Senior Contracts Specialist

Nakupuna Solutions; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Nakupuna Solutions in Arlington, VA is hiring a Senior Contracts Specialist to support Department of State acquisitions, including contracts below the Simple Acquisition Threshold and complex high-dollar efforts.

You will manage pre-award, award, and post-award activities, prepare acquisition documents, and advise on negotiations. A Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship are required, with a 10+ year background and a relevant degree.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years in contracting.
• DAWIA level II or III preferred.
• Active Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Award Acquisition Support: advi ce and document prep for multiple offices in pre-award phase, including SOWs/SOO, market research, and source selection.
• Award/Selection Support: assist Contracting Officers in source selections and contract awards.
• Post-Award Acquisition Support: contract administration, modifications, invoicing and closeouts.
• Negotiate terms and analyze price data to advise on vendor selection and pricing.

Skills

Contract negotiations

Acquisition lifecycle

FAR knowledge

Vendor selection

Government communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

DAWIA level II/III

1102 contracting background

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Senior Contracts Specialist

Job Locations: US-VA-Arlington

• Job ID: 2026-7131
• Category: Contract/Procurement
• Type: Full-Time Salaried
• Company: Nakupuna Solutions

Overview

Nakupuna Companies is looking for a Senior Contracts Specialist who will provide professional acquisition support services for the Department of State. This individual shall be highly qualified and have significant experience working with contracts below the Simple Acquisition Threshold as well as complex and high dollar projects. They must possess a deep and thorough knowledge/understanding of the FAR and the complete acquisition life cycle.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management's definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign additional duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

• Pre-Award Acquisition Support: Provide advice, recommendations, and document preparation support to multiple disciplined offices in all areas of the acquisition pre-award phase. Acquisition pre-award support/reviews and advisement on the process and formulation of acquisition documents includes SOWs & SOOs, Acquisition Strategy Support, Cost Estimates, Market Research & Market Surveys, Quality Assurance Plans, RFPs/RFQs, Source Selection, and other miscellaneous pre-award documentation. Ability to formally document the reviews concisely for the contract files and the Contracting Officer is required.
• Award/Selection Support: Provide support/advisement and reviews to the Contracting Officers and various technical offices in all types of source selections including formal, informal, and vendor screening processes. Sources selection/award support includes Contract Award Documents and Contract Award Acquisition Support.
• Post-Award Acquisition Support: Provide advice, recommendations, and document support to multiple disciplined offices in all areas of the acquisition post-award phase. Acquisition post-award support includes Contract Administration, Contract Modification Support, Delivery/Task Order Support, Invoicing, and Closeouts.
• Demonstrated skill in obtaining and analyzing product and price data for contract negotiations and conducting comparative analysis of vendor terms and/or price quotations with historical data to develop recommendations on vendor selection, terms, or prices.
• Must be able to effectively communicate with a high volume and variety of people, including Leadership and Management level Government personnel on a daily basis.
• Specialized experience includes negotiating and awarding contracts, contract modifications, and/or subcontracts, developing, preparing, and presenting terms and conditions in bids or proposals related to the awards of contracts, evaluating methods and efficiencies of allocating costs through various types of overhead and general administrative expense, experience leading and/or providing technical advice and assistance to a group of professional employees responsible for the oversight and implementation of contract administration workload to include contract closeout, pricing, negotiations and/or contract modifications.
• Experience in supplies and service contracts is required; experience in formal source selections and research and development is desired.
• Experience with FAR Parts 12 and 13, Simplified Acquisition procedures and Commercial Acquisitions is highly desired, to include Commercial Services using IDIQ contracts.
• Experienced with issuing, documenting and awarding Competitive efforts is required.
• Experience with the application of FAR Part 6 (Other than full and open competition) and writing J&A is desired.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of experience required; or Associate's degree and 12 years of experience; or High School Disploma and 15 years experience
• Master's degree preferred.
• DAWIA level II or III, CFCM, and/or FAC-C certifications preferred
• Former 1102 series experience as a government employee will be highly rated
• Former Contracting Officer experience is highly preferred.

Clearance Requirements

This position requires an active Secret security clearance. Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Physical Requirements

The ideal candidate must at a minimum be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual's particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation range for this position is $120,000.00 to $155,000.00 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.