Contract Specialist, GS-1102-13/14 FPL 14 (Direct Hire)

You must meet the following selective placement factor: SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR The candidate must hold a current Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C (Professional)) certification or equivalent or meet the experience, education and training to complete the examination to obtain the certification within 12 months of starting the position. Basic Experience Requirements: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; or At least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitativemethods, or organization and management. Minimum Qualification Requirements: You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialize experience. Specialized Experience for the GS-13 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: 1. Experience administering a broad range of federal contract methods and techniques. 2. Experience facilitating pre- and post-award procurements in order to monitor contracts. 3. Experience in identifying and resolving problems of changing program requirements, and to evaluate the feasibility of applying new approaches to previously unsolvable problems. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). 1. Knowledge of acquisition planning, contract types and methods of contracting. 2. Skill in contract administration sufficient to administer service contracts. 3. Skill in negotiation techniques in order to conduct negotiation in both the acquisition of the service and the post award functions of the contract. 4. Skill in applying applicable regulatory and advisory guidelines and source materials regarding the source selection. 5. Skill in oral and written communication to award and administer contracts or perform evaluations of contractor performance. Specialized Experience for the GS-14 One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: 1. Experience executing the regulations, policies, and practices of federal acquisitions and program management to sufficiently develop acquisition packages covering multi-year programs. 2. Experience executing post-award procurements in order to effectively manage contractor performance; make changes, modifications, and execute the procurement plan. 3. Experience analyzing, evaluating, and making recommendations to resolve significant issues or changes in program requirements within regulations, policies and procedures to ensure compliance of major acquisitions. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). 1. Knowledge of acquisition planning, contract types and methods of contracting. 2. Skill in contract administration sufficient to administer service contracts. 3. Skill in negotiation techniques in order to conduct negotiation in both the acquisition of the service and the post award functions of the contract. 4. Skill in applying applicable regulatory and advisory guidelines and source materials regarding the source selection. 5. Skill in oral and written communication to award and administer contracts or perform evaluations of contractor performance. This position is located in the Federal Student Aid, Office of Strategic Acquisition Planning (ENS), Contracts Operations Division (ENSO). The core mission of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is to administer the federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.