Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results
 

Contract Specialist

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Procurement Office (A9100)

Summary

This position is part of the WAPA Headquarters. As a Contract Specialist, you will be responsible for pre- and post-award functions on simplified and complex, multidisciplinary supply, service, and construction contracts and agreements in support of WAPA's mission responsibilities.

*This is not a remote position. The selectee must be physically present at one of the duty locations listed on this announcement.*

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/05/2025 to 12/19/2025
Salary
$88,621 to - $128,460 per year

Salary varies depending on location

Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
6 vacancies in the following locations:
Phoenix, AZ
Folsom, CA
Lakewood, CO
Loveland, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational, as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel of up to 5-10% annually is required; with overnight travel possible during all or part of that time.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-WA-00078-12845663-IMP
Control number
851702800

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current Department of Energy (DOE) employees on a career or career-conditional competitive service appointment. DOE employees retiring from either the OPM or DOE Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) are not eligible to apply for this announcement. DRP retirement participants are not considered active DOE employees because they have agreed to separate from the agency.

Duties

Help

As a Contract Specialist, you will:

  • Serve as a business consultant to program officials, providing expert guidance on acquisition planning, market research, socio-economic programs, and contract strategy development to achieve mission objectives.
  • Plan, negotiate, lead, award, and administer complex procurements for a variety of supplies, services, and construction requirements, utilizing diverse contract types and innovative methods under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
  • Coordinate procurement actions with necessary personnel and all program and support offices to achieve successful project outcomes, often serving as lead negotiator for highly complex acquisitions.
  • Perform comprehensive contract administration functions, including managing modifications, processing claims, settling disputes, monitoring contractor performance, directing CORs, and approving payments to ensure contract compliance and successful project execution.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Department of Energy (DOE) employees participating in the OPM or DOE Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) are not eligible to apply for this announcement. DRP participants are not considered active DOE employees because they have agreed to separate from the agency. (Participants who resigned, are no longer DOE employees.)
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position.
  • Federal Acquisition Contracting-Certification (FAC-C) Professional via the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI), or the Defense Acquisition University (Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) is required and must be maintained by the incumbent. If the incumbent does not hold this certification at the time of appointment, it must be obtained within 12 months from the date of hire.
  • This position requires the ability to operate a Government vehicle. The incumbent must be at least 18 years of age, able to obtain and maintain Defensive Drivers certification and have a valid state driver's license. Defensive Driver's Training will be completed upon employment.
  • The incumbent is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450), upon entering the position and annually.
  • This position may be in the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet both the basic requirement and specialized experience requirements to be found qualified for this position.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

1. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;

or

2. 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.


SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [GS-11] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  1. Developing solicitation documentation, formal advertising, and contract administration, and
  2. Utilizing negotiation techniques, on competitive or sole source, fixed price, time-and-materials, labor-hour contracts, indefinite-delivery contracts, and multiple award schedule type contracts.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.

Education

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.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

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.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov.
  • Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
  • Upon reporting, and annually thereafter, the selectee may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification. These certifications may be subject to public disclosure.
  • The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
  • Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the scores provided from the SME resume review to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified."

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Acquisition Strategy
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Project Management

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (12/19/2025) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12845663.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.