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Contract Specialist

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This serves as public notice for the use of OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration.

This position is located within the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisitions Management (A/OPE/AQM), in the U.S. Department of State. The incumbent may be assigned in any division/branch within AQM.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/19/2023 to 06/02/2023
Salary
$116,393 to - $172,075 per year

Salary will be determined by duty location. View specific location pay tables at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Charleston, SC
Lorton, VA
Rosslyn
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—As determined by the agency policy. Candidates in the local DMV and Charleston, SC area may be expected to report to the regular worksite at least twice per biweekly pay period.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DFAS/A-2023-0100
Control number
726180400

Duties

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  • Issues contract modifications; negotiates contract changes; investigates and resolves contractor delays; conducts contractor performance appraisals; subcontractor surveillance; disposition of claims, terminations, and close-outs.
  • Develops objectives in terms of competition and price range and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
  • Performs all aspects of the procurement lifecycle, from initiation to recommendation of award, to procure items or services ranging from routine to highly specialized.
  • Formulates the procurement strategy to be taken that will best satisfy customer requirements and provides expert guidance to technical personnel involved in the development of statements of work or data requirements.
  • Surveys domestic and international markets to determine the availability of items or services with specialized requirements, scarce materials, and labor resources and/or advanced design services peculiar to the project, program, or subsystem.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants applying for the GS-14 grade level must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for this position:

IN ADDITION to the requirements below, all applicants must be Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional) certified, as outlined on the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) website (https://www.fai.gov/certification/fac-c) or Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting (Professional) certified, as outlined on the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) website (https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/CareerCertGuides.aspx?lvl=4&cfld=3).

Applicants must also have completed 80 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every two years. The 80 CLPs every two years must be from the issuance date of certification and valid through the closing date of the announcement.

Applicants must submit the following documentation:

1. Copy of initial FAC-C (Professional) certification or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) certification.

AND

2. A screen shot from the Federal Acquisition Institute Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) system (https://www.fai.gov/page/fai-cornerstone-ondemand-csod-faqs#latestInfo) showing the applicant’s certification status as Certified; OR a screen shot from the Defense Acquisition University’s Virtual Campus showing the applicant’s certification status as Certified.

AND

A. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you must have at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions AND at least 1 full year of this experience is specialized and equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service AND completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field from an accredited college or university AND this degree included or was supplemented by 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.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience performing contract lifecycle management.
  • Experience with cost-plus-incentive fee, fixed-price-incentive fee, or economic price adjustment clauses to aid in contract negotiation.
  • Experience performing digital IT contract management.

OR

B. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you have occupied your position, which is classified in the GS-1102 series, since January 1, 2000 AND have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position as described in paragraph A above under qualifying specialized experience.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts and/or training certificates as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you will be rated ineligible for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework and remote work agreements may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the Hiring Manager’s discretion provided that the selectee is eligible under the Department’s Remote Work Agreement (RWA) policy. RWAs are limited to one year with an opportunity to renew by submitting a new application annually. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

How you will be evaluated

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

Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be assessed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.  All applications that meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official in the order in which the applications were received.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Knowledge of contracting laws, regulations, principles, policies, and procedures.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  • Ability to negotiate.
  • Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices relative to procurement transactions.
  • Knowledge of complex contract pricing techniques and regulations.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.


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