Contract Specialist

**Duties**:
Performs preaward and postaward phases for a wide variety of complex, mission-critical acquisitions of complex products and services such as laboratory instruments, technical services, and research services. Perform mentoring and reviews for other contract specialists. Uses innovative techniques to reduce risk and complexity of acquisitions to the extent possible.

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

- U.S. citizenship
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Suitable for Federal employment
- Completion of Confidential Financial Disclosure, Form OGE-450
- Bargaining Unit Position: No

**Qualifications**:
**BASIC REQUIREMENTS**

**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.
- **IN ADDITION** to the basic qualifications, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level (ZA-III at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience working with relevant stakeholders in the planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering acquisitions of supplies and services using the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and experience in a leadership role for assigned portfolio of work.- The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.
- Applicant Reconsideration

**Education**:
**Additional information**:
This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). The APMS is a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Find out more about the APMS here
- Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
- All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible in order to make qualification or eligibility determinations.
- A probationary period may be required.
- This position requires the filing of an OGE-450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of onboarding and annually thereafter.
- NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:

- Telework
- Flexible work schedules
- Paid parental leave
- Paid vacation
- Sick leave
- Family-friendly leave
- Childcare subsidy program for qualifying families
- Child and elder-care resources
- On-site childcare center
- Lactation spaces
- Wellness programs
- Fitness center
- Employee assistance programs
- Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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