Contract Specialist - DIRECT HIRE

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Financial Management Division, Office of Acquisition. This position(s) primary purpose is to lead in the planning, development, and management of the DEA's agency-wide regulations.

Major duties

As a Contract Specialist - DIRECT HIRE, your typical work assignments may include: Independently conducts negotiations with prospective contractors, determines type of contract to be awarded and type of contract clauses to be used. Provides Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support for DEA acquisition system operations, release management, testing, and documentation. Analyzes a variety of policy issues identified through review of DEA acquisition and procurement operations and government purchase card program and related financial management areas. Takes lead on risk assessment, management and mitigation for DEA acquisition activities.

Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. Basic Qualification 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. 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. Applicants applying for the GS-12 must meet one of the following requirements: A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-11 grade level. Specialized 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. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Drafting and/or reviewing legal documentation supporting contract operations; 2) Providing technical assistance and guidance on financial systems to support compliant program execution; 3) Managing acquisition programs such as the purchase card program, the Contracting Officers' Representative (COR) program, Acquisition Career Management, small business programs, or similar programs; and 4) Conducting acquisition compliance reviews and internal assessments. Applicants applying for the GS-13 must meet one of the following requirements: A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-12 grade level. Specialized 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. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Leading the development, review, and/or interpretation of acquisition documentation support contract operations; 2) Providing authoritative guidance on acquisition systems operations; 3) Establishing program direction and performance requirements for acquisition programs such as the purchase card program, the Contracting Officers' Representative (COR) program, Acquisition Career Management, small business programs, or similar programs; and 4) Overseeing acquisition compliance reviews and internal assessments to identify deficiencies and strengthen internal controls. Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.

Education

See the qualification section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.