Public Notice - Contract Specialist (Direct Hire)

Conditions of Employment (If applicable): You must comply with the education and training requirements for this position; see below: Basic Requirements for SV-G through SV-H (equiv. to GS-11 through GS-12): A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; or 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.

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position: To qualify for the SV-G Pay Band (equivalent to GS-11), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-F or GS-9 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience must include ALL of the following: Experience utilizing the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and related procurement statutes, Executive Orders, contracting rules, directives, policies, procedures, and contracting administration principles to prepare solicitations; And Experience applying contracting principles and procedures to perform the full range of pre-award and post-award procurement actions to include drafting written solicitation documents, performing cost/price analysis, and administering contracts of moderate complexity and value; And Experience applying acquisition strategies for contract actions and research/identify recommendations on contracting matters that interpret, extend, or revise elements of contracting actions.

OR - 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. To qualify for the SV-H Pay Band (equivalent to GS-12), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-G or GS-11 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience must include ALL of the following: Experience performing the full range of pre-award and post-award functions for a variety of complex contractual actions to include conducting market research, developing solicitations, evaluating proposals, negotiating terms, and administering contracts and modifications; And Experience drafting written solicitations and business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors in addition to preparing contracts and supporting documentation (e.g., justifications and authorizations, determinations and findings, etc.) to ensure compliance with relevant policies, procedures, and regulations.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

*This Public Notice will be posted on a quarterly basis. This Public Notice - Contract Specialist (Direct Hire) position is located in the Mission Support, Contracting and Procurement, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Drafting written solicitations that include the appropriate provisions and clauses for the requirement, assembled in a format appropriate to the acquisition method and market.

Draft business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors. Apply acquisition strategies for non-complex contract actions. Research and identify recommendations on contracting matters that interpret, extend, or revise significant elements of contracting actions. Preparing business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors.

Collaborate with customers to define procurement needs and analyze procurement requests to determine requirements, recommend changes to statements of work, and determine the appropriate type of contract. Assist with the receipt of quotation/proposals including the safeguarding, opening, tracking, assessing compliance with minimum solicitation requirements, and identifying the quotation/proposals that will not receive further consideration.

The duties described above reflects the full performance level of this position. Typically, at the lower Pay Band (SV-G), you will perform the same duties but will receive more guidance and training; and projects or work assignments may be less complex.