Contract Specialist Job

Vacancy No. A-2024-0118 Department Department of State - Agency Wide
Salary $122,198.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/23/2024 Close Date 11/25/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Charleston, SCLorton, VARosslyn, VA


Summary

This serves as public notice for the use of OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration.

This position is located within the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisitions Management (A/OPE/AQM), in the U.S. Department of State. The incumbent may be assigned in any division/branch within AQM.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until November 25, 2024 or until the positions are filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 19, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 13th of each month.

Duties

  • Issues contract modifications; negotiates contract changes; investigates and resolves contractor delays; conducts contractor performance appraisals; subcontractor surveillance; disposition of claims, terminations, and close-outs.
  • Develops objectives in terms of competition and price range and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
  • Performs all aspects of the procurement lifecycle, from initiation to recommendation of award, to procure items or services ranging from routine to highly specialized.
  • Formulates the procurement strategy to be taken that will best satisfy customer requirements and provides expert guidance to technical personnel involved in the development of statements of work or data requirements.
  • Surveys domestic and international markets to determine the availability of items or services with specialized requirements, scarce materials, and labor resources and/or advanced design services peculiar to the project, program, or subsystem.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants applying for the GS-14 grade level must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for this position:

IN ADDITION to the requirements below, all applicants must possess the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional), as outlined on the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) website (https://www.fai.gov/certification/fac-c)

OR

possess a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting (Professional) certification, as outlined on the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) website (https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/CareerCertGuides.aspx?lvl=4&cfld=3).

Applicants must submit the following documentation: A PDF copy of the FAI CSOD or DAU transcript which indicates a status of Certified in Contracting.

AND A. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you must have at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions AND at least 1 full year of this experience is specialized and equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service AND completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field from an accredited college or university AND this degree included or was supplemented by 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.

OR B. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you have occupied your position, which is classified in the GS-1102 series, since January 1, 2000 AND have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position as described in paragraph A above under qualifying specialized experience.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience performing contract lifecycle management.
  • Experience in a variety of contract types described in FAR Part 16.
  • Experience using digital tools and technology to perform a variety of contract management tasks.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts and/or training certificates as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you will be rated ineligible for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the 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. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

·         For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.

·         If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 

·        Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Bureau/Office listed on this announcement for approximately 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Benefits

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, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be assessed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.  All applications that meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official in the order in which the applications were received.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Knowledge of contracting laws, regulations, principles, policies, and procedures.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  • Ability to negotiate.
  • Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices relative to procurement transactions.
  • Knowledge of complex contract pricing techniques and regulations.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1.  Resume showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. 

[2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education.  See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. 

[3. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable.  See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information. 

4.  Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable. Veterans’ preference does not apply to this vacancy. Any supporting documentation received from veterans will be retained to document veteran’s status for appointment purposes, if selected.

  • To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
  • To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.).  If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
  • To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
  • To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
  • For all preference claims:
    • DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
  • For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

5.  ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable. Visit our agency’s ICTAP and CTAP sites for required documentation.

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

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

To start your application, click Apply and we’ll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents.

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes.  You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.

STEP 2: Submit your resume.  Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.

STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.

STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

To learn how to view the status of your submitted supporting documentation and application, visit the Application Instructions section of our agency’s Civil Service selection process site.

Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Alternate Application Procedures

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.

Agency contact information

Shanelle Basta
Phone
202-485-7077
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
bastas@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
600 19th Street, NW
SA-17, 5th Floor
Attn: A/EX/HRD
Washington, District of Columbia 20522-1705
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of your qualification status and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. If a tentative job offer is made, the Department of State will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation.

You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process: 1. Upon receipt of your application. 2. Upon minimum qualification determinations. 3. After the list of eligibles is issued. 4. After final selection is made.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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