Summary
This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.
Salary listed above is the base salary for this position; The salary range indicated will be adjusted to include locality payment for the selectee's duty station.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Open to the public
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Duties
This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), in the Satellite and Information Acquisition Division (SIAD), Western Acquisition Division (WAD), Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD), or Corporate Services Acquisition Division (CSAD) with eight vacancies in a remote location.
As a Contract Specialist, you will perform the following duties:
- Plan, negotiate, lead, administer and close out complex procurements of supplies, systems, services, and/or construction using a wide variety of cost and fixed-price contracts, multi-year contracts and extensive use of subcontractors, frequent changes in terms, conditions or funding arrangements, and similar difficulties.
- Develop and review complex contractual pricing arrangements and incentives requiring sophisticated contracting techniques.
- Audit or review major acquisitions, present findings, recommend corrective actions and policy or procedure improvements.
NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the GS-13; the GS-12 is developmental leading to such performance.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
NOTE:
* A one year probationary period may be required.
* Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
* This position is not in the bargaining unit.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- Submission of a Confidential Financial Disclosure SF-450 may be required.
- At the GS-13 level, this position requires that within 24 months of employment applicants complete all prescribed mandatory training to become certified FAC-C Level III. FAC-C/DA WIA Level II or III are considered to have met all mandatory training requirements for this position. Within 24 months of employment employees must complete all prescribed mandatory training to become certified FAC-C Level Ill to continue to occupy this position. - Commerce Acquisition Manual (CAM) 1301.6 Section.
Key Requirements:
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
- More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
- Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (ww.sss.gov)
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
- This vacancy is limited to the first 175 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
- A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
- Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
Qualifications
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:
To qualify for the 1102 series at the GS-12 grade level:
EDUCATION:
A. 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.
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions are considered to have met the standard for positions they occupied on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupied GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 are 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. This exception does not apply if there was a break in service after January 1, 2000. If you are qualifying based on this exception, you must provide documentation demonstrating that you held a GS-1102 position at the grade 13 or above as of January 1, 2000, such as an SF-50. Applicants applying under this exception will be reviewed to ensure that they have not had a break in service after January 1, 2000.
-AND-
Specialized Experience:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following
- Performing independent contracting assignments in the solicitation, negotiation, award, and administration of a variety of complex contracts for goods or services;
- Advising clients on the development of statements of work, requirements, and contracting approaches; and
- Planning and conducting contract price and cost analyses.
To qualify for the 1102 series at the GS-13 grade level:
Completion of all mandatory education/training prescribed by Department of Commerce for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following basic requirements:
Selectees must meet the Basic Requirements as described in options 1, 2, or 3 below:
Option 1. Meets all of a, b, and c below:
(a) Completion of Training/Certification: FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional or FAC-C Level II/III or DAWIA (Contracting) Level II/III certification. (b) At least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions including 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the level described below; and (c) Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included or was supplemented by 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.
OR
Option 2. Exception: If you were in a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000, you will be exempt from meeting the educational requirements for the grade level of that position. However, to be promoted you will have to meet Option 1 or 3.
OR
Option 3. Waiver: DOC's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above. Note: Candidates that are missing either the 24 hours of business credit and/or the mandatory training certification, but are determined to be otherwise eligible, can be placed on a waiver certification by the NOAA HR Staffing Specialist. *FAC-C Certification Exceptions: All employees in the GS-1102 series must be FAC-C certified at the appropriate level for their career path. Individuals in the 1102 series who are promoted into a new career path shall have 24 months to meet the FAC-C training requirements for the new career path. ( NOTE: Employees must meet the OPM 1102 Qualification Standards for experience in order to be hired)
-AND -
Specialized experience:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Evaluating, administering, or making recommendations on the full range of pre-award and post-award activities, utilizing various types of contracts associated with the acquisition of a range of complex and specialized goods or services; and
- Developing or reviewing contractual pricing arrangements and incentives.
Education
College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.
Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.
- Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation
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.
We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.
Veteran's Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.
Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Therefore, Current Federal employees would be given new appointments to the civil service and may have to serve a new probationary period under CFR 315.802 (b).
NOTE: A one year probationary period will be required under the Direct Hire Authority unless you are a current Department of Commerce employee and are in the same line of work and with no more than a 30 day break in service.
To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12566386
Required Documents
Required documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.
A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume
You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, for each work experience at a minimum, your resume must include; job title(s) (including job series and grade, if federal); description of duties or work performed; education; starting and ending dates (month and year); and hours worked per week and/or full-time or part-time. If identifying as part-time you must state the number of hours per week. (NOTE: A full-time work schedule requires most employees to work 33-40 hours during the work week. A part-time schedule requires an employee to work less than full-time, but for a specific number of hours (usually 16-32 hours per administrative work week) on a prearranged scheduled tour of duty.)
Transcripts
--If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles
--If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:
- copy of the agency notice;
- your most recent Performance Rating; and
- your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.
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
--Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS by 11:59pm Eastern Time(ET) (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.
--Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
Next steps
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Contract Specialist, GS-1102-12/13 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g.: within the same geographic locations, same grade/band and requires the same qualifications and specialized experience as indicated in this vacancy announcement).
You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." The four points of notification are:
- Application Received
- Application being assess for qualification;
- Referred or Not Referred; and
- Selected or Not Selected.
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.)
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