Contract Specialist

Government Publishing Office; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government Publishing Office in Washington, DC, seeks a contracting professional under the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority. This position requires completion of mandatory agency training and specialized experience at or above the next lower grade.

The role focuses on policy development, contract type determinations, procurement strategies, and cost analysis. Qualified applicants must have a 4-year degree with relevant coursework and at least 4 years of contracting

Qualifications

• 4+ years of contracting or related experience, with at least 1 year at the next lower grade level.

Skills

Contracting experience

Policy and regulations knowledge

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree with related coursework

Job description

GPO employees possess a diverse array of talent in many administrative fields and trades. We provide other agencies with innovative services for the printing, publishing, storage, and distribution of digital content. If you are an energetic, inventive, individual looking for a challenging, yet rewarding career opportunity, GPO may be the place for you. This position is located in Agency Acquisitions, at the Government Publishing Office in Washington, District of Columbia.

THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Direct Hire Authority, authorized by 5 United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 3304 and 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 337, Subpart B. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the Direct Hire process.

Basic Requirements:

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 the next lower level of the position, and must have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position. and 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.

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 as stated below.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

In addition to the basic requirement stated above, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower grade level of the position to be filled. PG-13: your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the PG-12 grade level. Specialized experience includes the following:

1. overseeing the best methods to regulate policy and regulations while determining contract types, procurement strategies, and negotiating complex acquisitions and
2. evaluating bids and cost price analysis.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1100/contracting-series-1102/ 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.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement 09/15/2026 to be considered.