Contract Specialist

**Duties**:

- This is a TERM Position NTE 3-5 Years.
- Negotiate procurement of products and services under a variety of contract/assistance mechanism such as preparing and maintaining current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts, and related schedules.
- Perform a full range of complex procurement activities for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements in support of USAID's Bureau for Global Health (GH).
- Manage procurement planning activities such as preparing and maintaining current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts, and related schedules.
- Participate in strategy and planning phases, evaluation of offers, negotiations, contract award, and contract administration.

**Requirements**:
**Conditions of Employment**:

- This is a TERM Position NTE 3-5 Years.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. The security clearance level requirement for this position may vary based on the nature and responsibilities of the job.
- United States Citizenship is required.
- Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a SECRET security clearance.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
- You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period if selected.
- Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required
- Time in grade must be met by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

**Qualifications**:
**Basic Requirements**:
The first step in the evaluation process requires meeting Basic Requirements, Specialized Experience, and Selective Placement Factor stated below. Please refer to the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for further details. Ensure that all relevant experience is clearly stated in your resume and unofficial transcripts are submitted to verify your education level.

**Basic Requirement GS-12**:
**A) **A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
**OR**
***
**B) **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.

**Basic Requirement GS-13**:
**A) **Completion of 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. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

**AND**

**B) **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.

**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**:When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above 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 granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

**Specialized Experience**:
**GS-13**: You need at least one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience refers to full-time work, while part-time roles are considered on a prorated basis. Qualifying specialized experience includes: a) leading a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP),a competitive Request for Application (RFA)/Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), or an equivalent/similar process; b) participating in strategy and planning phases, evaluation of offers, negotiations, contract award, and contract administratio