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

Supervisory Contract Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
OD/OALM

Summary

If you have experience in contracting, negotiating, and providing policy guidance and technical assistance to the acquisitions community AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM), Office of the Director (OD). For more information, please visit https://oalm.od.nih.gov/.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/13/2026 to 02/17/2026
Salary
$169,279 to - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Montgomery County, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NIH-GR-MP-26-12875412
Control number
856809300

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

You must be a current or former federal employee eligible to apply under merit promotion procedures or otherwise be eligible as a status applicant (e.g., Veterans Employment Opportunity Act) OR be an individual who is eligible through an OPM interchange agreement or for a non-competitive appointment. This job is also open to USPHS Commissioned Corps Officers and Call-To-Active Duty (CAD) Candidates.

Duties

Help

As a Supervisory Contract Specialist, your duties may include:

  • Planning, organizing, and managing a comprehensive program of NIH-wide acquisition policy, procedure and oversight function.
  • Overseeing the analysis, interpretation, formulation and dissemination of acquisition policies and procedures.
  • Establishing long-range objectives and strategies for the improvement of policy, procedures, analysis, review and oversight functions.
  • Developing creative strategies in order to establish and maintain acquisition policy and financial advisory service organizations to support NIH.
  • Although not required, the ideal candidate will possess all of the requirements for Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC- C). HHS requires all warranted contracting officers, regardless of series, to hold an appropriate level of FAC-C certification to make purchases. If you have a FAC-C or DAWIA Contracting certification, please state your level of certification in your resume.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • This position is covered under the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act. As an HHS Acquisition Workforce position, selectee(s) must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C (Professional) Certification (or equivalent) must provide a copy of the certification with their application.
  • U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
  • Applicants must meet all qualifications requirements within thirty (30) calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, including time in grade.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency. This information is required annually. For information, visit the NIH Ethics website: https://ethics.od.nih.gov/topics.
  • Position requires Education, please submit transcripts.
  • The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
  • The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period.

Qualifications

NIH may use this announcement to consider current Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) employees with an approved waiver of education requirements. If you are a current DHHS employee with an approved waiver, please submit a copy of your waiver with your application.

Basic Requirements: To meet basic requirements, you must meet one of the following:

  1. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included or was supplemented by 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. Visit our web page. Guidance on Business Related Coursework for the GS-1102 Contracting Series for information on what coursework is qualifying along with other helpful information; OR
  2. Occupied a GS-1102-15 position since at least January 1, 2000; OR
  3. A current Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employee with an approved waiver of educational requirements. To receive consideration, you must submit your waiver with your application.
Additional Qualifications: In addition to the Basic Requirements for the GS-15 above, you must also meet ALL the following requirements:
  1. Completed all mandatory training and certification requirements prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to the GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions. Completion of this training for non-NIH employees is not required upon application to meet qualifications. If selected, you must complete all required training and satisfy all certification requirements within the specified timeframes determined by your supervisor. AND
  2. Have at least 4-years of experience in contracting or related positions. AND
  3. Have at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: providing technical leadership to contracting and procurement staff; reviewing and making recommendations on agency-wide acquisition policy and procedures; conducting oversight on and solving complex acquisition problems; developing and enforcing practices and procedures that ensure the organization is in compliance with applicable acquisition management laws, rules, and regulations; and representing the organization at high level conferences and meetings.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12875412

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

  • This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
  • PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration.
  • A one-year supervisory trial/probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.
  • Visit Help Applying for helpful information on the application process.
  • Veterans' Preference only applies to Schedule A (disability appointment), HHS Reemployment Priority List (RPL) Eligibles, HHS Priority Reemployment List (PRL) Eligibles, and Veterans Recruitment Appointments (if applicable).
  • NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active-duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • A newly appointed or reappointed individual may receive a recruitment incentive. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • A current federal government employee may receive a relocation incentive if moving from a different geographic location. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
  • At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: telework compressed schedules, flexible schedules.
  • If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us/articles/45424542500371-How-to-request-a-reasonable-accommodation

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Accountability
  • Customer Service
  • Decisiveness
  • Flexibility
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Problem Solving
  • Resilience

The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least 80 points on the assessment(s) and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

The position(s) advertised in this announcement are covered by the agency's Reemployment Priority List (RPL). RPL candidates will be rated, placed into one of the quality categories below, and referred to the hiring office, once veterans' preference is applied.
  • Qualified
  • Well Qualified
  • Best Qualified

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.