Contract Specialist

In order to qualify for the Contract Specialist position, you must meet the following Basic Requirement, and possess the minimum qualifications for the respective grade level(s) to which you are applying: BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS- 12 LEVEL: A bachelor’s degree with a major in any field; OR 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 Held a position in the GS-1102 series since 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. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicant must have one or more years of specialized work experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing duties related to: Participating in contract negotiation conferences with industry corporate offices; Assisting with administering long-term contracts for procurement of highly specialized new or innovative services having significant impact on recipients’ operations and on local geographic areas; Assisting with conducting contractual termination responsibilities when identified circumstances necessitate a partial or complete termination of a contract for cause or convenience; Conducting market research in support of program and acquisition objectives; and Performing cost or price analysis, including review of cost breakdowns to determine price reasonableness. Education cannot substitute for experience for the GS-12 position. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: 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 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. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS) OR Held a position in the GS-1102 series since 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, you 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 the following provision. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR SF-50) AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Developing acquisition objectives and milestones to obtain the contracted services within the required timeframe; Monitoring subcontracting for compliance with plans and issues consent to subcontract; Providing advice and guidance to program managers or designees on the contract’s structure relating to specific incentive arrangements and Statement of Work requirements; Conducting discussions and negotiations with contractors; and Performing contract management functions in accordance with Federal Acquisition regulations and contractual agreements. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.
This position is located in the Office of Procurement Service, Executive Office for Immigration Review, U. S. Department of Justice. Incumbent serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for the full range of pre-award and post-award activities. This is a Competitive Service position; additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.