Contract Specialist

Summary

As a Senior Contracting Officer, the incumbent provides overall leadership and direction for oversight of assigned contractor and federal programs and activities supporting the Savannah River Project Management Office, serves as a principal advisor and recognized authority in acquisition matters in NNSA, and is a recognized acquisition manager with the highest degree of competence and responsibility in their professional field.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will: Performs the full range of pre-award and post-award functions for complex, largescale, long-term, multi-million dollar acquisitions, including contract award and administration. Leads negotiations with contractors to establish contract costs/prices and terms and conditions and awards the contract upon completion of negotiations. Analyzes complex or unprecedented acquisition issues, develops alternatives and new approaches, and recommends courses of action to resolve procurement and contractor performance problems. Develops acquisition strategies and procurement objectives, determines competition and pricing approaches, prepares acquisition plans and milestones, and coordinates requirements with technical/program organization. Ensures contracts and acquisition actions conform to applicable laws, regulations, contract requirements, FAR, DEAR, NNSA directives, and other governing acquisition requirements. Requirements

Subject to Random Drug Testing Must pass a pre-employment drug test. Favorable suitability determination required. Financial Disclosure is required. Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q level Security Clearance. You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification. A two (2) year trial period may be required. Employees serving on a trial period may be terminated at any time during the trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service. More than one position may be filled from this vacancy announcement. Please limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. This vacancy has a local commuting area requirement, as defined below: The area surrounding the duty station by which people reasonably travel back and forth from home to work; Or The employee's permanent duty station is located within the reasonable travel area surrounding the duty station of this vacancy; Or if applicable Trial periods are required for all excepted service employees. Trial periods served in the same position and agency with no break in service will satisfy the requirement. Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level NQ-03 or GS-14 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Specialized experience for this position is defined as directing the day today management activities and providing leadership to an organization engaged in procurement and administration of complex, large scale, long term multi-billion dollar contracts. Examples of Specialized Experience: Exercising unlimited Contracting Officer warrant authority to solicit, evaluate, negotiate, award, and administer multi-hundred-million or multi-billion-dollar complex capital line-item projects, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts, or complex cost-reimbursement/incentive contracts. Formulating and executing procurement plans, source selection strategies, and contractual milestones aligned with formal capital asset stage-gate processes (specifically DOE Order 413.3B Critical Decisions CD-0 through CD-4), collaborating closely with Federal Project Directors (FPDs) and integrated project teams (IPTs). Enforcing contract requirements, technical specifications, and flow-down compliance within nuclear, chemical, or high-hazard defense facilities, including oversight of strict quality assurance standards (e.g., ASME NQA-1, 10 CFR 830, or equivalent high-reliability compliance frameworks). Leading sole-source and competitive negotiations for major capital scope changes, definitive contract pricing, baseline change proposals (BCPs), and claims/disputes, ensuring compliance with FAR Part 15 (certified cost or pricing data) and agency procurement regulations (FAR/DEAR). Contractor Performance, Oversight & Fee Determination: Managing comprehensive post-award contract administration, contractor surveillance plans, award-fee/incentive-fee determination processes, and subcontractor consent reviews for major prime contractors executing line-item capital projects.

Education

EDUCATION: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, only provide transcripts from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. **FOREIGN EDUCATION: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Please Note: If your foreign education has already been accepted by an accredited U.S. educational institution as part of a degree program with that institution, you do not need to provide an evaluation of foreign education but must submit a copy of the transcripts listing the degree from the U.S. accredited institution that accepted your foreign education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. If you are selected, official transcripts will be required. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials ( e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Compliance Contracting/Procurement Planning and Evaluating Problem Solving The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Due weight will also be given to federal employees, when applicable, for performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3). Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration. Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A). All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 10/13/2026) of this announcement. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13082362. Other Information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE. For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov