Contract Specialist

Summary The incumbent serves as the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) of a specific NNSA Management and Operating (M&O) contract, providing overall leadership and direction for oversight of assigned contractor, and federal programs and activities related to the M&O contract. The incumbent will be responsible for the management and appointment of individual Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) and serves as a principal advisor and recognized authority on all M&O acquisition matters. Qualifications All applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (basic requirements) AND Specialized experience outlined below. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) A. 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 of experience in contracting or related positions, with at least 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NQ-03 or GS-14 level. and B. Completion of 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. OR 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. OR 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. Specialized Experience A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA pay band level or GS grade level in the Federal Service, i.e., NQ-03 or GS-14. Specialized experience for this position is defined as planning, directing, and coordinating the execution of Management and Operations (M&O) contract activities of high national significance. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education EDUCATION: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, only provide transcripts from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. **FOREIGN EDUCATION: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Please Note: If your foreign education has already been accepted by an accredited U.S. educational institution as part of a degree program with that institution, you do not need to provide an evaluation of foreign education but must submit a copy of the transcripts listing the degree from the U.S. accredited institution that accepted your foreign education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. If you are selected, official transcripts will be required. Requirements Subject to Random Drug Testing Must pass a pre-employment drug test. Favorable suitability determination required. Financial Disclosure is required. Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q-level Security Clearance. You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification. FAC-C (Professional) certification is required. A valid Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, provided the FAC-C education and continuous learning requirements have been met. Certification requirements may be viewed at https://fai.gov/certification/fac-c Please limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, you will be disqualified. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time or reinstated employees who return to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period will need to complete the requirement. How You Will Be Evaluated This position is announced under a government wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Contract Specialist positions in the1102 series. Under the DHA, Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply. The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the eligibility, basic requirements and specialized experience qualifications listed above. If you are referred to the Hiring Manager, you will be further evaluated on the competencies listed below: Communication Contracting/Procurement Organizational Awareness If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'. To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13068534 Required Documents To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes: ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a resume supporting your specialized experience and responses to the online questionnaire. Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date). Cover Letter,(optional), expressing additional information not covered in your resume may not be considered. Transcripts - Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements. If selected, it is mandatory that you provide official transcripts. SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" - To properly verify status eligibility, your SF-50 must show the following. full position title; appointment type; occupational series; pay plan, grade, and step; tenure code; and service computation date (SCD). If your most recent SF-50 does not indicate that you have competitive service status or does not reflect the pay plan and grade of the highest position you have held in the competitive service, in addition to your current SF-50, you must provide your previous SF-50s that provide the proof of competitive status and highest grade held on a permanent basis. If you do not submit an appropriate SF-50, we cannot verify your status eligibility and you will be eliminated from consideration. For more information about what to include in your resume, visit the USA Jobs Help Center by clicking here. NNSA will accept a resume in the format of your choice (as an attached document or as a USAJOBS Resume Builder format). You will be notified at the time you click 'Apply Online' which type of resume is acceptable. It is important that you are complete and thorough in your resume. If any of the above information is not included in your resume, we may not be able to fully credit you for your experience. Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation Please see the OPM Guide to Career Transition Click HERE for more information. Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. How to Apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement. If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.