Contract Specialist

National-Institutes-of-Health; Frederick (MD); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Director (OD), Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM) at the National Institutes of Health is seeking an early-career Contract Specialist to develop skills in contracting, negotiation, and policy guidance. You will gain hands-on experience, contribute to acquisition support, and help shape procurement for supplies and services.

Eligibility spans GS-07 to GS-09 levels with requirements including specific educational backgrounds, graduate studies, and specialized

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any field or 24 semester hours in accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, or related fields.
• For GS-07: one year of graduate-level education directly related to duties, or qualifications showing Superior Academic Achievement.
• For GS-09: master's degree or 2 years of graduate education, or a JD/LLB in related fields.

Responsibilities

• Perform administrative duties and assist program staff with acquisition support for procurement of supplies and services.
• Assist with preparing acquisition documents, analyze bids/proposals/quotes, and recommend revisions to the statement of work.

Education

Bachelor's degree

24 semester hours in related fields

Master's degree / 2 years graduate education (GS-07)

Job description

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/

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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.