Contract Specialist

Applicants must meet the Basic Requirement AND Specialized Experience requirements as noted below. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. Basic Requirements A. 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 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; AND B. 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 C. 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. Specialized Experience: In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience. Specialized 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. You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to a GS-11:1) Aid in conducting negotiations with prospective contractors; 2) Assist in supporting the contracting community in the acquisition domain; 3) Contributes to completing complicated, broadly stated, or conceptual assignments formulating the organization’s acquisition policy; and 4) Support in identifying, overseeing, and coordinating acquisition compliance issues. You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to a GS-12:1) Conducts negotiations with prospective contractors, determines type of contract to be awarded and type of contract clauses to be used; 2) Supports the contracting community in the acquisition arena; 3) Completes complicated, broadly stated, or conceptual assignments formulating the organization’s acquisition policy and 4) Identifies, oversees, and coordinates acquisition compliance issues. Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.
This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Financial Management Division, Office of Acquisition & Relocation Management. This position primary purpose is to design, lead and carry out operation in the area of contract operations, acquisition policy development, implementation, and compliance activities of DEA-wide-level regulations and support for acquisition systems throughout DEA and in coordination with the Department of Justice.