Duties

The selectee will serve as a Contract Specialist in the Office of Enterprise Readiness, Procurement Division. Typical work assignments include:

• Administer and monitor contractor performance for compliance with applicable laws, delivery schedules, payment provisions, inspections, and other requirements as stated in the contract.
• Oversee complex contracting requirements that require extensive negotiations involving cost or pricing data and/or unusual contract terms.
• Research applicable regulations and incorporates the required Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to ensure that general provisions are in conformance with statutory requirements and other governmental regulations and policies.
• Advise program officials of the procurement objectives, and assists in the preparation of the acquisition documents to ensure that products, services, and work performed are clearly outlined.
• Perform detailed analyses of all cost elements in contractor proposals, and makes competitive range recommendations to the approving official.

Joining the Office of Enterprise Readiness, will allow you to provide, oversight, expertise and advice on acquisition planning and all phases of procurement and contracting for the U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal government. The Contract Specialist position starts at a salary of $74,950 (GS-11, Step 1), with promotion potential to $138,868 (GS-13, Step 10). For more information on the Secret Service click here.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade and unit occur.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.

Conditions of Employment:

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

• Obtain and maintain a Tier 5 Top Secret.
• Certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so, if you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959.
• Submit to a drug test prior (Urinalysis) to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• Financial Disclosure report is required.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

You must meet the basic requirement(s) for this position. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Individual Occupational Requirements (IORs) for the Contracting, 1102 series are as follows:

(A) You must complete all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including: at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

AND

(B) A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by 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.

(C) Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.

(D) Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade level within that agency without additional waiver action.

AND

Certification Requirement: At the GS-11 grade level, must obtain a Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C Level II) within 18 months after being hired. The GS-12 grade level requires a FAC-C Level II or a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level II Certification in Contracting (DAWIA Level II). The GS-13 grade level requires a FAC-C Level III or a DAWIA Level III Certification in Contracting. Proof of certifications must be submitted.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE ABOVE BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE.

Specialized experience is defined as:

GS-11: You qualify for the GS-11 if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the the GS-9 level performing duties such as; independently providing guidance to technical personnel involved in the development of the acquisition documents; determining the responsiveness of bids based on an analysis of financial and technical information gained during the pre-award survey, and recommends award of the contract; and providing guidance in the development of acquisition documents, recommending the best suited contract type, developing terms and conditions applicable to the solicitation.

GS-12: You qualify for the GS-12 if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the the GS-11 level performing duties such as; performing pre-award and post-award contract functions including negotiation, cost/price analysis, and administration of contracts for supplies and services; independently procures supplies and services utilizing various contract methods; and advising technical personnel on acquisition documents, formulating contracting approach, securing supplies, services or construction through use of both formally advertised and negotiated procurements;

GS-13: You qualify for the GS-13 if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the the GS-12 level performing duties such as; administering and monitoring contractor performance for compliance with applicable laws, delivery schedules, payment provisions, inspections, and other requirements as stated in the contract; overseeing complex contracting requirements that require extensive negotiations involving cost or pricing data and/or unusual contract terms needed to support the contracting issues and determines recommended course of action; and performing detailed analyses of all cost elements in contractor proposals, and makes competitive range recommendations to the approving official.

Qualifications Must Be Met: The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Education

Please see the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) referenced in the "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

E-Verify Statement: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Click here to learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

It is federal government policy not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties through no fault of their own. For more information on this subject click here.

Mandatory Suitability Statement:

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment , and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

This position may require a credit check after initial job qualifications have been determined.