Contract Specialist

Summary
A successful candidate in this position will serve as Contract Specialist. You will play an important role in accomplishing the national security mission of the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. You will utilize your expertise to oversee an M&O contract with an annual budget of approximately $3.2 billion and an annual subcontract spend is approximately $1.3 billion annually.
This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Family of overseas employees
  Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management
  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• Special authorities
  Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
• Veterans
• Military spouses

Clarification from the agency
Current Federal employees with competitive status or other eligibility; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority.
Duties
As a Contract Specialist, you will:

• Serve as a warranted Contracting Officer with a Level III Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) within LFO for the administration of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Management and Operating (M&O) contract.
• Determine the contractual policy and procedural approach, including type of contract, fee application, required contractor qualifications and experience, extent of advisable solicitation, available funding, and controlling aspects of approval and final authorization.
• Administer, control, and coordinate contracts with industry, state and local governments, education institutions, and Not-for-Profit to assure conformance with contract terms and conditions, administrative requirements, applicable requirements of law, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation (DEAR), the Financial Assistance Regulations (10 CFR 600), NNSA directives, NNSA guidance, NNSA instructions, and other applicable regulations, orders, and directives.
• Develop and maintain systems to evaluate and monitor contractual performance related to such areas of delivery, cost, amount of progress, or advance payments and effective use of government-furnished property.
• Conduct negotiations as team leader or Contracting Officer on complex, large- scale, long-term multi-million-dollar contracts.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• Subject to Random Drug Testing
• Must pass a pre-employment drug test.
• Favorable suitability determination required.
• Financial Disclosure is required.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q level Security Clearance.
• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Must be Level III FAC-C certified or must be at least Level II certified in contracting and be able to obtain Level III FAC-C contracting certification within 18 months of placement in the Pay Band 03.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Contracting Officer's warrant after placement in this position.

Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
A. Completion of 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' 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 or other agencies 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 the 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 within that agency without additional waiver action.
Please refer to the OPM Qualification Standard at Contracting Series, 1102.
In addition to meeting the "Basic Requirements" described above, you must also meet the "Specialized Experience Requirements" described below.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service, i.e., NQ-02 or GS-12. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Performing contracting functions in at least four (4) of the six (6) following areas:

1. Contract solicitation
2. Source selection
3. Contract proposal
4. Evaluation and pricing
5. Contract negotiation
6. Contract administration

Examples of Specialized Experience:
1. Overseeing M&O contracts for pre-and post-contract/award activities
2. Planning, implementing and evaluating contract actions; developing multi-year performance objectives and performance expectations
3. Maintaining close liaison with the contractor to interpret contractual obligations and to resolve problems
4. Negotiating prices and executing supplemental agreements
5. Assuring contractual compliance with cost accounting standards
6. Developing performance objectives and performance expectations for M&O contractors.
**ALL APPLICANTS: You are required to submit a copy of your most recent FAI, DAWIA, or FAC-C certification with your application. Failure to do so will result in an incomplete application and you will be removed from consideration.**
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement.
Note: Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at the NQ-03 level.
If specific educational requirements are indicated for this vacancy: experience.">Documentation verifying your educational claims which can include unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned and final grade. Please see the Education section for more information.
Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
**If you are selected, official transcripts will be required.
Additional information

• The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website.
• If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
• More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
• Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
• Many positions require successful completion of a background investigation.
• All males born after December 31,1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.
• A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified applicant in accordance with Agency policy.

EEO Policy: Click HERE.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE.
Veterans Information: Click HERE.
Telework: Click HERE.
Selective Service Registration: Click HERE.
Information about the NNSA Demonstration project can be found by clicking HERE.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  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.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications necessary for this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.
Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Due weight will also be given to federal employees, when applicable, for performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3). Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive considerati...