This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Under Secretary for Management, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Office of Selective Acquisitions (OSA). The primary purpose of this position is to perform contract specialist work related to the acquisition of the most complex and major Department-wide acquisitions for classified and sensitive products and services. Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, GS-1102-13, your typical work assignments may include: Evaluates proposals, negotiates costs/prices and terms and conditions with offerors/contractors, and ensures that awards are within applicable laws and regulations. Serves as a primary contact and consultant regarding a variety of extensive acquisition functions that encompass the planning, execution, administration, and termination of complex and sensitive contracts. Develops unique/complex terms and conditions of the solicitation. Conducts debriefings for unsuccessful offers and prepares documentation in the event of a protest. All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
• You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
• You will be required to complete an OGE 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Form.
• You will be subject to random drug testing.

Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic AND Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below. A. Basic Requirements: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field 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; AND completed 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 with at least 1 year of that experience satisfying the specialized experience described further below in this qualifications section; AND applicants seeking to meet the training requirements for this GS-13 position in accordance with the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications, are required to meet the Selective Placement Factor requirement described below in this qualifications section. Note: After September 30, 2023, applicants will need to submit the FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional certifications or a hiring organization will need to request a waiver for that applicant. B. Exception: 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 (waiver information provided below). Note: SF-50(s) must be submitted to support claim. C. Waiver: When filling a GS 1102 vacant position for a GS-13 and above, the Senior Procurement Executive of DHS, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of paragraphs A and B of the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications 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, the Senior Procurement Executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position at DHS based on a waiver, DHS may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action; AND Specialized Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal government, performing duties such as: Administering contracts using formal advertising or negotiation procedures; Determining the appropriate contract methods to use; Conducting contract close-outs; and Applying knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements when making procurement decisions. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. This position has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF). If you do not provide the required documentation demonstrating possession of the SPF, you will be rated ineligible. The SPF for this position is: Applicants must hold and submit a Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional or FAC-C Level II or DAWIA (Contracting) Level II or higher certification. For Department of Defense applicants seeking to meet the certification requirements for FAC-C Level II or higher through an equivalency determination, the incumbent must possess the following and provide the required verification documents: Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Contracting Level II or higher Certification, or Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB) showing proof of a DAWIA Level II or higher certificate, or Department of Defense Contracting Professional/Foundational Certification along with your DAU transcript. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. 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, spiritual, community, student, social). 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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

This position requires specific coursework to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official or unofficial transcript which list courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Contacts

• Address Department of Homeland Security Headquarters OCHCO/HRMS/MS #0170 6595 Springfield Center Drive Springfield, VA 20598-0170 US
• Name: Tiana Carrington
• Email: [email protected]