Administrative/Technical Specialist

Job summary

The Secretary of Defense has ordered a department-wide hiring freeze subject to certain limited exceptions. This position is subject to the DoD hiring freeze. Offers of employment related to this vacancy announcement will not be executed until the position has an approved exemption. You will serve as a Contract Specialist in the Contracts Department of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

Major duties

You will perform a variety of pre-award and post-award functions involving specialized procurements. You will act as a technical advisor to program management offices in planning, coordinating, establishing milestones, developing special or unique provisions, and preparing procurement plans. You will analyze requirements to assist in the development of meaningful and adequate statements of work and/or purchase descriptions in coordination with technical, legal, and patent personnel. You will develop procurement objectives for the acquisition in terms of competition and price range and construct the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations. You will prepare and maintain current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts and related schedules. You will review requests for the procurement of complex equipment and/or services. You will analyze the requirement and recommend revisions to the statement of work or specifications as necessary. You will review justifications for sole-source and prepare required clearances and other required documentation. You will determine the types of contract best suited to the requirement and develop special clauses and terms and conditions applicable to the solicitation. You will identify the sources to be solicited, prepare pre-solicitation and solicitation documents, and conduct pre-proposal conferences. You will develop plans for negotiation strategy, coordinate strategy with the various members of the negotiation team, and evaluate bids or proposals for compliance with specifications and/or purchase descriptions and applicable clauses. You will coordinate and participate in pre-award surveys. You will perform analysis to determine responsiveness and/or responsibility in formally advertised and negotiated acquisitions. You will recommend the competitive range to the Contracting Officer for negotiations with one or more offerors. You will prepare negotiation memoranda in form of pre- and post negotiation clearances for presentation to the Peer Review Board.

Qualification

TO QUALIFY FOR NT-4: In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NT-3 pay band (GS-9 and GS-10 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: as a professional Contract Specialist performing pre-award, post-award and/or contract price/cost analysis functions associated with a variety of procurements. Examples of qualifying experience may include (1) general understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other applicable regulations; basic ability to interpret and apply these applicable regulations; (2) broad understanding and demonstrated experience with the appropriate use of contract types (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time and materials); (3) experience supporting the development of acquisition plans, executing to those plans, and conducting competitive source selections; (4) understanding of conducting price and cost evaluations, including price reasonableness, cost realism, and cost analysis. TO QUALIFY FOR NT-3: In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NT-2 pay band (GS-5 through GS-8 equivalency) in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: applying basic knowledge of professional contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or contract price/cost analysis functions. Examples of qualifying experience may include 1) general knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and other applicable regulations; (2) general knowledge of contract types (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, time and materials); (3) familiarity with acquisition planning and source selection processes; (4) general knowledge of Government contracting principles, laws, policies, and procedures. Applicant must meet the following Department of Defense qualification requirements for 1102 contracting positions: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/DoD_Qualification_Standard_For_GS-1102.pdf And the title 10 requirements found here: http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title10-section1724&num=0&edition=prelim Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Education Requirement of the Department of Defense Qualification Standard for Contracting Positions: A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. NOTE: The education requirement listed above applies only to individuals entering DoD GS-1102 positions on or after October 1, 2000. Current civilian personnel in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000 are exempt from meeting this requirement. Current military members who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent) 1102 or before September 30, 2000 are also exempt from meeting this requirement. TO QUALIFY FOR NT-4: Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR Three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education TO QUALIFY FOR NT-3: Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows: A master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR An LL.B. or J.D.; OR Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education

Evaluations

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies: Preparation and Negotiation Contract Award Computer Literacy Oral Communication Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: USA Hire and Structured Interview. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. All eligibility and qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.