Contract Specialist 5 - Senior Acquisition Team Lead (DC)

Position Summary:

Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is looking for a Contract Specialist V-Senior Acquisition Team Lead to support our government contract. The Contract Specialist V – Senior Acquisition Team Lead is a senior working acquisition professional responsible for cradle-to-grave acquisition support and technical leadership of assigned acquisition-support personnel. The position assists Government contracting personnel with pre-award, award, post-award, modification, contract administration, file maintenance, and closeout activities while ensuring work is timely, accurate, well documented, and consistent with applicable federal acquisition requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead and perform pre-award acquisition support from requirements development through solicitation and award.
• Assist with research, preparation, review, and coordination of Statements of Objectives, Statements of Work, Performance Work Statements, Independent Government Cost Estimates, evaluation criteria, and related requirements documents.
• Conduct and document market research, including identification of potential sources, socio-economic categories, and contract vehicles.
• Research historical purchases, current market conditions, and comparable agency acquisitions to support cost estimates and acquisition strategies.
• Research acquisition approaches, strategies, risks, contracting methods, sources, and milestone schedules and provide recommendations to Government personnel.
• Draft, review, and organize justifications, memoranda, determinations and findings, quality assurance surveillance plans, evaluation criteria, source-selection plans, and other supporting documents.
• Prepare draft requests for proposals and requests for quotations and recommend appropriate solicitation terms and conditions.
• Provide administrative and analytical support for source selections, including proposal compliance reviews, consolidation of evaluation materials, and coordination of required conflict-of-interest and nondisclosure documentation.
• Assist with analysis of complex contractor price proposals, including price analysis, price objectives, technical evaluation coordination, and adequacy/compliance reviews.
• Support award activities, including preparation of award documentation, contractor responsibility research, COR designation documentation, and Federal Procurement Data System inputs.
• Prepare and support simple and complex contract modifications, option exercises, administrative changes, ceiling increases, scope changes, novations, and related actions.
• Analyze contract files, correspondence, status reports, and meeting information to support CPARS documentation by Government personnel.
• Maintain complete and accurate pre-award and post-award contract files in the designated repository and within applicable timelines.
• Support annual COR file reviews and contract closeout, including document collection, file preparation, digitization, storage, and disposition activities.
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, workload coordination, and quality review for assigned acquisition-support personnel.
• Identify issues, risks, missing documentation, and potential schedule impacts and elevate them through the established management structure.
• Ensure recommendations and support activities remain advisory and do not constitute inherently governmental contracting authority.
• Perform other related duties consistent with the position’s scope and the needs of the program.

Employment Eligibility:

U.S. citizenship is not required for this position. However, Central Research, Inc. (CRI) is unable to provide visa sponsorship or other immigration sponsorship for employment. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship from the Company. This position requires a Federal Public Trust determination. Under the Government's investigation requirements, candidates who are not U.S. citizens must have resided in the United States for at least three of the past five years to be eligible.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, acquisition, contracting, public administration, or a related field.
• 8 years of progressively responsible experience in federal acquisition, contracting, procurement, or directly related work.
• Demonstrated experience supporting both pre-award and post-award acquisition activities.
• Experience interpreting and applying the FAR and applicable agency acquisition regulations or directives.
• Experience developing acquisition documentation and maintaining contract files.
• Experience supporting contract modifications, option exercises, administration, and/or closeout.
• Ability to lead, mentor, and quality-review the work of acquisition-support personnel.
• Strong analytical, writing, organizational, and communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat or comparable tools.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Federal Public Trust Determination (credit history and background will be reviewed):
  • Not in default on federal student loans.
  • Demonstrated financial responsibility.
  • No felony convictions within the past 7 years.
  • Misdemeanor convictions within the past 7 years may impact eligibility.
  • No non-medical collections totaling $7,500 or more.

Preferred Qualifications:

• FAC-C, DAWIA, CPCM, or comparable acquisition certification.
• Experience with PRISM or another federal contract-writing system.
• Experience with FPDS, SAM, GSA Schedules, GWACs, NASA SEWP, or other federal contract vehicles.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to apply sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and work with sensitive Government and contractor information.
• Ability to organize work, prioritize competing assignments, meet deadlines, and maintain accurate records.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with internal team members, Government personnel, customers, and other authorized stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently while operating within established procedures, quality standards, and supervisory direction.
• Demonstrated commitment to accuracy, quality, responsiveness, customer service, and professional conduct.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office and other systems necessary to perform assigned duties.
• Ability to comply with applicable security, privacy, records-management, accessibility, and information-protection requirements.

Performance Expections:

• Work products are expected to be accurate, complete, timely, professional, and appropriate for submission or use by authorized Government personnel.
• Employees are expected to identify issues promptly, communicate risks or delays through established channels, and participate in corrective actions.
• Employees assigned to customer sites or Government programs must comply with applicable customer policies, procedures, security requirements, and access restrictions.
• Employees must maintain the confidentiality of nonpublic, proprietary, Privacy Act, and other sensitive information encountered in the performance of their duties.
• Nothing in this position description authorizes the employee to perform inherently governmental functions or to exercise Government contracting authority.

Work Environment / Physical Requirements:

• Work is generally performed in a professional office, customer-site, or approved telework environment, depending on contract and business requirements.
• Regular use of computers, telephones, electronic systems, and standard office equipment is required.
• The employee may be required to communicate by telephone, video conference, email, and in-person meetings.
• Occasional additional hours, including evenings or weekends, may be required for approved surge activities, system outages, upgrades, testing, fiscal-year-end support, or other business needs associated with the assignment.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. The Know Your Rights Poster can be found at

If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, contact View email address on aiapply.co.

CRI is currently unable to consider applicants residing in California, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and the city of Philadelphia. Thank you for your understanding.

Note: This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. It is intended to describe the general nature and work responsibilities of the position. This job description and the duties of this position are subject to change, modification, and addition as deemed necessary.