Contract Specialist (Direct Hire)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters • Huntsville, AL

7h • Onsite

About The Position

The NASA Office of Procurement seeks Contract Specialists to perform procurement planning, negotiation, and contract administration in support of NASA programs. The Office of Procurement provides support to mission partners regardless of location. Positions may be filled at NASA facilities and in the IT Procurement Office. The IT office is located in Greenbelt, Maryland, and supports IT acquisition activities with employees at multiple NASA Centers. The position serves as a business advisor responsible for pre-award and/or post-award functions for a variety of supply, service, research, and construction contracts. It covers contracting activities from initiation through award recommendations and procurement of items or services with specialized requirements. Selectees have a designated home center, may support programs or projects at any NASA Center using virtual tools, and must work on-site at their selected duty location. A one-year probationary period may be required.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, U.S. national status, or allegiance to the United States.
• Meet the mandatory basic education requirement: a four-year course of study leading to at least a bachelor's degree in any field, or at least 24 semester hours in specified fields including accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
• For GS-12, one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 supporting award actions to procure and/or administer various contract types, such as supplies and services.
• For GS-12, one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 supporting negotiation of prices, contract terms and conditions, and contract modifications, and supporting senior contract specialists in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
• Meet the qualifications requirements by the announcement closing date.
• Submit a resume with a clear, detailed narrative in the applicant's own words describing how the required specialized experience is met.
• Selected applicants must work on-site at the selected duty location.
• A pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance may be required depending on duty location or NASA Center requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting (FAC-C) Level II or FAC-C Professional certification, or Level II Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification or DAWIA Professional certification; preferred but not required.
• Experience recommending, developing, and implementing policies and procedures for procuring supplies and services, and for construction or research and development projects, using formal advertising or negotiation procedures to evaluate contract price proposals and policies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the business advisor for pre-award and/or post-award functions for supply, service, research, and construction contracts.
• Perform contracting activities from initiation through recommendation of award and procurement of items or services with specialized requirements.
• Analyze requirements and recommend revisions to statements of work or specifications.
• Determine contract type, milestones, and acquisition plans.
• Monitor contract performance, approve progress payments, and review and recommend action on contractor proposals resulting from change orders, scheduling, and other problems and proposed solutions.
• Support development of cost-related sections of complex solicitation documents.
• Analyze cost data, including pricing, price redetermination, price orders, terminations, and labor and material costs.
• Evaluate bids and proposals for responsiveness and contractor ability to perform, including fiscal soundness, production capacity, and quality control.

Benefits

• Comprehensive federal employee benefits package; employees and their families have access to a range of benefits. Specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level