Summary
See below for important information regarding this job.
Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
Clarification from the agency
This announcement is open to current permanent competitive service Department of Defense (DoD) employees. Veterans eligibilities include Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). Military Spouse Preference (MSP), Retained Grade Preference (RGP), and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles may also apply.
Duties
- Serves as a warranted Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO). Incumbent is warranted with unlimited signatory authority as defined in FAR 42.302 and DFARS 242.302.
- Responsible for contract administration of multiple contractors and/or contractors involved in the production of one or more major defense systems (MDSs) or major subsystem thereof.
- Maintains cognizance over a series of complex contracts, grants and other transactions.
- Administers contracts that may have complex short or long-term cost, incentive, re-determinable, flexibly priced, and complex firm fixed-price type contracts.
- Communicate with contractor for contract progress review of assigned contracts.
- Monitor expenditures on cost, incentive and fixed price contracts requiring funds control; reports on anticipated over order to report on anticipated over/underrun of estimated costs; and participates in pre-award surveys.
- Advise, counsel, and provide technical guidance/instruction to team members regarding contract administration functions.
- Monitor contractor performance for compliance with applicable laws, data reporting requirements and payment provisions.
- Conduct pre and post award conferences with the contractor to clarify standard and special provisions, if needed, and ensure compliance with contract requirements.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Security Requirements: Special Sensitive, Sensitive Compartmented Information
- Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
- Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
- Drug Testing: Required
- Must obtain a Contracting Warrant (Unlimited) with signature authority IAW DCMA's Acquisition Warrants and Appointments policy within 12 months.
- Please see the additional information section for other position requirements, including the Contracting Professional Certification requirements.
Qualifications
To qualify for a Contract Administrator position, your resume and supporting documentation must support:
1. Basic Contracting Requirement:
A.)A baccalaureate degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees.
OR
B.) a current civilian employee in DoD or member of the Armed Forces, who occupied an 1102 position, contracting officer position, or comparable military contracting position with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold on or before September 30, 2000 are excluded from the requirements of "A" above.
AND
2. In addition to meeting the basic educational requirement, applicants must have:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in, or related to, this position. To qualify for the NH-03 level, specialized experience must be at the NH-02 or GS-11 or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Creditable specialized experience includes:
- Applying Federal statutes, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to administer a group of complex contracts.
- Using negotiation and communication techniques in order to conduct post award negotiations and a variety of contractual agreements.
- Experience with cost and price analysis techniques sufficient to compare proposals.
- Applying business and industry practices to identify factors affecting contractor's costs; to understand commercial pricing policies, use of catalogues, comparative analysis, and price based techniques; and to conduct on-site surveys to assess contractor's ability to perform.
- Applying cost accounting standards and accounting practices in order to review and draw accurate conclusions on contract provisions.
Education
Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
This position has a minimum education requirement you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims. Or, if you are using education to qualify in lieu of specialized experience you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims. The transcripts must include your name, the name of the college or university, class/course list, completed number of credits/hours, and the date degree conferred (if applicable). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Licenses must be current at time of application.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
Additional information
- This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/1400.25-V300.pdf
- Tour of Duty: 1st Shift
- FLSA: Exempt
- Bargaining Unit: No
- If selected for an interview, you may be required to provide your last three performance appraisals to the panel.
- Selectee may be required to serve a trial/probationary period.
- Recruitment/Relocation/Retention Incentive may be authorized at Management's discretion.
- Financial Disclosure Required
- Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (AT&L) NON-CAP: Position requires DoD Acquisition Contracting Professional, Foundational, certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The assessments for this job will measure the following Competencies:
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility and/or score.
Once the application process is complete, a manual review of your resume and supporting documentation will occur to determine if you are eligible and among the best qualified as determined by the predetermined cutoff score. Your score is based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire.
If you meet the minimum qualifications of this position, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire Assessment. This additional online assessment is required and must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement unless you have requested Reasonable Accommodation for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Your results will be kept on record for one year when applying for future jobs that require the same USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.
Required Documents
Required documents for submission vary based on the authority you are using to apply (e.g., applying as a veteran, a current permanent Federal employee, a reinstatement, etc). Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
The following documents are REQUIRED:
1. Your resume:
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? Page margins should be 0.5 inches, font styles must be legible, and consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.
- Must include your name and contact information, dates of employment and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for the qualifications and referred for selection consideration if eligible. IMPORTANT NOTE: Ensure that your resume does not contain any specialized characters, fonts, typefaces or formatting (e.g. tables, macros, etc.). It is also recommended that you convert/save your resume as a PDF prior to attaching to your application.
- To ensure full credit for time worked regarding qualifications determinations your resume must include your work schedule. You are strongly encouraged to ensure your resume contains the number of hours worked per week and the specific dates of employment (i.e.,"40 hrs per week; 1/15/2020 - 1/14/2022" or "30 hrs per week; 1/15/2020 - Present").
2. Veteran's Documents:
3. Current Federal Employees:
- You must provide a SF-50 (most current Gen Adj or WGI actions are best), or other equivalent official "Notification of Personnel Action" (Note: Request for Personnel Action (SF-52) and Award SF-50's are NOT acceptable).
4. Transcripts (must include your name, the name of the college or university, class/course list, completed number of credits/hours, and the date degree conferred (if applicable): Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Licenses must be current at time of application.
- This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript.
Please review the link for ICTAP, ALL PPP ELIGIBILITIES AND OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility: Supporting Document.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12816229.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/10/2025 to receive consideration.
- 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility and qualifications for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), 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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/