Contract Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Department of State, Office of the Secretary of State, Office of Foreign Assistance (F). F’s mission is to lead the coordination of U.S. foreign assistance. The position serves as a Contract Specialist providing procurement planning, contract administration, competitive market analysis, and serves as a Contracting Officer’s Representative on contracts of varying amounts and scopes while supporting budget coordination and tracking functions. Responsibilities Performs full range of contract administration responsibilities. Develops pre-award documentation; participates in source selection panels; ensures financial integrity; and resolves challenges, ensuring seamless execution of contract requirements. Identifies data and evidence services to be acquired via contract. Supports analyses of new or innovative contracting approaches and subsequent implementation, or incorporation into current and future proposals. Recommends to leadership, senior program and project managers funding requests to ensure proper accountability for budget submissions, reclassification, and reprogramming actions. Coordinates with management personnel in F and across the Department. Develops and completes annual and long-term budget justifications, including paperwork and communications, associated with budget formulation processes. Manages/oversees projects in support of customer requirements. Oversees contractor efforts associated with projects; develops contractor performance standards; and evaluates their work in coordination with program staff. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F. Applicants applying for the GS-13 grade level must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for this position: IN ADDITION to the requirements below, all applicants must possess the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) (Professional), as outlined on the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) website (https://www.fai.gov/certification/fac-c) or possess the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting (Professional) certification, as outlined on the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) website (https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/CareerCertGuides.aspx?lvl=4&cfld=3). Applicants must submit the following documentation: A PDF copy of the FAI CSOD or DAU transcript showing the completion of the requirements for the most recent Continuous Learning Points (CLP) period and proof of an active Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional. AND A. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you must have at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions AND at least 1 full year of this experience is specialized and equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service AND completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree with a major in any field from an accredited college or university AND this degree included or was supplemented by 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. OR B. In addition to completing the mandatory FAC-C (Professional) or DAWIA Contracting (Professional) training requirements, you have occupied your position, which is classified in the GS-1102 series, since January 1, 2000 AND have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position as described in paragraph A above under qualifying specialized experience. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience with using Federal and Departmental contracting and procurement policies, authorities and principles as well as contract types and requirements encompassing the full contracting lifecycle in support of multi-year programs, systems, goods, and/or services. Experience drafting, editing, interpreting, and applying contracting documentation including statements of work (SOWs), requests for proposal/quote (RFPs/RFQs), justifications for other than full and open competition (JOFOCs), independent government cost estimates (IGCEs), and related documentation. Experience in oral and written communication to provide instruction to management, staff, and stakeholders within and outside the Department; develop formal and informal guidance and processes; and prepare written and/or oral reports, assessments, and strategies for a wide variety of issues. Experience working with budget formulation and execution processes; recommending allocations of funding; developing forecasts and assessing burn rates; and reviewing and approving funding requests. Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts and/or training certificates as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you will be rated ineligible for this position. Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. Additional Information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in this Bureau for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.