Contract Specialist

About the role

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs with the responsibility for performing professional work involving procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: Contracting Specialist - Total Rewards

What you'll do

Major duties and responsibility includes: The purpose of this position is to serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs with responsibility for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and Agency policy. Some examples of equipment, supplies, and services procured include but are not limited to: medical or facility equipment, medical/surgical supplies, nursing home services, readjustment counseling services, medical services, architect-engineer services, construction, information technology (IT) services to include hardware and software. Other unique requirements include intra/interagency agreements, sharing agreements, contracts under the selling authority, contracts with affiliates, research and development, and real estate leases.Assists the Acquisition Team Supervisors in coordinating contracting activities, performs contract reviews and provides guidance regarding complex contracts administered by other contract specialists, identifies special training needs, and conducts mentoring and contract training. The incumbent will guide, assist, mentor, and train junior level contract specialists. The incumbent will be required to possess those requisite skills and experience to effectively deal with an assortment of contract issues at a full performance level.When requested by supervisor, incumbent must apply for up to a Level III Contracting Officer Warrant, accept contracting officer warrant, and provide the signatory authority for contracts within their warrant authority. Warrants will be granted based on workload, needs of the agency, and upon recommendation of the supervisor. Incumbent is required to perform all contract work up to the point of contract award. If warranted, incumbent is required to execute their own contract actions and, at the direction of their supervisor, provide signature authority for staff that lack requisite warrant authority. The incumbent performs advanced contract level work less than, equal to, and greater than $1 M. Work Schedule: Tour of Duty is 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA Employees that are already subject to the return to in-person work mandate in their current position. Applicants without an existing assigned VA Staff Office must be located within 50 miles of a VA-owned or leased space. This is not a remote position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer. Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD11009A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: RequiredPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized This recruitment is for several positions with the Office of Ac

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/05/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Most applicants will need to provide two SF-50s. Basic 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, quantitative methods, or organization and management. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Knowledge of various types of contracts, including firm­-fixed price, firm-­fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items and special provisions. Sufficient knowledge of program objectives, technical terminology, and uses of equipment, architect- engineering services, or construction services to be procured to plan, negotiate and administer the contract. Knowledge of the market and sources to include identification of offerors in specific socio­economic categories eligible for set­-asides. Ability to take appropriate action related to issues of noncompliance. There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 level. 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; religions; 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 fo

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants may be required to complete an online onboarding process Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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