Contract Specialist

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the educational requirements, we are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

To qualify for the GS-07 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time* experience equivalent to the GS-05 level defined as reviewing standard contracting documents, participating in solicitation activities, and/or working with contracts in any type of supporting capacity;
- OR 1 full academic year of graduate education or law school or superior academic achievement (Superior Academic Achievement Definition); qualifying graduate education must be in one or a combination of the fields described in the Education section below;
- OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

To qualify for the GS-09 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-07 level defined as assisting in preparing requests for the procurement of supplies, services, studies, laboratory analyses, or construction; assisting in determining contract and method required for procurement; reviewing contracting documents for accuracy;
- OR 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master’s or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.; qualifying graduate education must be in one or a combination of the fields described in the Education section below;
- OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

• Knowledge of pre-award and post award functions involving specialized procurements.
• Knowledge of solicitation, review, price/cost analysis, negotiation, and administration of contracts.
• Knowledge of federal laws, regulations, and rules sufficient to procure supplies, services, studies, laboratory analyses, and/or construction through simplified acquisition, sealed bidding, and/or negotiation methods.
• Skill in oral communication.
• Skill in written communication.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.