Contract Specialist

Summary This vacancy is for a Contract Specialist in the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce. Responsibilities As a Contract Specialist, you will: Develop or carry-out policies and procedures to procure supplies, services, construction, or research and development using formal advertising or negotiation procedures. Evaluate contract price proposals and administer, terminate, and close out contracts. Manage or perform the acquisition processes involve in the procurement of supplies, services, construction, ADP, and research and development. Develop acquisition strategy and plans procurements. Serve as the policy and planning authority and the expert advisor to top managers and outside officials on a management function or major extramural program. Develop, recommend, and implement policies that lead directly to the accomplishment of major programs. Analyze and relate complex variables to a specific policy issue and frame feasible options. Use strategic sourcing and category management principles. Serve as the principal administrative advisor to the head of a major line component with operational responsibilities for budget, procurement, personnel, and/or other administrative functions. Plan, assign, and review work; provide or arrange training and development; and evaluate performance. Manage multiple concurrent actions being performed by a team. Represent the organization and present controversial issues and recommendations orally and in writing. Communicate effectively orally and in writing to a wide range of audiences. Serve as the expert advisor to top managers and outside officials. Provide recommendations and guidance on acquisition and management functions. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Contract Specialist ZA-1102-4, FPL: 4 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience. This JOA is also being advertised at the ZA-3 under OS-OAM-DE-26-13031505 under Direct Hiring Authority. The ZA-3 position has a full performance level to the ZA-4 level. If you wish to be considered for both the ZA-3 and ZA-4 positions, you must apply to both. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. A probationary period may be required. Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Bargaining Unit Position: No Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid License required: No Drug Test Required: No Qualifications Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations e.g., professional; philanthropic, religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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. This position is being filled under the Department Of Commerce (DOC) Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career path and pay band. The ZA-04 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade levels. To qualify at the ZA-04 level, you MUST meet the Basic Requirements AND Specialized Experience as stated below: Basic Requirements: (You must submit a copy of certificates. Also, you must submit a copy of your transcripts, official or unofficial, to document your education. A. *Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13/ZA-04 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. 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. 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. *In order to meet the agency mandatory requirements, applicants must either have obtained their FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification. AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-03/GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience: Developing acquisition strategies and managing complex federal procurements. Applying contracting regulations, evaluating proposals, and administering contracts. Advising senior leaders on acquisition policies and program issues; and providing data driven solutions. Leading acquisition activities and managing multiple procurement actions concurrently Experience working independently as a warranted Contracting Officer with minimal oversight within applicable warrant authority. Education There is a positive education requirement for this position, please refer to the above qualification section. Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level. NOTE - Failure to provide transcripts and certifications will result in you being rated ineligible for this position. NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. Additional Information The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Reasonable Accommodations (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.