Contract Specialist

US Office of the Secretary; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce seeks a Contract Specialist under the CAPS program at ZA-04 (GS-13/14) to manage federal procurements and provide counsel to senior leadership. Candidates must have one full year of specialized experience at ZA-03/GS-12, plus a 4-year degree with 24 semester hours in targeted fields, and FAC-C or DoD contracting certification.

The role involves acquisition strategy development, regulatory application, and leading procurement

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at ZA-03/GS-12 or equivalent.
• Basic requirements include a 4-year degree with 24 semester hours in accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, or related fields.
• FAC-C or DoD Contracting Certification is required to meet mandatory requirements.
• Specialized experience includes developing acquisition strategies, managing complex procurements, applying contracting regulations, evaluating proposals, and advising on acquisition policies.

Responsibilities

• Developing acquisition strategies and managing complex federal procurements.
• Applying contracting regulations, evaluating proposals, and administering contracts.
• Advising senior leaders on acquisition policies and program issues; providing data-driven solutions.
• Leading acquisition activities and managing multiple procurement actions concurrently.
• Experience working independently as a warranted Contracting Officer within applicable warrant authority.

Skills

Acquisition strategy

Contract management

Regulatory compliance

Proposal evaluation

Data-driven solutions

Lead procurements

Warranted CO

Education

Bachelor's degree with relevant coursework

Job description

This vacancy is for a Contract Specialist in the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce. Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies; knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

This position is being filled under the Department Of Commerce (DOC) Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career path and pay band. The ZA-04 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade levels.

To qualify at the ZA-04 level, you MUST meet the Basic Requirements AND Specialized Experience as stated below:

Basic Requirements: (You must submit a copy of certificates. Also, you must submit a copy of your transcripts, official or unofficial, to document your education.

• A. *Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13/ZA-04 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4 years of 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 perform successfully 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.
• 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.
• 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.

*In order to meet the agency mandatory requirements, applicants must either have obtained their FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-03/GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience:

• Developing acquisition strategies and managing complex federal procurements.
• Applying contracting regulations, evaluating proposals, and administering contracts.
• Advising senior leaders on acquisition policies and program issues; and providing data driven solutions.
• Leading acquisition activities and managing multiple procurement actions concurrently
• Experience working independently as a warranted Contracting Officer with minimal oversight within applicable warrant authority.