Contract Specialist

Summary This position serves as a Senior Level Contract Officer, located in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Justice Management Division (JMD), Office of Acquisition Management (OAM).. This is an open-continuous announcement with an established initial cut-off date 14 days after the open date of the announcement. Please see the "How You Will be Evaluated" section for more information. Responsibilities The duties and responsibilities for a Contract Specialist, GS-1102-14 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: * Awards and/or administers complex, high dollar value contracts. * Coordinates procurement activities associated with high-dollar contracts for products and/or professional and technical services. * Plans, develops and executes an acquisition strategy for the organization. * Determines type of contract vehicles, task orders or modifications to be used, prepares justifications, and obtains necessary approvals. * Coordinates with team members in preparing solicitations, evaluating vendor proposals and quotations. * Conducts all post-award functions, to include negotiating and issuing modifications, evaluating contractor performance, resolving issues, and disputes, and closing out contracts. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for the position of Contract Specialist, at GS-1102-14, you must meet the basic requirements AND specialized experience listed below. Basic Qualifications: 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. 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 successfully the work of the position; AND B. 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. (NOTE: Transcripts must be provided) 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. AND Specialized Experience: For the GS-14, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, which includes meeting 2 of the 4 statements below: 1) Performing pre-award and post-award functions to include, preparing Solicitations/Requests for Proposals (RFP)/Request for Quotes/Request for Task Order Proposals; 2) Identifying appropriate contract type/method for the product and/or service being procured; 3) Preparing contract modifications, justifications, determinations and findings; 4) Performing contractor performance quality assurance evaluations, resolving issues and disputes and closing-out contracts. Mandatory training: A Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional) certification is required for successful performance of the assigned duties. Applicants must possess or be eligible for a FAC-C (Professional) certification in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) FAC-C Certification Standards or equivalent Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification standards. Applicants who currently possess or are eligible for FAC-C Professional certification and can achieve certification according to FAI or DAWIA standards within twelve months from the date of appointment to this position will also be considered. Please indicate in your application your level and source (FAI, DAWIA) of certification or eligibility for certification. Documentation must be attached to the application package. Applicants that meet the training requirements are required to provide proof of a current FAC-C (Professional) certification, DoD Contracting Professional certification, or equivalent certification. Applicants requesting consideration based on ability to achieve the training requirement within the twelve month time period shall provide documentation to support path to completion. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the following dates: Initial cut off date: 08/27/2026, then quarterly thereafter: November 27, 2026; March 1, 2027; June 1, 2027 and August 12, 2027. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. Education Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Additional Information Additional selections may be made from this announcement. This announcement is being advertised under an agency specific OR a government-wide Direct-Hire Authority approved by OPM for filling vacancies when a severe shortage or critical hiring need exists. Veterans Preference and other Category Rating procedures do not apply to this announcement. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements of the position. The hiring office may interview and select any qualified candidate of their choosing from the qualified pool. See OPM, Direct Hire Authority for more information. Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: Be rated well-qualified for the position based on the competencies listed above; and submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies clearly exceeding the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy. Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to agency contact information within the job announcement.. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.