Senior Contract Administrator

National Academy of Sciences; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement plan

Paid holidays

Job summary

The National Academies seeks an experienced contracts professional to administer a broad portfolio of federal, private sector, state, and local awards. You will manage the full lifecycle from proposal review to closeout, ensuring compliance with FAR, sponsor requirements, and institutional policies.

Hybrid role with onsite 60% in Washington, DC; you will coordinate negotiations, monitor performance, prepare cost analyses, and serve as a liaison to sponsors, vendors, and staff across projects.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and related budgeting/cost concepts.
• Ability to communicate complex procurement and financial issues simply.
• Strong negotiation skills with experience in government contracting.

Responsibilities

• Reviews and negotiates terms and conditions of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements with government and private sponsors.
• Administers agreements including no-cost extensions, supplemental funding, and closeout; conducts post-award administration.
• Responds to procurement requests; determines appropriate procurement instruments and ensures policy compliance.

Skills

FAR knowledge

Negotiation

Contract administration

Proposal review

Attention to detail

Communication

Policy compliance

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Job description

Job Description Summary

Supports the administration of an assigned portfolio of federal, private sector, state, and local government contracts, grants (including cooperative agreements), and subawards within the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). Manages the full lifecycle of sponsored agreements, including proposal review, award negotiation, contract administration, modifications, and closeout activities. May receive delegated signature authority.

Job Description

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

• 1. Reviews and negotiates terms and conditions of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements with government and private sector sponsors, including providing any necessary certifications, approvals, and other supporting documentation.
• 2. Administers agreements for assigned program units, including items such as no-cost extensions, supplemental funding requests, and closeout. Conducts post award administration, including changes, approvals, problem resolution, reporting and data synthesis.
• 3. Responds to procurement requests from across the National Academies. Works with customers to determine the appropriate procurement instrument and to ensure that policies and procedures are followed. Interacts with staff to troubleshoot workflow problems.
• 4. Serves as point-of-contact for processing a variety of procurement requests within the National Academies, including purchase orders, consulting letter agreements, subcontracts, fellowship grant awards, service level agreements, and other special arrangements as necessary.
• 5. Coordinates estimates of service, material, equipment, production costs, performance requirements, and delivery schedules. Establishes vendor relationships; researches new vendors. Obtains competitive bids and selects vendors in accordance with institutional policies and procedures.
• 6. Develops and integrates contract management tools, templates, methods, and processes required to support contract operations. Reviews and coordinates proposals and Request for Proposals for institutional risks, completeness, and conformity to National Academies' policies and procedures. Prepares cost/price analyses.
• 7. Prepares all paperwork to completely process the appropriate procurement instrument for an assigned portfolio. Plans, organizes, and manages all contract relationships and contract documents.
• 8. Serves as a liaison between the National Academies and sponsors, vendors, and subcontractors regarding National Academies' institutional policies, procedures, and operations. Represents the Academies to our customers and has significant internal liaison responsibilities to both staff and executives.

NONESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES: Special projects as assigned.

Job Specifications

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars A-110, A-122, A-133, Cost Accounting Standards, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Ability to communicate complex procurement and financial issues in simple, understandable terms. Seasoned negotiation skills with extensive knowledge of general corporate business practices and principals. Understanding of legal issues and processes including arbitration, termination for default, and order of precedence. Must be skilled in analyzing contracts to ensure compliance to company policy, sponsor specifications, and other requirements. Expertise in dealing with non-routine, and/or highly complex projects. Ability to solve intellectual problems of substantial variety and complexity using originality and ingenuity. Experience working in complex environments with a high degree of organizational effectiveness. Ability to develop relationships with co-workers and employees in other National Academies' departments. Demonstrated ability to work independently, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities across a broad spectrum with attention to detail. Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to effectively interact with all levels of employees.

Minimum Education/Training Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or related field or equivalent knowledge.

Minimum Experience: Five years of related professional experience.

Physical Capabilities: Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.

Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls: Reports to Manager or Director. General direction is provided.

Work Environment:Hybrid Office/Telecommute environment, expected onsite percentage 60%, with occasional travel between National Academies' facilities and to off-site meeting/sponsor locations.

Compensation & Benefits

An estimated compensation range for this position is $92,040 - $126,550. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate's relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range. This is a benefits-eligible position.

• Our Benefits Plan offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options, including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement and savings benefits, leave benefits such as paid holidays and paid personal leave, transportation subsidies, and education assistance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.

Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units

Job Family: CONT

Employee Type: Employee

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 37.5

City/State: Washington, District of Columbia