Contract Specialist (Pathways Recent Graduates)

To be eligible for this position, you must have obtained an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree, or a certificate from a qualifying educational institution, or have completed a qualifying career or technical education program within the previous 2 years. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. NOTE: Qualifying educational institution means- Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of Education: A technical or vocational school; A 2-year or 4-year college or university; A graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or A post-secondary homeschool curriculum. AND in addition to the eligibility requirement above, you must also meet one of the Basic/Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) criteria below for the 1102 series (Contract Specialist). Basic/Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for Contract Specialist (1102): Degree: 4-year course of study or a bachelor’s degree in any major field from an accredited educational institution. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts (which supports your response indicating awarded/conferral date) with your application. OR Completed 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 Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) presenting information, composing memoranda and meeting minutes; and 2) drafting contract provisions; and 3) evaluating bid responsiveness, contract responsibility and contractor performance; and 4) performing development assignments or segments of larger procurement actions. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. [Note: Remove the words “such as that identified in Education above” if the position you are filling does not require education in specific fields found in an Individual Occupational Requirement.] Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing – Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) – Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership – Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. After Program completion, Department of Homeland Security Recent Graduates may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must: Successfully complete at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program. Demonstrate successful job performance. Meet the Office of Personnel Management’s qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted. To learn more, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/program/graduates/. Recent Graduates hired through this announcement are eligible to convert into positions up to the Full Performance of GS-12. 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO). The primary purpose of this position is of an advance trainee that performs developmental and/or recurring assignments in support of contracting and procurement activities for the Department of Homeland Security. Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.