Summary These positions are located in the Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Federal Assistance and Acquisitions Management, Office of Acquisitions Management and Policy. For more information about OFAAM, visit the "Learn more about this Agency" section. Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across OFAAM through this vacancy announcement. Responsibilities These positions are 100% remote and the US location is negotiable after selection. Work sites outside of the U.S. are prohibited. Your salary will be based upon the locality pay of your work site after selection. Your salary will be based upon the locality pay of your work site after selection. Examples of Locality Pay Rate based on the selectee's location: NEW YORK-NEWARK, NY-NJ-CT-PA (GS-14 Salary Range is $143,559 - $186,629) ATLANTA--ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY--SANDY SPRINGS, GA-AL (GS-14 Salary Range is $129,134 - $167,876) DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX-OK (GS-14 Salary Range is $132,753 - $172,581) KANSAS CITY-OVERLAND PARK-KANSAS CITY, MO-KS (GS-14 Salary Range is $124,113 - $161,349) SAN JOSE-SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND, CA (GS-14 Salary Range is $152,105 - $191,900) As a Senior Contract Specialist, you serve as an expert advisor with responsibility for pre- thru post-award contract functions including negotiation, cost/price analysis, for procurement of complex or urgent nature and unanticipated program requirements. Your major duties and responsibilities include: Reviewing acquisition documents justifying the methods of contracting, types of contracts, the preparation of applicable determinations and findings, justification, and approvals, and responding to vendor inquiries as required. Overseeing the evaluation of contractor proposals and approval of all source selection documents. Consulting with HRSA Bureau/Office Directors on difficult and unusual problems relating to evaluation criteria, history of relations with previous acquisitions and contractors, and specific conditions or problems related to the type of acquisitions being considered. Planning and assuring effective and timely administration of contracting services by closely monitoring, evaluating, and reviewing contractor and sub-contractor performance for adherence to contract requirements including evaluating and recommending appropriate action regarding contracts. Maintaining a current awareness of legal and regulatory issues, policy and procedural developments, precedent-setting award or appeal decisions, management principles and methods, and administrative technologies affecting large acquisitions/negotiated contract management. NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 10/03/2024 This announcement is only open to CURRENT HRSA OFAAM competitive permanent/career or competitive career conditional employees. As verification of status and time-in-grade at HRSA, applicants must provide the following two SF50s with their applications by the announcement closing date of 10/03/2024. Appointment/hire /conversion SF50 for your current position with HRSA's OFAAM that reflects the following: Box 24 showing the number "1" for PERMANENT status (aka career status) OR number "2" CONDITIONAL. Box 34 showing the number "1" for COMPETITVE. AND 2. Most recent competitive career-ladder promotion OR most recent With-in Range Increase. Not sure which SF-50 to submit? Check out our video... Go here to watch the video on the SF50s to submit in your application package. To qualify for this position at the GS-1102-14 grade level, you must meet all of the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements for all GS-13 and above 1102 positions: 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 successfully perform the work of the position. AND A 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. You must provide unofficial transcripts as verification that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement. Please DO NOT send copies of diplomas as they are NOT acceptable as verification that you meet the education requirement. 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 under Paragraph D. If attempting to qualify based on this option, you must provide an SF50 at the GS-13 or higher level that is dated on or prior to January 1, 2000. This will allow HR to verify that you meet this exception. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision-making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action. PLEASE NOTE: Per OMB policy effective 2/1/2023, please read below regarding FAC-C Professional Certifications: Current workforce members certified at Levels I, II, or III of the Legacy FAC-C programs will automatically be certified in the FAC-C Professional. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C (Professional) Certification (or equivalent) MUST provide a copy of the certification with their application by the closing date of the announcement. New Federal employees shall follow the FAC-C (Professional) requirements, which includes 12 months of full-time experience applying a representative sample of technical contracting competencies. New hires must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty. In addition to the above requirements, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-14 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-13 level in the federal service. MINIMUM QUALIFYING SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance. Examples of minimum qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-13 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis: Serving as a Contract Specialist responsible for leading the complete life cycle (i.e., pre-award and post-award) of federal acquisitions for equipment, software, and services. AND Providing technical leadership, staff coordination in any phase of the federal contracting process (e.g., pre-solicitation, solicitation, negotiation, award, post-award administration) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). 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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited. Applicants whose resumes clearly demonstrate the required minimum qualifying specialized experience will be evaluated based on the occupational assessment competencies listed below. A competency is defined as a measurable pattern of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational functions. CONTRACTING/PROCUREMENT - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisitions Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration. ACQUISITION PLANNING - Develops and guides program management through a comprehensive plan for fulfilling acquisition needs in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost in accordance with Federal and Departmental regulations, policies, and procedures. PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring, and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance. TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12547990 Education This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work. Foreign Education: 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 and such education has been 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: http://www.ed.gov. Additional Information This is an HHS Acquisition Workforce position. Selectee must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C Certification (or equivalent) must provide a copy of the certification with their application. HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences. Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action. E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers. Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here. Financial Disclosure: This position requires you to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report prior to receiving a final offer letter as well as within 30 days of your appointment. This will require you to report information such as recent sources of income, financial interests you hold, and outside activities you participate in, as well as similar information from a spouse or any dependent children. If you have questions, please contact your HRSA Ethics Advisor at AskHR@hrsa.gov. Recruitment Incentives: Recruitment incentives are not authorized. Student Loan Repayment Incentive: Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.