CONTRACT SPECIALIST

About the role

This position is part of the US International Development Finance Corporation. As a CONTRACT SPECIALIST you will serve as a warranted Contracting Officer and execute acquisition policy based on expert knowledge of contracting regulations, laws, principles and legal research.

What you will do

• Provides advice and guidance to program managers and Contracting Officer's Representatives on contracting procedures, including providing assistance in the development of acquisition packages.
• Plans, negotiates, leads, and administers procurements of goods and services, which may include specialized, state-of-the-art, critical or scarce requirements using Federal Acquisition Regulation procedures.
• Performs procurement planning and provides advice to program officials in the development of procurement objectives, constructing the contractual vehicle, and facilitating creation and maintenance of acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts and related schedules while providing acquisition progress updates to stakeholders.
• Advises on performance objectives to be used and assists in the preparation of requirements documents, such as performance work statements, statement of objectives, and statements of work.
• Serves as sole negotiator for program customer on procurement actions.
• Plans and coordinates negotiation strategy and leads the negotiations to develop contract prices and terms.
• Performs contract administration: Responsibilities typically include incremental funding, preparation of rate and price adjustments, redirection of effort, coordination of time extension, incorporation of change orders, issuance of stop work orders, issuance of cure notices or show cause letters, final payment, and contract closeout.
• Researches and interprets various federal acquisition laws, regulations (i.e., Federal Acquisition Regulations and agency directives), policies, procedures and applies findings to acquisition work products.
• Develops technical correspondence and reference materials to document discussions, decisions, and contracting actions throughout the contract life cycle including determinations, findings, and, solicitations or request for quotes/proposals.
• Please Note: This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE, local 1534.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY?

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.

Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours 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 is education acquired outside of any State of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification and/or eligibility requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university) with your application in order to receive credit for that education.

(Foreign education transcripts will not be accepted). For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. 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.

If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Contracting/Procurement Legal, Government, & Jurisprudence Technical Documentation Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. You may preview the Application Questionnaire at: ***

Documents you must provide

• To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: 1.
• Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
• 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.
• Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
• If using foreign education, submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (refer to the Education, Foreign Education, section in this vacancy announcement).
• Your most recent Promotion, Within-Range Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), if applying as a current or former Federal Employee (i.e. status candidate), showing you are/were in the competitive service, on a permanent basis, and the highest grade or promotion potential held, is required.
• DO NOT submit NON-Pay Impacting Action SF-50's to include, "Organizational Code Change SF-50's, Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's, etc." or SF-52's Request of Personnel Action as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable DD-214, SF-15 Form and/or VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities Noncompetitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)

What to expect next

For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly.

A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: ***).

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements: Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses Other Special Appointment Authorities OPM Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see ***).

Telework Suitability: The duties of this position is suitable for telework. The selectee may be allowed episodic or emergency telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criterion in the 2010 Telework Act. Stipulations of Employment: Selection may require completion of a 1-year probationary period.

Work Schedule: This position allows for a flexible work schedule. Miscellaneous: DFC uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit ***

Recruitment incentives may be authorized for this position. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit *** for more information.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.