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Contract Specialist

Department of Defense
Department of Defense Education Activity
This job announcement has closed

Summary

About the Position:
This position is located at the Mark Center Building in Alexandria, VA. The Mark Center is the new location for the Washington Headquarters Services of the United States Department of Defense and a number of other DoD agencies.

This position may be eligible for situational telework as determined by the agency policy.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/08/2025 to 07/15/2025
Salary
$84,601 to - $131,826 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Alexandria, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
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
Announcement number
NC7X259013659568
Control number
840186400

Duties

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  • Ensures compliance with Performance Based approach and principles.
  • Develops contract modifications and associated documentation.
  • Conducts award debriefings.
  • Develops solicitation, including clause selection and line items.
  • Performs price analysis and develops price fair and reasonableness determinations.
  • Synopsizes and advertises new requirements.
  • Resolves invoice issues and performs contract close-outs.
  • Manages technical reviews and source selection processes.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Requirement.
  • Proof of U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Appointment subject to a suitability/fitness determination, as determined by a background investigation.
  • This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • This is an Acquisition and Technology Workforce position.
  • This position is subject to the statutory requirements of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA).
  • Must fully comply with the provisions of the DoDD 5500.07 Standards of Conduct and DoD 5500.07-R The Join Ethics Regulation (JER).
  • Must fully comply with the provisions of the 5 CFR 2635 Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch and 5 CFR 3601 Supplemental Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Department of Defense.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • Current Competitive Service Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Civilian Employee
  • Current Permanent Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Employee
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
  • Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Interchange Agreement Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Basic Requirement for Contract Specialist:

Degree:
Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees.

OR

Exemption:
You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current civilian employee 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; OR (B) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience for GS-11: One year of specialized experience which includes evaluating quotes and/or proposals, negotiating price, terms, and/or conditions of contracts, preparing acquisition documents and/or reports (i.e. solicitations/contracts, market research, justifications & determinations, or award documents), and reviewing acquisition documents to ensure adherence to terms and conditions or regulations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR
Education:
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

Specialized Experience for GS-12: One year of specialized experience which includes analyzing information to draw conclusions about price/cost information, negotiating, awarding and/or administering contracts, providing advice and/or guidance to customers on procurement preparation and development of contractually acceptable specifications and work statements, and reviewing procurement requests to assure clarity, adequacy, and completeness. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Education Substitution for GS-12: Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Oral Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Terms and Conditions


Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management. Duties described reflect the full performance GS-12 level. If not selected at the full performance level, duties will be performed in a developmental capacity under close supervision.
  • Applicants with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should notify David Walton ra@dodea.edu
  • This position is not covered by a bargaining unit.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • You may claim Military Spouse preference.
  • You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.
  • Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level.
  • DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

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