Senior Contract Specialist

Summary
This position is part of the NNSA - Livermore Field Office, Department of Energy. A successful candidate in this position will serve as Senior Contract Specialist, leading for a group of Administrative Contracting Officers in the performance of administrative contracting duties associated with contract post-award oversight of the Management and Operating (M&O) contract for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL).
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.
• Military spouses
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• Veterans

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 within the local commuting area.
Duties
As a Senior Contract Specialist, you will:

• Serve as a Senior Contract Specialist with a Level III warrant authority for administration of assigned contract elements pertaining to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Management and Operating (M&O) Contract.
• Lead work efforts and projects involving major elements of the M&O contract.
• Conduct closeout actions for contracts and financial instruments in accordance with regulatory requirements.
• Administer broadly defined programs or functions, or long-range acquisition and agency objectives.
• 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, etc.

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.

Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13/NQ-03 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4 years experience in contracting or related positions. At least one year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade/pay band, and must have provided the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position;
AND
B. Completed 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;
OR
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: For advancement to higher grades, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, may waive any or all of the requirements under (A) and (B) and must certify that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to higher graded positions based on demonstrated analytical and decision-making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience.
AND
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 (NQ-3) or GS grade level (GS-14) in the Federal service.
Specialized Experience: Experience performing at least 5 of the following:

1. Experience in Contract Administration including administration of policy and procedures sufficient to oversee placement and/or monitoring of contractor performance on complex contracts covering major systems or extensive programs.
2. Experience in business and industry practices sufficient to evaluate, monitor, and maintain uniform management controls over a prime M&O contractor's performance, and to provide direction and leadership to the Government's principal pre-award and post-award representatives.
3. Experience in costing and pricing techniques to negotiate and act on a variety of pricing and special agreements, including final overhead rate agreements which have a financial impact on a large number of contractual actions, including as necessary, to ensure implementation and administration of cost accounting standards.
4. Knowledge and broad experience in understanding and executing of Nuclear Security Enterprise interrelationships between program goals, objectives, priorities, and funding in order to accomplish NNSA mission objectives.
5. Skill in negotiation and persuasion adequate to obtain cooperation and understanding from DOE/NNSA.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following Competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the Competencies identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application.
Contracting/Procurement, Technical Credibility, Acquisition Strategy, Teamwork
"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.
Time-in-Grade/Band: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the of the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.
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.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. Therefore, you MUST provide legible documentation supporting any education claims in your application. If you do not do so, your application will be considered incomplete and you will be removed from consideration. This documentation can include unofficial transcripts or any report listing the following: name of educational institution, course title, credits earned and final grade. For specific education requirements, please see the Education Requirements. If selected, official transcripts may be requested.
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.
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 consideration.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
Acquisition Strategy, Contracting/Procurement, Teamwork, and Technical Credibility
Your application and resume shall demonstrate that you possess the following Competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the Competencies identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to ...