Duties

This is an appointment under the HRSA Recent Graduate program. The program duration is one year. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

If selected, you must sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement.

The entire duration of the Recent Graduate Appointment constitutes a trail period.

If selected, you must be a U.S. citizen so that you will be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service upon completion of the program.

To Learn more about this Recent Graduate Contract Specialist Position for the Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy, please join us for a webinar on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 from 1:30 to 2:30pm EST.

• Zoom URL to accommodate a maximum of 500 participants:
  • https://hrsa-gv.zoomgov.com/j/1601004018?pwd=M0NUUW9idTdQcEpadk9mSktqZkhkdz09
• Audio Conference details (optional)
  • Dial-in: 833 568 8864
  • Participant Cde:47821384
• Webinar Captioning and Recording
  • Webinar Recording -TBD
  • Closed Captioning - TBD
• Onsite Assistance
  • NO

As a Contract Specialist Trainee at the GS-9 level, you will receive on-the-job and/or formal training to develop analytical skills. Assignments will be developmental and progressively more difficult, designed to improve your grasp and understanding of the methodology and performance of work assignments.

Your major duties and responsibilities include:

• Awarding a variety of contracts to various business organizations that include a variety of supplies and services.
• Meeting with program officials/staff in advance of the procurement planning stage to define future needs, establish appropriate lead times, and give advice and recommendations on data that should be included in the procurement request.
• Preparing contractual documents and participating in the development of the summary of negotiations, including a cost summary.
• Performing contract administration duties, such as negotiating contract modifications and change orders
• Reviewing overall contract statuses and performing daily liaison work with Government Project Officers.
• Reviewing contract files and taking necessary action to insure proper completion of assigned contracts.
• Performing cost/price analyses, including review of cost breakdowns to determine reasonableness.

NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship is required.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must be at least 16 years of age.
• On a trial period for the duration of the program.
• Must be a recent graduate.
• Transcripts showing degree conferred must be submitted.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher is required.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
• Travel, transportation and relocation expenses will not be paid.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
• THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT. REFER TO THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS MANDATE.
• Position is in the Bargaining Unit.

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE 01/31/2022.

The Recent Graduate program duration is one year. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.

RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM ELIGIBILLITY REQUIREMENTS:

NOTE: You must provide a copy of your unofficial transcripts that shows your degree was conferred/awarded/completed and your GPA that verifies that you meet the education requirement as stated above. This documentation is required by the closing date of this announcement. Please note that a copy of a diploma is NOT acceptable as verification.

YOU MUST BE A RECENT GRADUATE TO QUALIFY FOR THIS PROGRAM, AS DEFINED BELOW :

A. Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from an accredited educational institution, with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, on or after 1/31/2020 up to closing date of the announcement

OR

B.Be a veteran who received their degree, with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, on or after 1/31/2016 while on active duty service and were unable to apply for jobs until their recent discharge on or after 1/31/2020.

Grade-point averages will be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

OPM Individual Occupational Requirement for Contracting Series, 1102:

In addition to meeting the Recent Graduate eligibility requirements listed above, applicants must meet the qualification this OPM Individual Occupational Requirement for Contracting Series, 1102. You must provide unofficial transcripts as verification that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement. Copies of diplomas are NOT acceptable as verification. You may meet the OPM IOR by one of the two methods below:

1. Transcripts that show a completed 4-year course of study leading to a master's degree with a major in any field;

or

2. Transcripts that show 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.

GS-9 Minimum qualification requirements:

In addition to the above Recent Graduate and OPM Individual Occupational Requirement for the Contacting Series, 1102, applicants may meet the qualification requirements for the GS-9 grade level based on one of the methods below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS are defined as qualifications that an applicant must possess, at a minimum, to be eligible to participate in an assessment for hire or promotion under the competitive system, e.g., education, experience, and/or other requirements (e.g., licensure). Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position receive no further consideration.

1. EXPERIENCE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying experience that is comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-7 level in the federal service.

Examples of minimum qualifying experience equal to the GS-7 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

• Reviewing requisitions for supplies or services to determine that proper specifications or purchase descriptions are included in solicitation documents.

OR

• Evaluating bids or proposals for supplies or services to ensure compliance with specifications or purchase descriptions.

OR

• Applying price techniques to assess price reasonableness using established references, such as price lists, estimates, catalogs, or previous history files for supplies, equipment, or services.

OR

2. EDUCATION: Have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.B. or J.D. To be qualifying, the higher-level graduate education is required to be in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR

3. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Have an equivalent combination of the above specialized experience AND higher level graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

OR

4. EXCEPTION: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

NOTE: If apply to meet the qualifications for the GS-9 based on education shown below in whole or in part, you must provide a copy of your unofficial transcripts that allow HR to verify that you meet the education requirement as stated above by the closing date of this announcement. A copy of a diploma is NOT acceptable as verification.

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; religious; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Applicants who meet the above Recent Graduate Eligibility Requirements, OPM IOR requirements and the minimum qualification requirements for the GS-9 level will be assessed via the occupational assessment questionnaire on the following competencies:

CONTRACTING/PROCUREMENT - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques or requirements for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.

DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS - Seeks or collects and synthesizes information from a variety of stakeholders and sources in an objective, unbiased manner to reach a conclusion, goal, or judgment, and to enable strategic and leadership decision making.

TECHNICAL WRITING - Prepares written documentation to transfer technical information about concepts, situations, products, services, or results to audiences with varying levels of technical knowledge.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of financial analysis, forecasting, and modeling to interpret quantitative and qualitative data; includes data modeling, earned value management, and evaluating key financial indicators, trends, and historical data.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11333331

Education

This position has an education requirement and a GPA requirement of a cumulative 3.5 or higher. You must submit a copy of your transcripts showing your degree is conferred (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work.

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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov .

Applications can be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education within 9 months from the date of application. However, agencies must verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.

Additional information

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

Vaccination Mandate :

In accordance with Executive Order 14043 , Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to exceptions that may be required by law. If selected, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before your entrance on duty if you are selected after the compliance date. Your HR Consultant will provide a list of documents acceptable as proof of vaccination and instructions for how to submit a request for a legally required exception, if needed, to comply with vaccination requirement.

Expanded/Maximum telework Posture :

Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in a maximum telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to telework upon your appointment. As employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be required to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within 30 calendar days of receiving notice to do so, even if your home/temporary telework site is located outside the local commuting area. Your position may be eligible for workplace flexibilities which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with the HHS Workplace Flexibilities policy.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Click here for information on " Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities ".

Conditions of Employment:

Program Completion and Conversion: Program participants may be non-competitively converted to a career/conditional or term position (lasting between 1-4 years). If not converted at the completion of the academic program, the appointment ends, and the intern is terminated.

E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Financial Disclosure: This position requires you to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report prior to receiving a final offer letter as well as within 30 days of your appointment. This will require you to report information such as recent sources of income, financial interests you hold, and outside activities you participate in, as well as similar information from a spouse or any dependent children. If you have questions, please contact your HRSA Ethics Advisor at AskHR@hrsa.gov .

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.