Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Contract Specialist - PD 19R119 - Office of Federal Assistance and Acquisition Management

Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Office of Federal Assistance and Acquisition Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during open and closing date of this announcement.

**Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services through this vacancy announcement.**

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/24/2024 to 08/30/2024
Salary
$88,520 to - $115,079 per year

Salary range listed includes base pay only. Locality pay will be determined based on the selectees location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Remote job
Yes
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
25% or less - Expected travel for this position may be up to 25%.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
HRSA-OFAAM-24-DH-12408815
Control number
792781300

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. This position is also open to PHS Commissioned Corps Officers. PHS Commissioned Corps (CC) Officers will be referred as CC personnel and not as a candidate for conversion to a permanent federal appointment.

Duties

Help

This position is located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Federal Assistance and Acquisition Management, Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy. This position is 100% remote and the US location is negotiable after selection. Work sites outside of the U.S. are prohibited. Your salary will be based upon the locality pay of your work site after selection.

For salary information based on locations, please visit this link to the OPM 2024 salary tables.

As a Contract Specialist, your major duties and responsibilities include:

  • Using contract types such as simplified acquisitions, interagency agreements under the Economy Act, interagency agreements under other specific authorities; contracts, delivery orders and blanket purchase agreements, including developing and approving determinations and findings and solicitation documents of varying types and amounts.
  • Performing procurement planning to develop objectives in terms of competition and price range and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
  • Preparing and reviewing Requests for Proposals (RFP), other pre-award documentation, price/cost analysis, negotiates contracts, and determining the appropriate mechanism for awards, prepares pre-negotiation position analysis, acts as contract administrator, and performing contract closeout functions.
  • Responding both orally and in writing, to inquiries from the Division and Office Director, program staff and external parties, including but is not limited to explanations and/or defenses of various components of a contract, reports (routine and ad hoc), and interfacing with the PO and contractor on sensitive issues, such as poor or nonperformance of contract terms and conditions.
  • Performing a full range of contract administration duties and responsibilities for assigned acquisitions, including but not limited to modifications, performance monitoring and feedback, addressing/resolving performance problems, payment issues, and subcontracting; and may partially or completely terminate contracts for the convenience of the Government or default by the contractor.
NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U. S. Citizenship is required.
  • Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
  • This position has an education requirement - Must submit transcripts.
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
  • This position is covered under the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act. A Federal Acquisition Certification – Contracting (Professional) (FAC-C (Professional)) is required within Agency-established timeframes.

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 08/30/2024.

This is an open continuous announcement that is being used to create an inventory of applicants for Contract Specialist (Direct Hire) positions and will be used to fill immediate and future needs.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early in order to maximize their employment opportunities. Your application will remain in the inventory of tentatively qualified applicants. Applicants that fully meet the announcement requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration as requests to fill vacancies are processed by the Human Resources Office. Referral lists will be generated throughout the open period as vacancies occur. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

Qualified applicants will be considered as job opportunities occur and may or may not receive further notification regarding the status of their application. However, all applicants will receive a final disposition notification once the recruitment process is complete.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

OPM INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTING SERIES, 1102:


To qualify for this position at the GS-1102-13 grade level, you must meet all of the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above

A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4-years' experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of the position.

AND

B. 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. You must provide unofficial transcripts as verification that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement. Please DO NOT send copies of diplomas as they are NOT acceptable as verification that you meet the education requirement.

C. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D. If attempting to qualify based on this option, you must provide an SF50 at the GS-13 or higher level that is dated on or prior to January 1, 2000. This will allow HR to verify that you meet this exception.

D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision-making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an HHS Acquisition Workforce position that requires the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional). Effective February 1, 2023:

a. Current workforce members certified at Levels I, II, or III of the Legacy FAC-C programs will automatically be certified in the FAC-C Professional. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C (Professional) Certification (or equivalent) MUST provide a copy of the certification with their application by the closing date of the announcement.

b. New Federal employees shall follow the FAC-C (Professional) requirements, which includes 12 months of full-time experience applying a representative sample of technical contracting competencies. New hires must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty.

In addition to the above requirements, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service.

MINIMUM QUALIFYING SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

Examples of minimum qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-12 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

  • Performing pre-award and post-award contract administration.
AND
  • Performing cost and price analyses for contract administration.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12408815

Education

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Additional information

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

E-Verify: HRSA 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.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here.

Financial Disclosure: This position requires you to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report prior to receiving a final offer letter as well as within 30 days of your appointment. This will require you to report information such as recent sources of income, financial interests you hold, and outside activities you participate in, as well as similar information from a spouse or any dependent children. If you have questions, please contact your HRSA Ethics Advisor at AskHR@hrsa.gov.


Bargaining Unit: Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.

Recruitment Incentives: Recruitment incentives are not authorized.

Student Loan Repayment Incentive: Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.

This is an HHS Acquisition Workforce position. Selectee must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C Certification (or equivalent) must provide a copy of the certification with their application.

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. Veterans' Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Your application will be reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority.

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 determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. 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 having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.