Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship required. If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
- Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required. Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background/security investigation results.
- You may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period
- Relocation expenses will not be paid
- All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement
- Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Visit the 'Required Documents' section below for more information.
- Travel to other federal/state agencies or private sector organizations may be required.
- This position is temporary, Not To Exceed 2 Years.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for this GS-15 Contract Specialist (Senior Technical Advisor) position you must demonstrate:
(1) the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the federal 1102 series and
(2) at least 52 weeks of Specialized Experience
(1) INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR)
A. Successful completion of a 4-year course of study resulting in 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.
AND
B. Successful completion of all mandatory training* prescribed by the head of the agency 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 (described below) 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. (*SSA does not currently have mandatory training requirements for progression to GS-13 or higher contracting positions.)
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.
Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision-making capabilities, job performance and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this paragraph, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.
(2) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE must have been gained in a federal position at or above GS-14 OR (if your position and/or experience is in another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level equivalent to GS-14 or above.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is work that primarily consists of providing coordinative, analytical, consultative and advisory services on complex acquisition matters, including contract placement principles, contract management and oversight principles and specialized aspects of contracting.
SAMPLE DUTIES THAT DEMONSTRATE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE INCLUDE:
(a) solicitation and evaluation of competitive proposals and evaluations of prices and cost;
(b) partial/progress payments, deliverables management, negotiation of contract modifications, contract closeouts and other contract administrative challenges; and
(c) utilizing cost reimbursement contracting and performance-based contracting.
See EDUCATION, HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS for more information on submitting your application.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (IOR and Specialized Experience) must be met by the closing date of this announcement. (Applicants who do not meet the qualification requirements may be considered for a waiver in accordance with the standard.)
Education
This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) as described under QUALIFICATIONS.
To demonstrate the educational portion of the IOR, you are required to submit a transcript (or transcripts), even if you already hold a position in the federal 1102 series.
TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE LEGIBLE or you may not receive credit for completed courses.
DO NOT SUBMIT A DIPLOMA IN LIEU OF A FULL TRANSCRIPT THAT SHOWS THE REQUIRED INFORMATION.
You must submit a full transcript showing your name, the name of the school, the degree conferred, course title(s), number of credits, grades and date of completion. If you attended more than one college or university, submit transcripts for all schools attended.
Your degree must include (or be supplemented by) 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields:
(1) accounting
(2) business
(3) finance
(4) law
(5) contracts
(6) purchasing
(7) economics
(8) industrial management
(9) marketing
(10) quantitative methods or
(11) organization and management
Since course titles do not always indicate that a course pertains to a creditable field, highlight qualifying courses to ensure they are given consideration.
If your degree is supplemented by 24 semester hours in creditable fields (or any portion of the 24 semester hours was completed as a supplement to your degree) you must submit the transcript for your degree AND the transcript showing the creditable semester hours.
Unofficial or electronic/web transcripts will be accepted at the time of application, but they must show the required information and you must upload your transcripts as part of your application. Transcripts will not be accepted via email or regular mail.
Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or that full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
Additional information
This position is temporary, Not To Exceed 2 Years.
Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
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 evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documents will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position. These competencies include:
-- Knowledge of federal contracting and grants laws, regulations, principles, policies and procedures
-- Ability to communicate both orally and in writing
-- Ability to research, analyze, evaluate and interpret regulations, policies and procedures
Be sure to answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12916454
Your application will be ranked under Category Rating, based on your responses to the Assessment Questions. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be placed into one of three groups:
1 - Qualified -- Candidates who meet Minimum Qualifications
2 - Well Qualified -- Candidates who meet Minimum Qualification and demonstrate a satisfactory level of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
3 - Best Qualified -- Candidates who meet Minimum Qualification and demonstrate a high level of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
PRIORITY SELECTION:
Eligible well-qualified ICTAPapplicants will receive the first consideration ONLY IF appropriate supporting documents are provided (see Career Transition Guide and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section).
Qualified Veterans' Preference Eligibles will be placed ahead of others in the category for which they are ranked.
Qualified Preference Eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.
Required Documents
You must submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to demonstrate qualifications and claim certain types of preference.
RESUME -- must include:
-- your name and contact information
-- employer name, full-time or part-time hours worked per week
-- full start and stop dates (month/day/year) for each position
-- your grade and pay scale (if your position is or was federal) and
-- a clear description of the duties you perform that relate to the experience required for this position.
If you no longer hold a position it must show an ending date.
Since Specialized Experience has a time component, it must be evident that the duties you describe are at the required level for at least 52 weeks.
Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed. Information copied or restated from the announcement or rating criteria will not be considered. If this occurs, you may be found ineligible.
TRANSCRIPT(s) -- see QUALIFICATIONS and EDUCATION sections for information on what you must demonstrate.
VETERANS' DOCUMENTS -- See Vet Guide. Submit DD-214 / Member 4 copy showing Dates of Service and Character of Service. This information must be provided to establish veterans' preference. (*See below if still on active duty.)
For 10-point preference based on a service-connected disability, also submit completed SF-15 and documents specified on the reverse of the SF-15.
For derived preference submit completed SF-15 and documents specified on the reverse of the SF-15.
Current active-duty military claiming preference under Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act -- submit certification that you will be discharged under honorable conditions within 120 days of the certification date. Your letter must be signed by or under direction of the appropriate personnel office, unit commander or higher headquarters. Certifications must be on official letterhead from appropriate military branch and must include dates of service, expected discharge date. type of discharge, character of service, rank and date when terminal leave begins. Since service after Aug 31, 2010 is generally not qualifying for preference, include any qualifying campaign or expeditionary medals you received.
ICTAP - See The Employee's Guide to Career Transition (opm.gov). Submit separation notice; SF-50 documenting separation; agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated OR Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
MILITARY SPOUSE - see USAJOBS Help Center | Military Spouses and submit appropriate documents.