Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to the public. This position is announced under a new special hiring authority (5 U.S. Code § 2102) Under this special hiring authority, Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet minimum qualifications for the position to be referred for consideration.

Duties for positions in the 1102 series (Contract Specialist) may include any of the following:

• Preparing contract solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, and award documents with commercial organizations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and State, local or foreign governments for furnishing products, services, construction or research and development to the Federal Government;
• Administering contracts by assuring compliance with the terms and conditions of contracts, including resolution of problems concerning the obligations of the parties;
• Terminating contracts by analyzing, negotiating, and settling claims and proposals;
• Analyzing and evaluating cost or price proposals and accounting systems data;
• Planning, establishing, or reviewing contracts, programs, policies, or procedures;
• Coordinating with task lead and other staff members to recommend and administer policies and procedures to ensure achievement of Federal socioeconomic goals, such as those affecting small business, labor surplus areas, and disadvantaged business firms;
• Developing acquisition strategies and directing or managing procurements; and
• Providing staff advisory services in one or more of the specializations in this occupation, including advising technical personnel on the development of Statements of Work (SOW).

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.
• Selectee must complete OGE form 450, Financial Disclosure Report.
• Resume must be submitted online; or at the Job fair on July 11, 2019.
• May be required to complete a one year probationary period.

You MUST submit your unofficial college transcripts from an appropriately accredited educational institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to document completion of the educational requirements for this position.

• The unofficial transcripts must be legible and include your name, major, school name/location, course title/number, date completed, grade and number of credits earned.

This is an acquisition position. There are statutory requirements as described in the Department of Energy Acquisition Career Development Program. Certification under the Department of Energy Acquisition Career Development Program, FAC-C or an equivalent acquisition program, is required to be obtained within: (1) 24 months from the date of hire; or (2) the date the applicant will meet the FAC-C experience standard. At the GS-11 and GS-12 levels, candidates must obtain/maintain certification at Level I and Level II. 

This position requires a tier II public trust background investigation. 

Qualifications

All applicants must meet the basic requirements and any additional requirements as stated under the Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standard - Individual Occupational Requirements for 1102 positions.

Basic Qualification Requirements for grade levels GS-11 through GS-12

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 management.

Note - For positions at GS-11 through GS-12, applicants who are qualifying based on experience must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position, in addition to meeting the basic requirements in paragraph A and B above.

• Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must meet the specialized experience as identified below.

Qualification requirements for grade levels GS-11 through GS-12 positions are as follows

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service.

GS-11 level candidates may qualify based on education, specialized experience, or a combination of education and experience.

To qualify based on specialized experience a candidate must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Examples may include:

• Review procurement requests
• Develop procurement plans based on previous history, market conditions, and specifications
• Prepare draft of final contract
• Prepare and issue solicitation documents
• Perform detailed analysis of bids or proposals received

To qualify based solely on education for GS-11 positions:

Ph.D or equivalent doctorate degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Qualifying education must have provided the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position being filled.

Graduate Education: To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, and/or economics.

OR

A combination of specialized experience and education as described above.

GS-12 level candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. Examples may include:

• Develops solicitations
• Evaluates bids or offers
• Performs price analysis
• Plans and conducts negotiations
• Performs contract administration

DOE's Certification Requirements are as follows

• Level I (Entry Level): Obtained at the GS-5 through GS-7 grade levels and must include at least 1 year of experience
• Level II (Intermediate): Obtained at the GS-9 through GS-12 grade levels and must include at least 2 years of experience

For the GS-11 and 12 levels, candidates MUST meet DOE’s Level I certification requirements. To be eligible for the GS-11 and GS 12, candidates must obtain Level I and Level II certifications within 24 months of initial appointment (or first time conversion into the 1102 series).
Applicants at the GS-11 and GS-12 who lack Level I and Level II certification will have an opportunity to participate in a training and development program that will lead to Level II certification within 24 months. 

Applicants are required to submit a copy of their certification and/or transcripts to show that these certification requirements are met.

How you will be evaluated

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

Under this Direct-Hire announcement, all applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements at the grade level they are applying will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration.

Veteran's Preference, Schedule A, and Category Rating DO NOT APPLY for this announcement under a Direct-Hire Authority.

You will be notified via email when you are being considered for any new position that becomes available. If your resume is incomplete or if you fail to submit required documentation, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.

You can make updates to your resume and/or documents during the open period of the announcement.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Only experience obtained at the time of application will be considered, however, you can update your resume and application submission at any time during the opening period of this vacancy announcement.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with and existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• Selections made under this announcement will be processed as new appointments to the Civil Service. Current Civil Service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the Civil Service.
• Status and Non-Status applicants from outside DOE selected for this position are required to serve a mandatory one (1) year probationary period. A DOE career status employee selected for this position may be required to serve a new one (1) year probationary period, pursuant to 5 CFR 315.802.
• Applicants for certain positions may be required to complete a Financial Disclosure Statement.

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