applicable),OIT, RPO (if applicable), NCO (if applicable) City, State of your assigned office location

A sentence about your main responsibilities

A sentence or two about your previous work experiences, including other agencies orindustries

A sentence about your education and certifications

A sentence or two about the most unique product or service you have ever acquiredduring your acquisition career

A sentence or two about one hobby or interest

Note: Space is a constraint so please keep your bio to specifics listed above. We don’t want to arbitrarily delete any information, but overly long bios may be returned for further modification.

Funding Requirement

Tuition and travel costs for the FY21 SALT program for applicants successfully completing the program will be covered by the VAAA Contracting Professional School (CPS) organization.

Upon acceptance to the program each SALT participant must agree to sign a Continued Service Agreement (CSA) (stipulating 12 weeks of service at one’s current duty station following completion of the program). Failure to meet this agreement may result in related tuition and travel costs being transferred to the SALT participant.

These requirements may differ for participants from Other Government Agencies. Please speak to your Endorsing Official for more information about the policy at your organization.

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Student PhotoPhotos should be a professional-style headshot. the photo must be submitted as a .jpeg (preferred) or .png.

There is a wide array of what is considered “professional”. For our purposes in SALT, we are looking for a headshot (from about the shoulders or elbows up), wearing business professional attire, with a business or neutral background. For example, some backgrounds have the U.S. flag in the back and others are just a blank wall in the back. We ask for the photo to be in full color. Also, please do not send a “selfie”. Here are a few bio photo examples from previous students:

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III. APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND NEXT STEPS

The deadline for final application submission will be 4:00 PM ET on Friday, May 8, 2020.

a. The applicant should perform a final review of the application package to ensure that allrequested information, documents, and signatures are included.

b. Applicants will need to send an e-mail to the VAAA SALT mailbox at VAAASALT@va.govwith the subject line: Completed SALT Application Package. All files except for the StudentBiography and Photograph can be submitted as a single PDF file.The contents of the submission e-mail should contain the completed application packageincluding the following:

■ Application Form

■ Resume (including cover page template)

■ Electronic Copy of FAC-C Level III or Senior Level FAC-P/PM certificatedemonstrating current certification. Students are required to maintain theircertification for the duration of the program.

■ Recommendation Form (with Endorsing Official recommendation, if applicable)

■ Student Biography and Photograph

c. The VAAA SALT Program Office will review applications for completeness and eligibility. Allqualifying applicant packages will then be forwarded to the applicable HCA (contracting) orSES (program management) for final program selection. Each HCA/SES will then select finalSALT participants to represent their organization.

d. Upon selection, successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the program(notification anticipated by mid-July). Please note: a limited number of participants will beaccepted into the SALT program each year.

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VA ACQUISITION ACADEMY (VAAA) Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT)

I. PERSONAL INFORMATION(To be completed by the applicant)

APPLICANT NAME:

OFFICE ADDRESS:

OFFICE E-MAIL ADDRESS:

OFFICE PHONE NUMBER: ALTERNATE PHONE NUMBER:

II. EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION(To be completed by the applicant)

JOB TYPE: ☐ 1102 ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL ☐ P/PM ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL

JOB TITLE/POSITION: [Supervisory or Team Lead]

CURRENT GRADE:

AGENCY:

LENGTH OF SERVICE WITH YOUR AGENCY’S 1102 SERIES OR P/PM ACQUISITION ROLE:

ORGANIZATION (within your agency):

LENGTH OF SERVICE WITH CURRENT ORGANIZATION:

CURRENT FAC-C or FAC-P/PM CERTIFICATION LEVEL:

APPLICATION FORM

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Certification Statements

□ I certify that the information contained in this application package is true and correct to the best ofmy knowledge, understanding that falsification of information may result in termination ofconsideration and/or immediate removal from VAAA SALT.

□ I understand that, if selected, I will be required to travel for training based on the SALT schedule foron-site training at VAAA in Frederick, Maryland. I acknowledge my commitment to attend in-persontraining on the following dates (choose one cohort option):

□ Cohort 1 (1102s)October 14, 2020 – October 23, 2020January 11, 2021 – January 15, 2021March 1, 2021 – March 10, 2021June 7, 2021 – June 11, 2021

□ Cohort 2 (hybrid)December 2, 2020 – December 11, 2020February 1, 2021 – February 5, 2021April 5, 2021 – April 14, 2021June 7, 2021 – June 11, 2021

□ I understand that by submitting this application form, I agree to participate in all aspects of VAAASALT, including an estimated 50-70 hours total of independent learning assignments and Capstoneproject work outside of the on-site training. I understand that the success of the Capstonechallenge is directly related to the commitment I make to my team.

□ I understand that if selected and placed, I will be required to review and sign a 12-week ContinuedService Agreement (CSA) with the duty station where I am currently serving, to commence uponcompletion of the SALT Program.

I certify that (select one of the options below):

□ I am a Supervisor □ I am a Team Lead

and that I supervise or am the team lead for people insert number of people that you oversee

Applicant Signature Date

Please provide a brief statement about your personal and professional reasons for participating in the SALT program.

Page 8 of 11 Recommendation Form

VA ACQUISITION ACADEMY (VAAA) Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT)

I. SUPERVISOR INFORMATION(To be completed by the applicant’s immediate supervisor)

SUPERVISOR NAME:

TITLE/POSITION:

OFFICE ADDRESS:

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

OFFICE PHONE NUMBER:

II. SUPERVISOR RECOMMENDATION(To be completed by the applicant’s immediate supervisor)

Excluding the candidate’s technical competencies, please explain instances where the candidate has demonstrated leadership tendencies and provide commentary on why the applicant would be a good fit for VAAA’s Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT), considering the applicant’s leadership development goals, capabilities, and drive for results. (1,000 characters or less)

Please reference the VAAA SALT Website for a detailed description of the SALT program. For additional information, please e-mail VAAASALT@va.gov.

RECOMMENDATION FORM

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Certification Statements

□ I certify that the individual featured in this application is currently a GS-1102 or AcquisitionP/PM Supervisor (If this is not the case do not check the box. Team Leads will be consideredfor SALT, and the applicant will obtain a recommendation from an Endorsing Official inaccordance with the guidelines provided in the Application Form.)

□ I understand that participation in this program will require the individual named in theApplication Form to travel for on-site training at VAAA, for five weeks (26 business days)during Quarters 1, 2, and 3. For exact dates, please reference the details provided to theapplicant within their Certification Statements section.

□ I give consent for the individual named in the Application Form to participate in all aspectsof VAAA SALT, if selected, including an estimated 50-70 hours total independent learningassignments and Capstone project work outside of the on-site training.

□ I understand that if selected and placed, the individual named in the Application Form willbe required to review and sign a 12-week Continued Service Agreement (CSA) with theircurrent duty station, to commence upon completion of the SALT Program.

Supervisor Signature Date

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ENDORSING OFFICIAL INFORMATION (Required to waive supervisor requirement for SALT participation)

Endorsing Officials are considered to be one level above the applicant’s supervisor. Please Note: if your HCA (contracting) or SES (program management) would be considered your Endorsing Offic ial, please list their name below, but you are not required to obtain their signature or commentary at this t ime as HCA/SES-led panels will be reviewing applications and HCAs/SES will be making final participant selections.

ENDORSING OFFICIAL NAME:

TITLE/POSITION:

Please provide 2-3 sentences explaining why you would recommend this candidate for participation in Senior Acquisition Leadership Training (SALT). More specifically, considering the need to waive the supervisor eligibility requirement, how would the SALT cohort and the organization as a whole benefit from this candidate’s participation in the SALT Program?

Please reference the VAAA SALT Website for a detailed description of the SALT program. For additional information, please e-mail VAAASALT@va.gov.

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Certification Statement

□ Based on my review of this candidate’s application and qualifications, I recommend that theindividual named in the Application Form participate in all aspects of VAAA SALT.

Endorsing Official Signature Date

Resume Cover Page

APPENDIX A: Resume Cover Page (Please Complete Below and Attach Resume Separately. Please ensure that the position tit les listed below match those listed on your resume.)

Position Title, Organization

Agency Grade Level

Supervisory Position (Yes/No)

-PresentGS-

GS-

GS-

Date Range MM/DD/YYYY- MM/DD/YYYY