Contract Specialist

About the role

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with responsibility for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy.

What you will do

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION OR REMOTE POSITION.
• YOU MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RETURN TO OFFICE POLICY AND BE ABLE TO WORK ON SITE AT VA OWN/LEASED SPACE*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT.
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 8th, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks after that.
• Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.
• Incumbent assists the Branch Chief in coordinating contracting activities, performing contract reviews, providing guidance regarding complex contracts administered by other Contract Specialists, identifying special training needs, conducting mentoring, and supporting contract training.
• The incumbent will guide, assist, mentor, and train Contract Specialists.
• The incumbent will be required to possess the requisite skills and experience to effectively deal with an assortment of contract issues at a full performance level.
• Duties includes but are not limited to: Fully utilize electronic systems for: contract writing (eCMS), long-term contract management and reporting (FPDS), and financial management (IFCAP) in accordance with agency policies.
• Incumbent ensures uploaded information is accurate and in the correct format.
• Provides data analysis for both formal and informal management meetings involving contracting and financial matters concerned with the establishment of policies and decisions leading to the accomplishment of mandated VHA goals and objectives.
• Assists the requiring activities by serving as a member of acquisition planning teams.
• In this role, incumbent aids requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and drawings, reviewing statements of work, other required documents, and approving acquisition milestone plans.
• Responsible for selecting the appropriate method of procurement (i.e. - simplified acquisition procedures, sealed-bidding, or negotiations).
• Responsible for advertising all applicable requirements and preparing the solicitation document using agency contract writing systems for issuance, ensuring regulatory and legal sufficiency, and promoting maximum competition.
• When authorized, incumbent serves as the Source Selection Authority (SSA) and establishes Technical Evaluation Boards (TEB) to determine acceptability and ranking of technical proposals.
• Identifies appropriate negotiation team members, formulates pre-negotiation objectives, and facilitates the negotiation as the Senior Contract Specialist and chief negotiator.
• Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts.
• Conducts post-award conferences with contractor and government personnel to provide information and to clarify standard and special contractual provisions of the contract.
• Incumbent negotiates required changes to contract conditions to protect the agency.
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework.
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD52417A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
• In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment.
• The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment.
• A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (***).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: ***

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: ***

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Acquisition Strategy Attention to Detail Communications Contract Administration Contracting/Procurement Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Planning and Evaluating Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies.

You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered.

You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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; religions; 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 is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT.

The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 8th, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks after that. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Documents you must provide

• Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Proof of Marriage Status Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.
• Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
• Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
• You will not be contacted for additional information.
• Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply.
• Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
• It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
• Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
• Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan.
• Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position.
• USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job.
• Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying.
• VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.
• Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.
• Your resume must be 5MB or less.
• We recommend saving and uploading your resume 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.
• We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available.
• Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
• Make your page margins 0.5 inches.
• Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.
• 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.
• During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions.
• Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required assessments and documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met.

After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued, and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully.

Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service.

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.