Contract Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO), Office of Acquisition and Grants Administration (OAGA), Contracts and Acquisitions Management Division (CAM) in multiple locations. The incumbent serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for planning, negotiating, awarding, and administering contract actions that support multiple organizational segments of the department.

Duties

• APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200 application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. As a Contract Specialist, GS-1102-9, you will be responsible for: Acquisition planning and solicitation meets with program officials to provide strategic business advice that program and procurement objectives are met and produces acquisition plan and solicitation. Contract negotiation and source selection - participates in the source selection process to ensure integrity of the acquisition process is maintained. Coordinates the technical evaluation of offers and participates in the technical panel consensus meeting. Contract Administration - Under the guidance of the contracting officer, serves as the contract administrator, conducting limited contract administration actions from solicitation to contract close-out.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements: You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-9, if you possess the specialize experience, education, or a combination of the two. Specialized experience for the GS-9 - One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-7 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: 1. Experience preparing letters, memorandums, documents, reviewing and interpreting policy, and data manipulation using Microsoft Office software tools (i.e., Excel, SharePoint, PowerPoint). 2. Experience building relationships with internal or external customers to facilitate the timely delivery of goods or services. 3.Experience in planning, reviewing, or conducting market research for commercial items. OR EDUCATION (see EDUCATION SECTION of the vacancy announcement) OR A combination of both education and experience in which the total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). 1. Knowledge of specific statues, regulations and policies and procedures relating to Federal procurement activities. 2. Skill in negotiation techniques to conduct contract negotiations and to meet and deal with internal and external stakeholders. 3. Skill in written and oral communication in order to develop a variety of contracting documents and communicate with management, customers and contractors and keep them apprised of procurement issues.

Requirements

Condition of Employment: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or 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. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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). Key Requirement - Relocation will not be paid. Key Requirement - Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service. Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary or two-year trail period. Key Requirement - Must be a US Citizen. Key Requirement - You may be required to completed background investigation and fingerprints.

Education

Education Requirements: This position has a positive education requirement. Contract Specialist - 1102 Basic Requirements for GS-9 A. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR B. 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. You may meet the minimum qualifications of this position by meeting the following education options. (GS-9) Two years of graduate education (beyond a bachelor's degree) or A master's degree or equivalent degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related OR A combination of specialized experience and education that when taken as a percentage of the required education and experience total 100% or more. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

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 submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (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 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 about two (2) 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. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.