Supervisory Contract Specialist (Chief of Procurement)

Summary

Located within the Office of Finance, Procurement Division (OF/PD). OF provides financial tools and guidance to help facilitate financial management and ensure that the agency achieves its mission in a fiscally sound, compliant, and reportable manner. The Division provides contracting/acquisition support to HQ and Overseas Posts through acquisition planning, managing the Acquisition Life Cycle from initiation of contracts to closeout, and procuring products and services at the best prices.

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Duties

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The Supervisory Contract Specialist (Chief of Procurement) performs the following major duties:

• Serves the head of all procurement activity and senior procurement executive, with full management responsibility for the agency's acquisition framework. This includes establishing, implementing, and enforcing agency-wide procurement policies, standards, and procedures governing all contracting actions, including contracts, purchase orders, leases, assisted-acquisition interagency agreements, and cooperative agreements.
• Holds a direct delegation of Contracting Officer authority from the Director and serves as the principal advisor to the Office of Finance (OF) and senior leadership on all procurement matters.
• Directs the creation and maintenance of acquisition-related Peace Corps Manual Sections, policies, instructions, and guidance applicable across Peace Corps/Washington and overseas Posts.
• Advises senior Peace Corps officials, interagency partners and private-sector representatives on complex contract and agreement issues.
• Establishes and manages the agency's assisted-acquisition portfolio, including evaluating and approving requirements appropriate for external assisted-acquisition support versus internal execution.
• Represents the agency on interagency, national, and international panels, task forces, and working groups addressing complex acquisition issues with broad organizational impact.
• Makes final Contracting Officer determinations on claims, disputes, and other matters requiring senior-level judgment. Partners with General Counsel to represent the Agency in bid protests before GAO and in contract disputes before the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA).
• Leads and supervises a group of employees (contract specialists, management analysts, and procurement analysts) performing work at the FP-02 level or below.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Applicants selected for this position are subject to the following Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service (see
• Prior to employment, Peace Corps will review records for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former employees, as required by statutes 5 USC 3322 and 22 USC 2507b.
• You must submit a signed statement acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps Conditions of Employment before your first day.
• You must obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance.
• This position is designated for drug testing under the Drug-Free Workplace Program. You must pass a pre-employment drug test. After hire, you will be subject to random drug testing.
• You must file a financial disclosure report.
• A one-year probationary period may be required. This requirement is not applicable to current agency US Direct Hire employees who have completed a probationary period or current Experts who have served for more that 12 months.
• This position is eligible for additional reappointments, per 22 USC §2506 (a)(8). The initial appointment is a term of five years and subsequent reappointments are in terms of up to five years.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements prior to the closing date of this announcement, 06/16/2026 . You will receive credit for all qualifying experience demonstrated in your resume, including volunteer work. Qualification claims are subject to verification. This vacancy is being announced at one grade level.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below:

Basic Requirement for the 1102 Job Series (FP-01/GS-15 Level):

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 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~

Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees, 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: Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.

~OR~

Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current civilian employee who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000; OR (B) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000.

Specialized Experience at the FP-01 (GS-15) Level: To qualify for this position at the FP-01 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-02 or GS-14 . This experience must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the role. Specialized experience includes all of the following:

• Applying procurement regulations and industry techniques in the negotiation and settlement actions involving significant Government and contractor obligations.
• Negotiation techniques to conduct contract negotiations.
• Interpreting and applying Executive Orders, regulations statues, and policies to interpret and implement procurement policies and to analyze their impact on industry and customers.
• Experience in post-award procedures sufficient to administer complex service contracts.

Education cannot be substituted for experience at this grade level.

~AND~

Selective Placement Factor:

Federal Acquisition Institute Contracting Certification (FAC-C) Professional or Senior Procurement Executive waiver. If a waiver is issued, the employee must successfully achieve the FAC-C within 12 months or demonstrate sufficient/significant progression to justify a 12-month extension of the Senior Procurement Executive issued waiver.

~AND~

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Current or former Federal employees, including Peace Corps employees, must meet applicable Time-in-Grade requirements to be eligible for this position. For positions above the FP-09 (GS-05) level, you must have completed at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the position to which you are applying.

All current or former Federal employees, including internal employees, must provide a copy of their SF-50(s), "Notification of Personnel Action," to demonstrate that you meet Time-in-Grade requirements. For more information, refer to the "Required Documents" section below.

Please note:

• Experience that satisfies the Specialized Experience and Selective Placement Factor requirements must be clearly documented in your resume. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Please review the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for further information on resume requirements.
• Specialized experience may be gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service (e.g., National Service programs such as Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, or other organizations such as professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, or social groups).
• One year of experience refers to full-time work. Part-time work will be credited on a prorated basis.
• For more details on qualification requirements, refer to the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions, available on the OPM web site.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application. Transcripts can be official or unofficial.

Education must be obtained from an institution accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be used toward qualification requirements. Applicants should report only attendance and/or degrees from accredited schools. To verify whether a school is accredited, visit the U.S. Department of Education's accreditation website.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must provide evidence that your credentials have been evaluated by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign education programs. The evaluation must confirm that your education is equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. program, or that full credit has been granted by a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information, visit: U.S. Department of Education - Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Additional information

Position Information:

• This is not a bargaining unit position.
• The minimum and maximum salaries listed on this announcement includes locality pay.

Peace Corps Information:

• This is a federal civilian position in the Excepted Service, and the incumbent will serve as a member of the Foreign Service.
• Peace Corps employees are paid under the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay system, which differs from the General Schedule (GS) pay system. In the FP pay system, lower grade level numbers indicate higher levels of responsibility and pay. The FP-09 is the lowest, entry-level, grade and the FP-01 is the highest, senior-level, grade.
• If you are a current federal employee, your agency may grant you reemployment rights in accordance with Section 310 of the Foreign Service Act, 22 USC 3950. You must request and be granted reemployment rights prior to separation from your current federal agency.
• If this is your first federal appointment, you may request credit for prior applicable non-federal service toward your leave Service Computation Date. Approval of credit must be granted prior to your first federal appointment and is subject to agency review and documentation requirements.
• This position is eligible for situational telework only.
• The Peace Corps uses E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
• The Peace Corps is a drug-free workplace.
• Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.

Intelligence Background Information: Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position:

• This prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years.
• If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment at the Peace Corps.
• Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period after Peace Corps employment ceases.

Applicants who indicate on the announcement questionnaire that they, or a family member, have an intelligence connection will be required to submit a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire. The Peace Corps Office of Human Resources will provide instructions for submitting this form after the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide the completed questionnaire will result in disqualification from further consideration. If you have any type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be processed until this form is submitted.

Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who is employed or has been employed in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form.

If you have an immediate family member who is employed or has been employed with the CIA, please contact your family member in person (not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person) and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at View phone number on click.appcast.io.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.