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ADMINISTRATIVE/TECHNICAL SPECIALIST

Department of the Navy
Naval Sea Systems Command
Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division

Summary

The Secretary of Defense has ordered a department-wide hiring freeze subject to certain limited exceptions. This position is subject to the DoD hiring freeze. Offers of employment related to this vacancy announcement will not be executed until the position has an approved exemption.

You will serve as a Contract Specialist in the Contracts Department of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/22/2026 to 02/02/2026
Salary
$70,623 to - $133,142 per year

NT-3 salary range: $70,623 to $101,097; NT-4 salary range: $85,447 to $133,142

Pay scale & grade
NT 3 - 4
Location
11 vacancies in the following location:
Dahlgren, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
5
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes - You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of appointment.
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12869258-26-BM
Control number
855015200

Duties

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  • You will perform a variety of pre-award and post-award functions involving specialized procurements.
  • You will act as a technical advisor to program management offices in planning, coordinating, establishing milestones, developing special or unique provisions, and preparing procurement plans.
  • You will analyze requirements to assist in the development of meaningful and adequate statements of work and/or purchase descriptions in coordination with technical, legal, and patent personnel.
  • You will develop procurement objectives for the acquisition in terms of competition and price range and construct the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
  • You will prepare and maintain current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts and related schedules.
  • You will review requests for the procurement of complex equipment and/or services.
  • You will analyze the requirement and recommend revisions to the statement of work or specifications as necessary.
  • You will review justifications for sole-source and prepare required clearances and other required documentation.
  • You will determine the types of contract best suited to the requirement and develop special clauses and terms and conditions applicable to the solicitation.
  • You will identify the sources to be solicited, prepare pre-solicitation and solicitation documents, and conduct pre-proposal conferences.
  • You will develop plans for negotiation strategy, coordinate strategy with the various members of the negotiation team, and evaluate bids or proposals for compliance with specifications and/or purchase descriptions and applicable clauses.
  • You will coordinate and participate in pre-award surveys.
  • You will perform analysis to determine responsiveness and/or responsibility in formally advertised and negotiated acquisitions.
  • You will recommend the competitive range to the Contracting Officer for negotiations with one or more offerors.
  • You will prepare negotiation memoranda in form of pre- and post negotiation clearances for presentation to the Peer Review Board.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • This position is covered under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). Certification in the Acquisition Functional Area and category assigned to the position is required within established category timeframes.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final Secret security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain warrant authority above the small purchase threshold.
  • You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of appointment.

Qualifications

TO QUALIFY FOR NT-4: In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NT-3 pay band (GS-9 and GS-10 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional Contract Specialist performing pre-award, post-award and/or contract price/cost analysis functions associated with a variety of procurements. Examples of qualifying experience may include (1) general understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other applicable regulations; basic ability to interpret and apply these applicable regulations; (2) broad understanding and demonstrated experience with the appropriate use of contract types (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time and materials); (3) experience supporting the development of acquisition plans, executing to those plans, and conducting competitive source selections; (4) understanding of conducting price and cost evaluations, including price reasonableness, cost realism, and cost analysis.

TO QUALIFY FOR NT-3: In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NT-2 pay band (GS-5 through GS-8 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: applying basic knowledge of professional contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or contract price/cost analysis functions. Examples of qualifying experience may include 1) general knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other applicable regulations; (2) general knowledge of contract types (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time and materials); (3) familiarity with acquisition planning and source selection processes; (4) general knowledge of Government contracting principles, laws, policies, and procedures.

Applicant must meet the following Department of Defense qualification requirements for 1102 contracting positions: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/DoD_Qualification_Standard_For_GS-1102.pdf

And the title 10 requirements found here: http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section1724&num=0&edition=prelim

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Education Requirement of the Department of Defense Qualification Standard for Contracting Positions:

A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees.

NOTE: The education requirement listed above applies only to individuals entering DoD GS-1102 positions on or after October 1, 2000. Current civilian personnel in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000 are exempt from meeting this requirement. Current military members who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent) 1102 or before September 30, 2000 are also exempt from meeting this requirement.

TO QUALIFY FOR NT-4: Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:

  • A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR
  • Three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education
TO QUALIFY FOR NT-3: Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:
  • A master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR
  • An LL.B. or J.D.; OR
  • Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education

Additional information

This position is part of the Warfare Centers Personnel Demonstration Project. The NT-3 pay band encompasses positions equivalent to GS-9 and GS-10; the NT-4 pay band encompasses positions equivalent to GS-11 and GS-12.

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

Vacancies filled from this announcement may be filled at any grade level listed.

If selected below the full performance level, you may be noncompetitively promoted to the next higher grade level after meeting all regulatory requirements, and upon the recommendation of management. Promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • Preparation and Negotiation
  • Contract Award
  • Computer Literacy
  • Oral Communication
  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: USA Hire and Structured Interview.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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

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