Supervisory Contract Specialist 'Director' GS-1102-15 FPL GS-15 (MP) Job

Vacancy No. CCTL-26-13032425-ST Department Department of Education Headquarters
Salary $147,945.00 to $197,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/14/2026 Close Date 8/24/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
San Francisco, CADenver, COWashington, DCAtlanta, GA
Chicago, ILBoston, MAKansas City, MONew York, NY
Philadelphia, PADallas, TXSeattle, WA


Supervisory Contract Specialist 'Director' GS-1102-15 FPL GS-15 (MP)

Department of Education
Department of Education Headquarters
Federal Student Aid

Summary

This position is located in Federal Student Aid in Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO, Dallas, TX, Philadelphia, PA, Seattle, WA, San Fransisco, CA, Atlanta, GA, Kansas City, MO, New Yor, NY. The Federal Student Aid is to administer the federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

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

Land and base management

Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Family of overseas employees

Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Clarification from the agency

• Current federal civilian employees in the competitive service on permanent career or career-conditional appointments; • Former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; • Current federal employees eligible under Interchange Agreements; and, • Applicants eligible under special hiring authorities (Schedule A, etc.).

Duties

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 50 application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a Supervisory Contract Specialist 'Director' GS-1102-15, you will be responsible for

  • Serving as the Group Director who has unlimited signatory authority and an advisor to the business unit in the acquisition process and is responsible for pre-award and post-award functions involving highly specialized procurements of significance and sensitivity.
  • Reviewing negotiation strategies on major procurements and provides direction and guidance as required on a variety of types of contracts.
  • Managing and directing the full range of acquisition planning, negotiations, award, modification, management/administration, and termination of contracts encompassing the full range of diverse and extremely complex types (including the application of new and advanced concepts).
  • Exercising full responsibility in the application of procurement laws, rules, regulations, decisions, and other directives and sound business judgment on all contractual actions for the procurement of information management systems, technical support, and information technology systems and subsystems, and/or highly complex services.
  • Exercising supervisory control over assigned staff twenty-five percent of the time. Plans, directs, coordinates, and reviews subordinates' work, sets priorities, and establishes schedules for work completion. Assigns work based on priorities, requirements of assignments, and staff capabilities. Ensures timely performance of work and quality standards are met.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during 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 organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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).


Key Requirement - Relocation will not be paid.

Key Requirement - Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period.

Key Requirement - Must be a US Citizen

Key Requirement - Must complete a background investigation and fingerprint check.

Key Requirement - You may be subject to serve a one-year probationary period

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor - You must meet the following selective placement factor:

The candidate must hold a current Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C (Professional)) certification or equivalent or meet the experience, education and training to complete the examination to obtain the certification within 12 months of starting the position.

Failure to meet the selective placement factor(s) will result in you not receiving further consideration.

Minimum Qualification Requirements


You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15, if you possess the specialize experience, education, or a combination of the two.

Specialized Experience for the GS-15 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience in the federal service, or equivalent in the private sector, administering a broad range of federal contract methods and techniques, which may include fixed-price and cost-reimbursable arrangements (e.g., firm-fixed price, fixed-price with economic price adjustment, fixed-price re-determinable, fixed- price level of effort, cost, cost sharing, cost-plus-fixed- fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and cost-plus-award-fee), and special purpose contracts and agreements (e.g., basic agreements, broad agency announcements, small business innovative research contracts, indefinite delivery contracts, letter contracts, time and materials and labor hour contracts, and other transactions).
2. Experience in the federal service, or equivalent in the private sector, leading, managing, and having complete authority for multi-million dollar federal contract actions (pre- and post-award procurements).
3. Experience in interpreting high level federal contracting policies and directives, identifying and resolving problems and mitigating risks with changing program requirements, and providing guidance to assist senior managers and business unit staff with applying new and or unique approaches to solving acquisitions related issues and concerns.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).
1. Knowledge of the principles of acquisition planning and technical or program requirements to plan, manage, make decisions, or recommendations significantly affecting the content, interpretation, or development of complex programs concerning the management of procurement matters.
2. Ability to develop and implement he principles of contract management a plan to procure multiyear program systems involving successive program stages and mission program stages and mission critical performance objectives and measures.
3. Skills in contract negotiation, contract administration, and contraction termination methods and techniques to initiate,
conduct, assess or revise, and/or close-out contractual activities and to meet and deal with high level business, industry, and/or government officials
4. Skill in applying theories and principles of contracting, to manage, direct, and develop critical and complex contracting functions supporting a business unit.
5. Ability to supervise, direct and/or oversee federal professional staff, technical employees and directs the work of professional contractors supporting contract and procurement administration, quality assurance, and the development, implementation, management and maintenance of acquisition policy and guidelines for the bureau.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement.

  1. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;

    or

  2. At least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitativemethods, or organization and management.

Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.

Foreign Education:

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet 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. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email careers@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Financial Disclosure: This position does require financial disclosure.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_HireIf you are unable to apply online and would like to request information about the Alternate Application process, please use the contact information at the bottom of this announcement.

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.

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

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.

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications
Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.
2. Rating and Ranking
If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and supporting documentation. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement (if applicable). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the USA Hire Assessment(s) (if applicable) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Non-Supervisory: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Resilience

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

3. Referral and Selection
If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Required Documents

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):
- A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points. If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination.

  • Transcript: This position has a positive education requirement and requires proof of education for eligibility. You must submit an unofficial transcript that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, major(s), grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. This also applies to ED employees.
  • If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit: - A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility. To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34). Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments. If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential. Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions. - A Copy of your most recent Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable. Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official.
  • If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), you must submit: - A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR - A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR - The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference.
  • If you are claiming eligibility under any Special Hiring Authority, you must submit: - Adequate proof of your eligibility (e.g., Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility as a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility for employment under Schedule A as a person with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.)
  • Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP)?
    • If you are a current or former Federal employee who was displaced (for example, due to a Reduction-in-Force) and want priority consideration, you must submit the documents listed below.
      • Required documents for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration (All are required): 1. Proof that you were displaced, such as Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notice or notice of proposed removal.
        • SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) showing:
          • RIF as the Nature of Action (Box 5B)
          • Career or career-conditional status (Box 24 must be 1 or 2)
          • Competitive status (Box 34 must be 1)
          • Promotion potential or full performance level of the position from which you were or are being displaced. This is likely your appointment SF-50 for that position.
          • Duty location
        • Your most recent performance appraisal showing a rating of Fully Successful or higher.
    • Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in this announcement. The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy. To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 75 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.

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

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Agency contact information

Corey Anderson
Phone
(202) 987-1313
Email
corey.anderson@ed.gov
Address
Federal Student Aid - Office Of Strat Planning and Policy Implem
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
US

Next steps

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process.
1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received.
2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official.
3. Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).

Additional locations

Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Kansas City, MO
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Dallas, TX
Seattle, WA

Department of Education Headquarters

Federal Student Aid (FSA) directs, coordinates, and recommends policies for programs that are designed to provide financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in postsecondary educational institutions. This assistance includes grants, loans, and work-study assistance to nearly 12.9 million students through approximately 6,100 postsecondary institutions. Additionally, FSA manages the administrative and oversight functions supporting programs authorized under Title I and Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Agency contact information

Corey Anderson
Phone
(202) 987-1313
Email
corey.anderson@ed.gov
Address
Federal Student Aid - Office Of Strat Planning and Policy Implem
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
US