Summary
The NASA Office of Procurement seeks Senior Contract Specialists to perform procurement planning, negotiation, and contract administration in support of NASA programs. The Office of Procurement is structured to provide support to our mission partners regardless of location. This announcement may fill any of NASA Office of Procurement positions.
Duties
Serves as a Senior Contract Specialist responsible for all pre-award and/or post award functions for a variety of supply, service, research, and/or construction contracts.,Performs all aspects of contracting for procurements that are complex in nature and require extensive contract and subcontract administration.,Develops contract-related documentation including incremental funding modifications, change orders, contract extensions, contractor performance evaluations, and reviewing and approving contractor financial reports and other submittals.,Develops contract instruments representing sound judgement and business acumen (e.g. proper contract type, pricing/other contract provisions, source selection, acquisition method, determination/findings, documentation, and propriety of cited funds).,Coordinates with mission partners to develop overarching procurement objectives for program and construct contractual instruments accordingly including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting goals, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.,Plans and coordinates the negotiation strategy, evaluates with the negotiation team and conduct the negotiations with contractors to develop the contract prices and terms.,Provides authority for pre/post-award contractual actions providing expert advice, guidance, mentorship, and training to less experienced personnel in order to create and maintain a high degree of competency and professionalism.,Establishes and maintains collaborative relationships across acquisition Stakeholders to facilitate expert procurement consultation on solution based alternatives to achieving procurement objectives.
Education
Basic Requirement: 1. 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 2. A 4-year course of study leading to a minimum of 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. NOTE: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the basic education requirements for positions they occupied on January 1, 2000; only including positions at the same grade. U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements outlined in this vacancy announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed in conjunction with your responses to the assessment questionnaire. As part of the assessment, your responses to the Written Interview prompts will be scored and used to place you into one of three quality groups. These scores, along with your qualifications and supporting materials, will determine your referral status. Please ensure your application materials and responses accurately reflect your experience and competencies, as misrepresentation may result in removal from consideration. These competencies will be assessed using technical assessments. They may also be evaluated during a structured interview: Acquisition and Contract Management Contracting/Procurement Decision Making Procurement Planning and Contract Formation Contract Management Technical Competence NASA considers 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. Under NASA's quality grouping process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three groups identified and defined below: Best Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria. Highly Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria. Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities. Candidates eligible for ICTAP/CTAP, reemployment priority or priority consideration will be referred before other candidates, as necessary. If no such candidates apply or are eligible to be referred, the following candidates will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration: Best Qualified merit promotion candidates. Highly Qualified merit promotion candidates may also be referred, if additional candidates are needed. Qualified candidates eligible for consideration under Schedule A or VRA in accordance with veterans' preference rules, as applicable. Qualified candidates that are eligible for special hiring authorities or non-competitive hiring authorities. NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: Agency-FCCJ@NASA.gov.
Other Information
Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement. If you are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 1 grade lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.) Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year. If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must: - Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility. - Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information. - Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents' For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ictap. Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility (Term Appointments | NASA) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures. Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.