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This job is open to

Students

Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.

Clarification from the agency

Individuals who are enrolled students or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis in accredited institutions

Duties

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As a Student Trainee in Procurement, you will perform the following duties with guidance from senior Contract Specialists:
You will be responsible for aspects of the contracting transactions from initiation to recommendation of award to procurement of items or services where standard contracting procedures may need to be modified.
You will identify planning needs for future procurement items. You will analyze the requirement, recommend revisions to the statement of work or specifications, and decide on the type of contract, milestones, and acquisition plans.
You will formulate the contracting approach to be taken that will best satisfy the requirement. You will negotiate contract terms and conditions.
You will prepare and coordinate the contracts reflecting agreement between the Agency and the vendor through supporting documentation.
You will prepare a written request for proposal, publicize the requirement, issue the solicitation document, analyze offers received, and prepare a negotiation position.
You will evaluate technical cost proposals, negotiate cost, fee, or profit as well as technical issues, and enter into a formal contract with the offeror.
You will monitor contract performance and negotiation of necessary contract modifications to ensure satisfactory progress and completion of contract activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U. S. citizen or national
Enrolled/accepted in an accredited educational institution
Pursuing a degree
Maintain enrollment at least half time as defined by the institution
Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.9 on a 4.0 scale

Qualifications

Starting GS grade levels are determined by education level:

GS-4: Completion of 1 academic year of post-high school study. (1 academic year is the equivalent of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours.) GS-4 starting salary: $15.89 per hour

GS-5: Completion of 2 academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree. (2 academic years is the equivalent of 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours.) GS-5 starting salary: $17.78 per hour

GS-6: Completion of 3 academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree. (3 academic years is the equivalent of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours.) GS-6 starting salary: $19.82 per hour

GS-7: Completion of 4 academic years of study (or all the requirements) for a bachelor's degree and accepted into a master's program. GS-7 starting salary: $22.03 per hour

GS-9: Completion of 1 academic year of master's level education or acceptance into a Doctoral program. GS-9 starting salary: $26.94 per hour

NOTE: An academic year of Master's level education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours will be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

Education

Upon graduation, Contract Specialist positions require the intern to have a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field.

Additional information

Interns may be promoted to higher grades based on the amount of education completed and acceptable performance. However, promotions are not guaranteed.

You will be expected to comply with Center Pathway policies which are:

1. Maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your educational institution
2. Maintain a GPA of 2.9 or above on a 4.0 scale;
3. Adhere to an established work schedule;
4. Participate in Agency training classes or programs;
5. Successfully perform your assigned duties; and
6. Observe all workplace rules.

You will serve a trial period for the duration of the Intern appointment.

Interns may be considered for conversion to a term or permanent appointment within 120 days of completing degree requirements provided they:

Successfully completed an academic course of study with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.9 (on a 4.0 scale);
Complete a minimum of 640 hours of work experience before completing degree requirements;
Meet the qualification requirements for the position to which they are converted; and
Maintain acceptable performance.

Eligibility for conversion does not guarantee that NASA will offer conversion.

At NASA, term appointments last from one to six years. If an Intern is converted to a term appointment, they may later be converted to a permanent appointment without competing.

The Intern may be converted to a Contract Specialist position with promotion potential to the GS-12 level.

You will be considered for the highest grade for which you qualify.

You must meet eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

You must have at least one year remaining in your studies before completing your degree requirements. (NOTE: One year must include consecutive Fall and Spring semesters). The expected completion date that you enter in the NASA Supplemental Questionnaire will be used in making this determination, and applicants who indicate a date prior to May 2020 will be found ineligible.

You must be available to begin work no earlier than the PREFERRED START DATE of August 19, 2019. Later start dates may be considered on a case-by-case basis for compelling hardships, but no later than January 21, 2020.

LIMITED EXCEPTIONS TO PREFERRED START DATE: The preferred start date is August 19, 2019. Limited exceptions to the preferred start date may be considered for compelling hardships, but must be requested in writing within 5 working days after receiving the job offer from the Pathways Program Office. The Pathways Program Manager may consider such requests on a case-by-case basis and will render a final decision as soon as possible after receipt.

The payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and your answers to NASA-specific questions to ensure that you meet eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications. Your answers to the NASA-specific questions supplement your resume. Please be sure that your answers and your resume are accurate, as NASA is not authorized to alter them. If the information in your resume differs from your answers to the questions, we will use your answers to the questions to determine your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.

Veterans' preference applies in the hiring process. In order to receive preference in hiring, you must clearly identify your claim for veterans' preference when you apply. Veteran's preference will only be granted based on what is supported by the documentation you provide. For more information about Veterans' Preference, please visit this link.

Help

Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.

To begin the application process, click on the 'Apply' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS' document attachment feature.

Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.

If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: HS50, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.

Agency contact information

GSFC Pathways Office

Email: GSFC-Pathways-Office@mail.nasa.gov

Address: NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US

Next steps

If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.

Final notifications regarding non-selection will be e-mailed NLT 1/3/2020.

Required Documents

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NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer a short series of NASA-specific questions. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. Nothing further is required until requested by the human resources office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume and your answers to the NASA-specific questions. For example, we will ask you to provide academic transcripts. If you are claiming veterans' preference, we will ask you to submit proof of veterans' preference (DD214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, SF-15 plus the proof required by that form). If you fail to provide the requested documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw the job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.

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

Help

Before you begin the application process, please read this vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.

To begin the application process, click on the 'Apply' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to 32,000 characters, including spaces. You will NOT be allowed to complete the application process if your resume is too long or if your resume was uploaded to USAJOBS from another source. Also, NASA does not accept documents attached through USAJOBS' document attachment feature.

Once you submit your resume, you will be transferred to a NASA website to complete a short series of questions. You must finish the entire process in order to have a complete application. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application process. If you successfully apply, you will receive a confirmation email from NASA. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.

If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Resume Operations Center, Mail stop: HS50, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. Do NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resume requirements are at: Hard Copy Resume Requirements.

Agency contact information

GSFC Pathways Office

Email: GSFC-Pathways-Office@mail.nasa.gov

Address: NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US

Next steps

If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends up on the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer pending verification that you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements. An official, written firm job offer will only be issued once all requirements have been verified.

Final notifications regarding non-selection will be e-mailed NLT 1/3/2020.