Contract Specialist -- Direct Hire
What you'd do
This position is being offered through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. See more about Direct Hire under Conditions of Employment below. Plans, solicits, negotiates, awards, administers and closes out the most complex and difficult acquisitions of materials, systems, services and equipment in support of agency goals and initiatives. See QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION for more information about this position.
Major duties
At the full performance level, serves as an acquisition official on the most complex acquisitions by executing contracts and contract modifications. Formulates contracting strategies and secures commodities for the most complex acquisitions Performs all other duties and responsibilities of a Contracting Officer within the limits of delegated authority, which may be over $6 million per award. Administers negotiated and sole-source acquisitions using a wide variety of acquisition methods and contract types Typical acquisition methods include open-market contracts, orders against existing agency contracts and orders against other agencies’contracts; typical contract types include firm-fixed price, cost reimbursement, time-and-materials/labor-hour. The GS-11 level is an Advanced Developmental / career-ladder position leading to GS-12. At this level, assignments are not as broad and/or inclusive as assignments at the full performance level. The supervisor or higher-graded analysts provide general instructions on new assignments, furnish advice and guidance, answer questions and assist in solving problems that may arise. Work is reviewed upon completion for adequacy and compliance with policies, guidelines and procedures. The extent of guidance and review gradually decreases as the employee develops. Consideration for promotion from GS-11 to GS-12 is at the manager’s discretion and is based on the existence of higher-level work, your ability to perform that work, administrative requirements and current agency and/or organizational restrictions.
What you need to qualify
To meet Minimum Qualifications for this Contract Specialist position you must demonstrate: (1) the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the federal GS-1102 series AND (2) at least 52 weeks of *Specialized Experience For GS-11 ONLY: you may substitute a Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral degree) OR at least 3 academic years of successfully completed progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral degree) in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related competencies for this position for Specialized Experience. (See GS-11 requirements below.) (1) INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR) (All Applicants) A. Successful completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field OR B. Successful completion of 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 Exceptions: 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. AND (2) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (by grade) FOR GS-11: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-09 OR (if your position is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-09 or above. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is work that primarily consists of performing pre- and post-award contract functions, including procurement planning, negotiation strategies and contract administration. **If you have this experience, your resume must describe, in your own words, the specific duties you perform that demonstrate it. If your experience was gained in the federal government, you must upload an SF-50 documenting your grade at the time experience was gained.** SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE can be demonstrated by: · Soliciting and evaluating competitive proposals, including reviewing prices and costs; · Managing contract administration functions such as partial/progress payments, deliverables management, contract modifications, and contract closeouts; · Planning and carrying out pre-award and post-award contract functions; · Applying federal and agency acquisition regulations, procedures, and precedent decisions to ensure compliance; · Negotiating prices, terms and conditions, and contract modifications; · Awarding cost reimbursement and performance-based contracts for materials, systems, services, or equipment. In lieu of Specialized Experience, you may qualify for GS-11 with a Ph.D. in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related competencies necessary for this position. This education must be separate from and in addition to education used to support the IOR. In lieu of Specialized Experience or a Ph.D. you may qualify for GS-11 with at least 3 academic years of successfully completed progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related competencies for this position. This education must be separate from and in addition to education used to support the IOR. In lieu of the full amount of Specialized Experience or the full amount of Optional Education, you may qualify for GS-11 with a portion of each that can be combined to meet the full requirement. Only successfully completed education beyond the second year of graduate studies can be used for this option and it must be separate from and in addition to the education used to meet the IOR. Experience used in combination with education must also be in addition to the experience used in IOR Option B. (HR will determine if the combination of experience and education is sufficient to meet the requirements.) ************************************************* FOR GS-12: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-11 OR (if your position is on another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level of responsibility and difficulty equivalent to GS-11 or above. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is work that primarily consists of performing pre- and post-award contract functions for complex or high-value procurements, including procurement planning, negotiation strategies and contract administration, with responsibility for independently managing the full acquisition lifecycle and resolving complex contracting issues. **If you have this experience, your resume must describe, in your own words, the specific duties you perform that demonstrate it. If your experience was gained in the federal government, you must upload an SF-50 documenting your grade at the time experience was gained.** SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE can be demonstrated by: · Planning and carrying out pre-award and post-award contract functions for a variety of acquisitions; · Reviewing acquisition requests and recommending contracting strategies to meet program needs and ensure cost effectiveness; · Applying federal and agency acquisition regulations, procedures, and precedent decisions to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; · Negotiating prices, terms and conditions, and contract modifications for moderately complex contracts; · Administering contracts, including managing payments, deliverables, modifications, and contract closeouts; · Awarding cost reimbursement, performance-based, or fixed-price contracts for materials, systems, services, or equipment Education cannot be substituted for Specialized Experience at this grade. Since Specialized Experience also has a time component, it must be evident that the duties you describe are at the required level for at least 52 weeks. Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (IOR and Specialized Experience for GS-12 / IOR and Specialized Experience and/or Optional Education for GS-11) must be met by the closing date of this announcement. SEE EDUCATION AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS Information on this job series can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1100/contracting-series-1102/
Before you apply
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