Contract Specialist

Summary

This position is part of the Los Alamos Field Office, Department of Energy. A successful candidate in this position will serve as an Administrative Contracting Officer, with oversight of the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Management & Operating (M&O) contract; a large-scale, long-term, multi-billion dollar contract to support the nuclear security enterprise.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will: Perform complex and critical procurement and contract planning with concerned technical program offices, contracting organizations, and develop acquisition strategies for the specific requirement. Be responsible for advising senior leadership and customers on acquisition strategy, preparing acquisition documents, and defending business cases for major acquisitions. Conduct negotiations as team leader or Contracting Officer on complex, large-scale, long-term multi-million dollar contracts. Conduct contractor site visits, as necessary, to resolve contract administration problems or to attend meetings and briefings with technical representatives in order to resolve procurement related problems.

Requirements

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. May be required to successfully complete a one (1) year probationary period. Employees serving on a probationary may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service. Please limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, you will be disqualified. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time; or reinstated employees who return to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period will need to complete the requirement. Trial periods are required for all excepted service employees. Trial periods served in the same position and agency with no break in service will satisfy the requirement.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS NQ-03: 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 is defined as: Experience supporting or conducting contract administration and contractor oversight activities for complex programs, including performance monitoring, stakeholder coordination, and review of contract or subcontract actions. Examples of qualifying experience include, but are not limited to: Experience conducting performance oversight of contractors or subcontractors, including monitoring deliverables, evaluating compliance with contract terms, and identifying areas requiring corrective action. Experience reviewing contract/subcontract solicitations, awards, acquisition plans, award memoranda, modifications, and/or contract actions for adequacy, completeness, and compliance with organizational or federal acquisition requirements. Experience coordinating with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., program offices, county agencies, fire departments, safety organizations) to ensure mission needs are met. Experience participating in or supporting contractor performance evaluations, acceptance of work, surveillance activities, or management reviews for a major contractor or business unit. Experience using a variety of contract administration approaches, monitoring tools, or oversight strategies to enhance accountability and operational efficiency. NQ-04: 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-03 or GS-14. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in negotiation of complex terms and conditions, reviewing contract/subcontract actions, and contract administration; working with program offices to establish mission needs in a politically complex environment. Examples of qualifying experience include but are not limited to: 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. 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. Experience in cost and pricing techniques to negotiate and act on a variety of pricing and special agreements, including final overhead rate agreements, including as necessary, to ensure implementation and administration of cost accounting standards. Knowledge and broad experience in understanding and executing of Nuclear Security Enterprise interrelationships between program goals, objectives, priorities, and funding to accomplish NNSA mission objectives. Skill in negotiation and persuasion adequate to obtain cooperation and understanding from DOE/NNSA and its M&O partners. "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 by the closing date of this announcement.

Evaluations

USA HIRE ASSESSMENT The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in critical, general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Applicants who score successfully on the assessment will be forwarded to the Human Resources Office who will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the eligibility and specialized experience qualifications. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered. For more information on the USA Hire Assessment click here. Federal employees eligible for career transition assistance plans such as CTAP, or ICTAP, requesting selection priority, must meet the Qualifications requirements listed in this announcement and be found "well qualified" for the position. Well-qualified is defined as: experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective factors, demonstrated by proficiency in most of the requirements of the job, requiring only limited training or orientation to perform effectively. If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM CTAP//ICTAP website for more information. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.

How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement. If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

Other information 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. All 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 and applicable regulations. In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. 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.