Contract Specialist

Federal Emergency Management Agency•Emmitsburg, MD

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is in Mission Support, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Acquisitions Operations Division, National Continuity Branch in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Contract Specialist performs pre-award and post-award acquisition work in compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations and agency policy. The role supports acquisitions ranging from simplified purchases and agreements to large, complex systems, programs, or services. Employees have regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities and may be recalled at any time. Emergency operations may involve irregular hours, work outside the official duty station, extensive travel with little advance notice, and extended deployment to austere and operationally challenging locations. If selected, the employee must attend a three-week, in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland within six months of onboarding; FEMA covers travel expenses.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Successfully pass and maintain a Moderate Risk background investigation; this may include a credit check.
Register for Selective Service, if applicable.
Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements, including 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band.
Obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
Be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period.
For GS-13 and above, complete mandatory agency training for progression to GS-13 or higher contracting positions, including at least four years of contracting or related experience, with at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower level, unless an applicable exception or waiver applies.
For GS-13 and above, hold a bachelor's degree based on a four-year course of study that includes or is supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in specified fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Obtain FAC-C (Professional) or an accepted equivalent certification by the time of application and upload proof. Accepted equivalents listed are legacy FAC-C Levels I–III, legacy DAWIA Contracting Certification Levels I–III, and DoD Contracting Professional Certification. FAC-COR is not accepted.
For GS-13, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level, demonstrating: advising management, customers, or contractors on federal acquisition regulations; preparing pre-award contracting functions; and administering or closing contracts, including monitoring progress, negotiating modifications, or closeout.
Submit transcripts with the application; official college transcripts are required before appointment if selected.
Attend a three-week in-person training course in Emmitsburg, Maryland within six months of onboarding.

Responsibilities

Perform pre-award functions, including issuing solicitation documents, reviewing bids, and determining bidders’ financial responsibility and performance capability.
Perform post-award functions, including administering contracts, monitoring contractor performance, and advising on payment of costs.
Use contract-writing tools for simplified acquisitions, grants, cooperative agreements, interagency agreements, contracts, delivery orders, and blanket purchase orders.
Prepare solicitation documents, analyze proposals, and negotiate with contractors.
Use acquisition methods such as cost reimbursement, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and incentive contracts to procure large, complex systems, programs, or services.
Support FEMA emergency management operations, including deployment when required.