Contract Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Acquisition and Grants Management. As a Contract Specialist, GS-1102-11, you will be responsible for pre/post-award duties such as price/cost analysis and administration for services, materials, and equipment for Health & Human Services (HHS) organizations.

Duties

• Prepare solicitation documents which incorporate required Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and HHS policies and provisions.
• Coordinate and conduct negotiations on assigned programs, persuade audiences and to deal effectively with resistance.
• Assemble and prepare all documentation necessary to support the negotiation and award of the contract.
• Collaborate with program officials and contracting officer representatives (CORs).

Qualifications

ALL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. Your resume (limited to no more than 2 pages) must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. In order to qualify for the GS-11, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: Preparing acquisition documents or reports (e.g., solicitations/contracts, market research, justifications & approvals, or award documents) to support the procurement process; AND Reviewing acquisition documents to confirm adherence to terms and conditions or regulations. - OR - Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-11 level by possessing a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M. in the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. - OR - Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-09 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-11. Therefore, only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree may be used to combine education and experience. TRANSCRIPTS are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to the substitution of education for experience and the combination of experience and education. Please refer to the "Required Documents" section below for the documentation required at the time of application. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, all candidates must have the following educational requirements: A. Possess a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field from an accredited college or university. (NOTE: official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted at time of application; if selected, official transcripts will be required.); OR B. Completed at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. (NOTE: official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted at time of application; if selected, official transcripts will be required.) OR C. Exception: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. (NOTE: SF-50s confirming this status must be submitted at the time of application.) TRANSCRIPTS (official or unofficial) are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement listed above. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application WILL result in an ineligible rating. Please see "Required Documents" section below for what documentation is required at the time of application. Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12996611

How to apply

Your complete application package, as described in the "Required Documents" section, must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 01/15/2027 to receive consideration. IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION. We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes. Official Position Title (include series and grade if Federal job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer's name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month and year (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Determining length of general or specialized experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information WILL result in a finding of ineligible. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please send an email to [email protected]. The decision to grant reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Commissioned Corps Officers (including Commissioned Corps professionally boarded applicants) who are interested in applying to this position must send their 1-page cover letter and 2-page ONLY professional resume (not PHS Curriculum Vitae) to [email protected] in lieu of applying through this announcement. The resume should specifically explain how you are qualified for this position and draw specific attention to your skills and experiences that demonstrate these qualifications. Also, send any transcripts, licenses, or certifications as requested in this announcement. Please send all documents in 1 PDF file. In the subject line of your e-mail, include only the Job Announcement Number. In the body of your e-mail, include your current rank name and serial number. Failure to provide this information may impact your consideration for this position. Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.