Launch your federal acquisitions career with us.
The Office of the Director (OD), Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM), is looking for early-career talent eager to build skills in contracting, negotiation, and policy guidance. Join a dynamic organization where you'll gain hands-on experience and make a real impact.
Learn more: https://oalm.od.nih.gov/
Launch your federal acquisitions career with us.
The Office of the Director (OD), Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM), is looking for early-career talent eager to build skills in contracting, negotiation, and policy guidance. Join a dynamic organization where you'll gain hands-on experience and make a real impact.
Learn more: https://oalm.od.nih.gov/
Salary displayed is the absolute minimum and maximum allowed. Pay will be set using the appropriate locality upon selection.
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.
To be eligible for a Contract Specialist, GS-1102 position at the GS-07/09 level, you must:
A. have completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field OR
B. have 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. OR
C. have occupied a GS-1102 position 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. AND
In addition, to be eligible for a Contract Specialist, GS-1102 position at the GS-07 you must:
A. have completed one (1) year of graduate-level education that is directly related to the duties of this position. OR
B. have met one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) based on a) graduating within the upper third of the graduating class in a college, university, or major subdivision such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; b) having a grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; c) being elected for membership in a national scholastic honor society. Note: SAA must be based on a related curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. Note: SAA must be based on a related curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. OR
C. have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: performing administrative duties and assisting program staff to provide acquisition support associated with the procurement of supplies and services, assisting with preparing acquisition documents, analyzing bids/proposals/quotes, and recommend revisions to the statement of work. OR
D. have a combination of post-baccalaureate education that is related to this position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.
In addition, to be eligible for a Contract Specialist, GS-1102 position at the GS-09 you must:
A. have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or an LL.B. or J.D. To qualify based on graduate education, the coursework must be in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR
B. have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: reviewing requisitions for supplies or services to determine that proper specifications or purchase descriptions are included in solicitation documents; evaluating bids or proposals for supplies or services to ensure compliance with specifications or purchase descriptions; and/or evaluating the prior contract performance of potential suppliers to determine their financial responsibility. OR
C. have a combination of post-baccalaureate education that is directly related to the position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.
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.
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.
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/13043180
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.
If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, 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 packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.
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.
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) and your score on the required assessments. This vacancy will use the following assessment(s): USA Hire.
You will be assessed on the following competencies:
RESUME:
Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses. While cover letters provided with your application will be shared with hiring officials, they will not be used for initial qualification determinations. We cannot assume required experience based on your work or academic history. If your resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. Use a legible font such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, or Arial, with 0.5-inch margins. Suggested formatting: 14-point for titles and 10-point for body text. You may use the USAJOBS Resume Builder or upload your own resume. If uploading, ensure it includes all required information and is organized so we can match the following to each position:
This announcement accepts applications during the open period of September 21, 2026, through September 26, 2026; unless the applicant cut-off 200 applications is reached. This announcement will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time (ET) on September 26, 2026, or on the day the 200th application is received, whichever comes first. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. Early submission of your application is highly encourage.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete and submit all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents sections. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. See the "Required Documents" section for any additional forms and/or supplemental materials required.
Complete the application questionnaire. Applicants are asked all questions regardless of their consideration preferences. We will only consider you for the grades, series, locations, specialties, and other considerations that you self-identify as being qualified for or interested in. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13043180
If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgment email with the status of your application. To track or update your application or supporting documentation, during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. The Additional Application Information page provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment.
At the discretion of the agency, you may be contacted via phone or email for an interview or to provide additional information up to several months from the closing date of the announcement. Please ensure you have provided accurate contact information. To remain in consideration, you must respond in a timely manner to our correspondence and requests for documentation or information throughout the hiring process.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
