Summary You will serve as a Contract Specialist in the Office of Acquisition Management (OAM), responsible for negotiating and administering contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements for study efforts, technical services, hardware, and all phases of research and development necessary for carrying out the mission of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Responsibilities As a Contract Specialist, you will: Serve as a key focal point in negotiating the most complex and unprecedented contracts, grants and cooperative agreements for research and development, demonstration projects, evaluation studies and services. Make commitments for the Government by executing contracts, discretionary grants and cooperative agreements, and other legal instruments, assuring agreement is reached with a responsive and responsible contractor/recipient. Assure that each contract and assistance action complies with existing laws, regulations and Department/NHTSA. Review and evaluate the numerous proposals submitted in response to a solicitation, assuring that the greatest value is obtained for the funds provided. Be responsible for continuing performance administration of contracts, grants and cooperative agreements to assure that work requirements are being met in a timely manner, in accordance with contractual/agreement requirements. The ideal candidate for this position will be able to work on a variety of procurement instruments (i.e. Contracts, Assistance Agreements, Interagency Agreements, etc.) while working closely with the program areas ensuring that the mission of the agency is achieved. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration. You must meet specialized experience to qualify. Required documents must be submitted by the closing date. Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed). PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. Qualifications To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include: Experience preparing announcements, determining contents and preparing solicitation documents. Experience receiving and evaluating proposals in conjunction with price/cost analysts or other technical personnel and performing desk analysis of proposed costs. Experience ensuring contractor compliance with provisions and performance, timely submission of technical progress reports, making period visits, detecting and correcting labor standards violations. To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include: Experience using a wide range of contracting methods and contract types to plan and carry out discretionary assistance agreements. You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience. To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Experience making judgments on procurement/assistance actions, negotiating and preparing award documents and modifying, OR closing out contracts, grants and cooperative agreements. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Knowledge of and experience with current Federal procurement and assistance agreement i.e., grants, cooperative agreements, laws, regulations, policies, practices and techniques, and their applications in the “cradle-to-the-grave” operational environment. Ability to communicate effectively and apply negotiation techniques during the award process. Ability to develop and implement procurement planning; to balance large work volumes of diverse requirements with urgent demands; and to meet deadlines. Skill in analyzing cost price proposals and related procurement documents. Skill in forming effective interpersonal relationships in coordination work efforts among varied and diverse stakeholders, and in performing customer service functions. For all types of consideration, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education Basic Requirements for GS-5 through GS-12 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, quantitativemethods, or organization and management. Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for positions at the GS-7 level. The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience required to qualify for positions GS-7 thorough GS-12 covered by this standard. Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above 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 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. 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. 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. Additional Information This position may be eligible for Remote Work. Remote work is an arrangement in which an employee works at an approved alternative worksite (e.g., from home) that is at a location away from the agency worksite. Remote work location will be determined upon/after selection and may affect locality pay. The difference in salary is determined by the locality pay in each location. Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2025/general-schedule/ The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.