Contract Specialist

US Office of the Secretary; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce seeks a Contract Specialist to join under the CAPS system. The ZA-5 level corresponds to GS-15, with responsibilities spanning pre-award to post-award activities and complex contract negotiations.

Applicants must meet basic and specialized experience requirements, including knowledge of FAR and related procurement policies, and may qualify via waivers or credentialing such as FAC-C.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower level.
• Full year of specialized experience for ZA-5 equivalent to GS-14 level.
• Education or waiver options as described in the vacancy.

Responsibilities

• Advise on acquisition operations and policies, including evaluating contracts and modifications.
• Research and interpret FAR and related statutes and policies.
• Provide guidance to senior executives on acquisition matters.
• Plan, pre-award, award, and post-award work for supplies and services.
• Evaluate cost/price proposals using cost/price analysis techniques.

Skills

Contracting knowledge

Acquisition guidance

Cost/price analysis

Negotiation

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree with 24 credit hours in business/finance/law/contracts

FAC-C or DoD Contracting Certification

Tools

FAR proficiency

Acquisition regulations

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-5 is equivalent to the GS-15 grade level.

To qualify at the ZA-5 level, you must meet the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience outlined below.

Basic Requirements:

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 the work of the position successfully.

AND

B. 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 submit a copy of your certificates. Also, you must submit a copy of your transcripts, official or unofficial, to document your education.)

OR

C. 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 based on a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

*To meet the agency's 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 GS-14 (or equivalent pay band) level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience:

• Serving as an advisor/authority on acquisition operations and policies (such as evaluating contract price proposals, terminating contracts, closing contracts, analyzing cost and price, and processing complex modifications);
• Researching, analyzing, and interpreting the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and acquisition-related statutes and policies, including the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul;
• Providing acquisition guidance, advice, and counsel to senior executives and other senior-level officials;
• Performing acquisition planning, pre-award, award, and post-award work for supplies and services, including negotiating and awarding complex and high-visibility contracts and modifications; and
• Evaluating cost/price proposals utilizing cost/price analysis techniques.