Closeout Quality Assurance Specialist

Department of the Interior

Office of the Secretary of the Interior

Interior Business Center

Summary

This position is part of the Interior Business Center (IBC), Acquisitions Services Division (AQD), AQD Management Division II.

The incumbent will be responsible for performing contract closeout quality assurance reviews, ensuring compliance and data integrity, identifying and resolving issues, providing technical guidance, supporting documentation and system improvements, and contributing to projects that enhance closeout efficiency.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

Current employees under the Department of the Interior (DOI), Interior Business Center (IBC), Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD), in the local commuting area, who are on a career or career conditional appointment or current AQD employees, in the local commuting area, who are eligible for consideration under non-competitive procedures or special hiring authority (e.g., Severely Disabled, 30% or more compensable disabled veteran, etc.) may apply.

Duties

As the Closeout Quality Assurance Specialist for IBC AQD's Contract Closeout Program, routine duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

Conduct independent quality assurance reviews of contract closeout records, including complex cost-type contracts, to verify compliance with policies, procedures, and regulatory standards.
Determine acceptance or rejection of contract records and serve as the technical liaison, providing guidance to Contract Specialists and Contracting Officers on deficiencies and corrective actions.
Apply qualitative and quantitative methods, including statistical sampling, to assess completeness of closeout records, identify systemic issues, analyze trends, and recommend process improvements.
Use multiple business and acquisition systems (BEAR, PRISM, FPDS, SAM.gov, CTC, Tableau) to review records, ensure data integrity, and initiate or guide corrective actions across platforms.
Contribute to the review and improvement of internal closeout program guidance, tools, and systems; support testing and implementation of enhancements to strengthen quality assurance operations.
Supports flexibility and adaptability to change within the organization based on fluctuations in workload and/or assignments.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

US Citizenship is required.
Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation. Must obtain and maintain a favorable background investigation through Continuous Vetting throughout the duration of employment. All employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity and financial monitoring on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
Direct Deposit of pay is required.
Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
Status candidates must meet time-in-grade (see Qualifications).
Must meet all conditions of employment listed under Stipulations of Employment below.

Qualifications

At the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications:

A. Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is in or related to the line of work of this position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. More specifically, this requirement involves experience:

Conducting quality reviews of contract closeout packages to confirm required documents are present and consistent with policy, procedures, and closeout readiness checklists.
Verifying data integrity across acquisition/financial systems by cross-checking key fields and flagging discrepancies for resolution.
Assisting with statistical sampling or other qualitative/quantitative techniques to assess completeness of closeout records; preparing worksheets or summaries of findings for senior staff review.
Drafting deficiency notices or suggested corrective actions for issues and routing to Contract Specialists/Contracting Officers for action.
Supporting updates to internal guidance (SOPs, job aids, checklists, forms) by documenting observed process gaps, suggesting clarifications, or participating in user testing of program tools.
Compiling status reports to track closeout lifecycle milestones, throughput, and backlog; presenting summarized data to the team or supervisor.
Participating in special projects (under direction) to identify procedural bottlenecks, gather data, and contribute to process improvement recommendations focused on compliance and efficiency.
Providing routine liaison support by coordinating information requests, clarifying checklist expectations, and elevating non-standard issues to leadership.

OR

B. Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B. or J.D., if related in one of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, organization and management, or directly related field of study which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities required by this position.(Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education.)

OR

C. Have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as defined above which equals at least 100%. (e.g. 6 months of specialized experience and 1 year and 6 months of graduate level education (i.e. 41 quarter hours or 27 semester hours of education)). (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education).

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience

Education

If qualifying based on education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Note: PDF Portfolio documents will not be processed or accepted as they appear as a one-page document.

Only education from institutions which are accredited or pre-accredited/candidate for accreditation may be used to meet education requirements.

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. For further information, visit:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 reflecting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP, applicants must meet all of the criteria below:

Clearly exceed the minimum qualification/specialized experience requirements for this vacancy; AND
Meet basic eligibility requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment: AND
Be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:
Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans

Telework Suitability:
The duties of this position are suitable for occasional telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criteria based on agency policy.

Stipulations of Employment:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 1 or 2-year trial periodduring 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 the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of yourprobationary period or trial period,your employment may be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Work Schedule:
This position allows for a flexible work schedule.

Miscellaneous:
This agency uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days.

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.

Once the application process is complete, your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and any applicable assessment required for this position. Cheating on the online assessment may result in your removal from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be evaluated for this job based on:

The experience listed in your resume and how well you meet the experience listed in the qualification section of announcement and the competencies listed.
Technical Assessment Questionnaire: Questionnaire that measures your technical expertise
- Questionnaire designed to measure components of knowledge that you will be required to display on the job and are administered as part of the application process.

You will be assessed on the following technical and soft skill competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics).

*Technical Competency - Business and Industry
Analytical Thinking
Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
Quality Management

Due Weight Considerationis a review process used to provide consideration to performance appraisals and awards submitted with each application on a used merit promotion certificate and factoring the results into the merit promotion selection process.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

It is your responsibility to obtain and upload your performance appraisal/evaluation and/or list of awards prior to the closing of the vacancy announcement.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted, only the most current resume will be reviewed for qualifications.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

2. SF-50, Current Career/Career-Conditional Eligible, if applicable: Your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, as well as the highest grade (or promotion potential) held, on a permanent basis. If this information is unverifiable, you may be rated ineligible.

3. DD-214, if applicable: Member 4 Copy of DD-214 showing type of discharge/character of service for consideration under Veterans hiring authorities.

4. Due Weight Consideration:

Performance Appraisal
List of Awards over last five years

5. Other supporting documents:

College transcript(s)
Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable
- If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing type of discharge/character of service or other proof of eligibility. If applicable, youmust also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. Failure to provide this documentation may result in a non-preference determination. For more information on veterans' preference (see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-employment-initiative/vet-guide/).
Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable (e.g. Schedule A letter, veteran documentation, etc.). These links provide additional information:
- USAJOBS Help Center - Individuals with disabilities
- USAJOBS Help Center - What documents do I need to provide when I apply?
CTAP Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP eligible.
Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
Cover Letter, optional

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices. Note: A PDF Portfolio contains multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio can be in a wide range of file types created in different applications. To ensure the document is not a PDF Portfolio document, open the document and if there are multiple different documents with a variety of extensions, it is a PDF Portfolio document and will not be processed.

Do not upload documents with sensitive information. It is your responsibility to redact sensitive information of the documents you are uploading.

It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.

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 application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
Read the Eligibility questions carefully. The questions address if you are eligible to apply to this JOA. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
You may preview the Minimum Qualification Questionnaire at:

If you have questions about this job, please contact the HR Office representative listed in the "Agency Contact Info" section of this vacancy announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Mountain Time, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you may request an alternate application method from the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon EST on the closing date of the announcement.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Agency contact information

Krystal Simmons

Email: Krystal_Simmons@ibc.doi.gov

Address: IBC Acquisition Services Directorate
381 Elden St. Suite 2000A
Herndon, VA 20170
US

Next steps

For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly. A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.

Closeout Quality Assurance Specialist Job in Herndon, VA