Contract Specialist

Summary

Joining the Secret Service, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Procurement Division will allow you to provide leadership, oversight, expertise, and advice on acquisition planning and all phases of procurement and contracting. For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.

Duties

• APPLICATION CUT-OFF DATE: This announcement will remain open for 30 days, and applications will be accepted throughout the open period. The first cut-off date for consideration is 09/10/2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications received by the cut-off date will be considered and may be referred to the selecting official. Applications received after the first cut-off date will be considered for subsequent vacancies, as applicable, following the JOA closing date. The selectee will serve as a Contract Specialist in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Procurement Division. Typical work assignments include: Identifies within assigned major program(s) those large-scale subsystems, components, equipment, and services to be acquired by contract; develops procurement objectives for the program in terms of competition and price range; constructs the contractual design; and prepares and maintains current acquisition plans and project timeline/milestone plans. Plans and conducts post-award conferences to ensure understanding of contractual requirements. Tracks contractors' progress to evaluate performance. Administers and monitors contractor performance for compliance with applicable laws, delivery schedules, payment provisions, inspections, and other requirements as stated in the contract. Provides guidance to contractors regarding contractual obligations and terms. Apply for this exciting opportunity to provide oversight of procurement and contracting within the Procurement Division. This Contract Specialist position starts at a salary of $76,463 GS-12 step 1, with promotion potential to $118,204, GS-13 step 10.

Qualifications

To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the respective grade level in which you are applying. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below: BASIC REQUIREMENTS: A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4 years' experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to working at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position. AND B. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. C. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions in the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D. D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision-making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: You qualify for the GS-12 level if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level performing duties such as: Monitoring contractor performance to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, delivery schedules, contract terms, and performance requirements. Providing guidance to contractors regarding contractual obligations, terms, conditions, and performance expectations. Preparing determinations and findings to support contractual actions. You qualify for the GS-13 level if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level performing duties such as: Negotiating contract prices, terms and conditions, modifications, and settlements. Conducting contract pre-award and post-award functions to determine the method of procurement and contract type, documenting acquisition strategies, and obtaining appropriate approvals. Ensuring contractors adhere to regulations by periodically evaluating their performance and terminating contracts when they violate terms and conditions. Selective Placement Factor: In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement to be considered qualified for the position: This position requires a Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent certification. Applicants must provide proof of active certification. Failure to provide proof of certification will result in an ineligible rating. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current competitive service employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50, "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to comply. The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship is required. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service If selected for this position, you will be required to: Obtain and maintain a Top-Secret Tier 5 clearance. For more information visit OPM Mythbuster Page. Submit a credit check after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted. Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position. Submit a financial disclosure report. Submit a copy of The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent certification. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for a position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. PLEASE NOTE: Only resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available, and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button Answer the questions presented in the application and submit the required documents. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access to USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. To view the required online questionnaire please visit https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13044640. The online questionnaire is required in addition to the USA Hire assessments. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: USA Hire Help. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: USA Hire Reasonable Accommodation We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you may contact the APT Talent Management Division at [email protected] OR by calling (202) 406-6420 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm EST (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The Secret Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.