Contract Specialist - Federal Acquisition Service

Summary

As a Contract Specialist at the full performance level, you will be responsible for the full range of pre‑award and post‑award functions within the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS).

Location determined upon selection.

FAS provides a vast array of innovative products, services, and solutions across the government at the best value possible.

We are currently filling five vacancies, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

• Analyze difficult contracting issues and identify alternative courses of action.
• Assist the Contracting Officer (CO) in the acquisition planning processes, providing advice and assistance to ensure proposed service enhancements are within the scope of the contracts or that specifications are developed in a format suitable for competitive solicitation.
• Prepare acquisition documentation, including market analyses, acquisition plans, and Determination & Findings, and submit to the CO for final review/approval. Help determine the acquisition strategy that best aligns with customer requirements.
• Support the CO in negotiations, which includes planning and documenting a negotiation strategy and participating in negotiations to develop the contract prices and terms culminating in issuance of the contract or task order.
• Ensure effective contracting by performing all necessary actions to comply with contract terms, safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual relationships, and providing quality acquisitions that adhere to regulatory and policy compliance.

Conditions of employment:

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Meet time‑in‑grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
• Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

• Current or former political appointees: OPM must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non‑Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
• Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
• Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 4 investigation level).
• Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e‑Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position.
• Position requires temporary duty business travel approximately 25% of the time.

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS‑12 salary range starts at $89,508 per year. If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑11 level or higher in the federal service.

• A 4‑year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field
• 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

In addition to the basic requirements listed above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑11 in the federal service. Specialized experience is experience performing a wide range of pre‑ and/or post‑award contract…