Clarification from the agency

All U. S. Citizens

As a Contract Specialist (Pathways Recent Graduate) GS 1102 7, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision:

• Compose memoranda related to procurement and acquisition.
• Review requisitions to determine if proper specifications/purchase descriptions are included in solicitation documents.
• Evaluate bids or proposals for compliance with specifications/purchase descriptions and applicable clauses.
• Administer previously negotiated and advertised contracts.

Conditions of employment

• U. S. Citizenship Required
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service
• You must successfully pass a background investigation
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
• You must submit to a pre-employment drug test
• You must be 16 years of age or older to apply

Qualifications

ELIGIBILITY FOR PATHWAYS RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM:
To be eligible for this position, you must be a recent graduate from a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate program from a qualifying educational institution within 2 years of the closing date of the announcement.
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.

NOTE: Qualifying educational institution means--

(1) A public high school whose curriculum has been approved by a State or local governing body, a private high school that provides secondary education as determined under State law, or a homeschool that is allowed to operate in a State; and

(2) Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:

(i) A technical or vocational school;
(ii) A 2-year or 4-year college or university;
(iii) A graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or
(iv) A post-secondary homeschool curriculum.

Basic Qualification for GS-1102-7 series:
A. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
or
B. 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.

You qualify for the GS-07 grade level if you possess one of the following:
A. One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to perform developmental and/or recurring assignments in support of contracting and procurement activities for an organization; OR
B. One full year of graduate level education at an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR
C. A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application; OR
D. A bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement, which is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership:
(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.
(2) Grade-point average (GPA.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of:
3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their 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
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.
(3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (external link). Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens procedures will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

Best Qualified - Demonstrates better overall or key knowledge, skills, or abilities for a specific position.
Well Qualified - Possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position, but does not necessarily meet the definition of best qualified.
Qualified - Meets the minimum qualifications standards, including any selective placement factors, for a specific position.

Delegated Examining Procedures certifies all applicants utilizing the Category Rating method with associated cut-off scores; Veteran Preference does apply under Delegated Examining.

Application of Veterans' Preference
Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligible within each category. Veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.
Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided. To preview the job questionnaire and application, click here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10151227
Consideration may be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as an indicator of quality of prior experience. No points will be awarded.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
Arithmetic
Attention to Detail
Customer Service:
Flexibility
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Learning
Mathematical Reasoning:
Reading
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications and/or experience, you will be removed from consideration or your score will be lowered.