Clarification from the agency

This position is announced under Direct Hire Authority. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply under the Direct Hire process.

As a Contract Specialist, NQ-02, you will:

• Performs various pre-award and post-award functions involving contract negotiation, award administration, termination, and closeout pertaining to the placement of prime contracts.
• Provide assistance in oversight of prime contractors' operations in contracting as well as for the operation of these functions within the field office.
• Be responsible for oversight functions include review of significant subcontracting actions prior to execution. Contracts and subcontracts involve procurement of nuclear and highly specialized components from an extremely limited vendor base involving negotiations with sole source suppliers.
• Be required to communicate frequently, orally and in writing, to senior management, technical and business stakeholders as well as contractor and subcontractor personnel.

As a Contract Specialist, NQ-03, in addition to the above duties, you will:

• Serve as a Senior Contract Specialist within the Contracts Division, Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office.
• Perform and oversee actions taken by other specialists involving prime contract pre-award and post-award functions, which include, contract planning, negotiation, award, administration, termination, and closeout.
• Be responsible for focused oversight of operating contractor procurement activities, including review and approval of subcontracts.
• Serve as a Contracting Officer with warrant authority.
• Provide expert knowledge to Contract Division's management regarding utilization of small businesses and other procurement matters.
• Coordinate programs/projects and provide technical division guidance and advice to lower-level specialists.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service. See www.sss.gov.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final DOE L level security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment may be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or pass the test. You will be subject to random testing.
• A one year probationary period may be required. Employees serving on probationary period may be terminated at any time during the probationary for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
• Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time.
• Reinstated employees who returned to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probation will be required to complete a new probationary period.
• Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification.
• Your answers to the essay questions will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• This position does not support 100% remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified in this announcement. Situational telework may be approved.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to applicant testing and random drug testing. Failure to test or a positive result on random drug tests conducted after appointment may result in removal from Federal employment.
• Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.
• If an applicant submits a resume that is longer than two pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed and considered for eligibility and qualification determinations. Cover letters are optional and may be considered.

Qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

For the NQ-02:
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07 or equivalent) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Knowledge of the principles, techniques, laws and regulations related to the negotiation and administration of firm-fixed price, fixed price incentive, cost-type and other Federal contracts.
• Knowledge of negotiation techniques to lead and participate in contract negotiations.
• Knowledge of business and management principles and practices to evaluate, monitor and maintain management control over contractors' performance.
• Knowledge of DOE and DOD procurement policies and practices for the negotiation. administration and award of research and development, architect engineer, construction, and supply contracts.
• Ability to present, both orally and in writing, technical and administrative information in a meaningful and understandable form.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education in or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR

Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education that equates to 100% of the requirements for the GS-9 (only graduate education in excess of 2 years, 36 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and experience).

For the NQ-03:
Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to NQ-03 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4-years of 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, Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Expert knowledge of contracting laws, regulations, principles, policies, and procedures to negotiate and administer contracts, and coordinate procurement functions of the office and of the prime contractors.
• Ability to negotiate, defend, explain, and express facts and ideas inorder to influence, develop, and maintain internal and external networks.
• Knowledge of special emphasis programs, such as Small and Disadvantaged Business considerations, Buy American policies, funding constraints, and numerous other considerations sufficient to assist other contract specialists in the evaluation of their impact on complex procurement transactions and to assure their use by prime contractors.
• Must obtain FAC-C Level III Certification under the DOE Acquisition Career Management Program within 24 months of appointment.
• Must meet education requirements.

There is no educational substitution for the NQ-03 level.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1100/contracting-series-1102/

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This position is announced under a government wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Contract Specialist positions in the1102 series. Under the DHA, all applicants who meet the Qualification requirements listed in this announcement, at the grade level they are applying, will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply under the DHA process.

Successful candidates will possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Communication
• Contracting/Procurement
• Negotiation
• Planning and Evaluating

THE APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS WILL BE IN TWO STAGES:

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Office will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: The Human Resources Office will review the first two pages of your resume to determine your technical qualifications.

Federal employees eligible for career transition assistance plans such as CTAP, or ICTAP, requesting selection priority, must meet the Qualifications requirements listed in this announcement and be found "well qualified" for the position. Well-qualified is defined as: experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective factors, demonstrated by proficiency in most of the requirements of the job, requiring only limited training or orientation to perform effectively.

If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date 02/11/2026 of this announcement.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

If your resume is incomplete or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12876244

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

• Your RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable(e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

• For more information about what to include in your resume, please view this USAJOBS Resume Tutorial video on YouTube.

Naval Reactors will accept a resume in the format of your choice (as an attached document or as a USAJOBS Resume Builder format). You will be notified at the time you click 'Apply Online' which type of resume is acceptable. It is important that you are complete and thorough in your resume. If any of the above information is not included in your resume, we may not be able to fully credit you for your experience.

Next steps