Contract Price/Cost Analyst (Keystone)

About the role

See Additional Information section below for important information regarding this job.

What you will do

• This is an entry-level (developmental) career ladder position in the Pricing Division of the Cost and Pricing Command.
• Support price and cost analysis by interacting with senior analysts on the team to become familiar with performing price and cost analyses on various elements of contractor proposals.
• Observe and participate with senior analysts to gain basic knowledge in the forecasting of price trends, economic factors, and efficiencies in production for future accounting periods.
• Gain an understanding of requesting, coordinating, and integrating the various technical evaluations of cost elements into a comprehensive pricing report.
• Become familiar with proposal compliance principles and policies and the requirements for evaluating contract price proposals for adequacy and compliance with laws and regulations, and with Cost Accounting Standards (CAS).
• Acquire essential knowledge of contractor forward pricing rate, final overhead rate, and cost impact proposals.
• Observe cost monitoring efforts that maintain the accuracy of the Forward Pricing Rate Agreements/Recommendations.
• Attend and complete required training as outlined in the Training Plan to include Acquisition Workforce Back to Basics requirements.
• Complete administrative actions such as submission of required training forms, and actively participate in mentoring/counseling activities to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Education

If the position has a minimum education requirement you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims. Or, if you are using education to qualify in lieu of specialized experience you MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at the time of application) to support your educational claims.

The transcripts must include your name, the name of the college or university, class/course list, completed number of credits/hours, and the date degree conferred (if applicable). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Licenses must be current at time of application.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis.

If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

How you will be evaluated

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility and/or score. Direct Hire Evaluation: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements.

This vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. The rule of Three, Veteran's Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this vacancy.

We will evaluate your application for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience meets the basic qualification requirements described in the announcement. All applicants who meet the qualifications and other basic requirement are eligible for referral and selection consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully.

Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Documents you must provide

• Required documents for submission vary based on the authority you are using to apply (e.g., applying as a veteran, a current permanent Federal employee, a reinstatement, etc).
• Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply.
• If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
• The following documents are REQUIRED: 1.
• Your resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages.
• If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.
• The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position.
• Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed.
• If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible.
• The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.
• We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX).
• We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
• Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible.
• Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text.
• We recommend using a font like Lato, if available.
• Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
• Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
• To ensure full credit for time worked regarding qualifications determinations your resume must include your work schedule.
• You are strongly encouraged to ensure your resume contains the number of hours worked per week and the specific dates of employment (i.e.,"40 hrs per week; 1/15/2020 - 1/14/2022" or "30 hrs per week; 1/15/2020 - Present").
• Transcripts (must include your name, the name of the college or university, class/course list, completed number of credits/hours, and the date degree conferred (if applicable): Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Licenses must be current at time of application.
• This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript.
• College transcript(s), required if qualifying based on education.
• PLEASE REVIEW THE LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility: Supporting Documents

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility and qualifications for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (***), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit:***

Additional information

This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: DoDI 1400.25-V300. Tour of Duty: Flexible FLSA: Non-Exempt Bargaining Unit: No Selectee may be required to serve a trial/probationary period.

Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (AT&L) NON-CAP: Position requires DoD Acquisition Contracting, Professional (Foundational) certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.

Mobility Agreement Required: This position may require extended temporary duty (TDY), or a permanent change in duty station (PCS) to any location within the Continental United States (CONUS). A signed mobility agreement to accept directed TDY or PCS is required.

Failure to comply with the signed agreement may result in personnel separation in accordance with appropriate U.S. Office of Personnel Management regulations or may adversely affect career.

Current federal employees may be entitled to pay retention, if selected. Military spouses working remotely are exempt from in-person work under the conditions explained by OPM's February 12, 2025 memorandum and the March 20, 2025 Frequently Asked Questions. This position is a Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Keystone Program Opening.

Prior to appointment, all candidates will be required to sign a Keystone Conditions of Employment Agreement. Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement. DCMA Location Negotiable upon Selection.

This job will close when we have received 150 applications, which may be sooner than the closing date. See DCMA Location List, not all locations may be available. NOTE: During the Keystone Program, participants will receive specialized formal classroom training, computer-based training, and on-the-job (OJT) training.

The training development program will consist of the following: Report initially to the Contract Management Office (CMO)/Center in the duty location for which you were selected. Travel TDY (Temporary Duty Travel) for one week to attend training at the DCMA Learning Campus (DLC) in Fort Lee, VA. Spend 6 months in the CMO/Center for on-the-job (OJT) and developmental training.

Return within the three-year developmental training to the DLC, HQ or other CMO locations for assessment/various functional specific training.