Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer Representative (COR) - Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary This position is located in the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), Office of the Executive Director, General Services Division (CA/EX/GSD), Washington DC. As a Contract Specialist you will provide contract administration, procurement planning, competitive market analysis, and other contracting services in support of CA programs and operations. You will define deliverables in terms of quality and quantity and review work products for compliance with requirements. Responsibilities Contract Oversight and Management: Oversee the technical and financial performance of contractors supporting the Global Support Strategy (GSS) IDIQ contract. Contract Oversight and Management: Ensure compliance with contract terms and conditions, including the review and approval of contractor invoices, deliverables, and performance metrics. Pre-Award and Post-Award Contract Support: Collaborate with the Contracting Officer to develop pre-award documentation, including Statements of Work (SOW), technical evaluation criteria, and cost estimates. Pre-Award and Post-Award Contract Support: Participate in the source selection process, providing expertise to ensure the selection of the most capable contractor. Problem Resolution: Identify, address, and resolve any challenges related to contractor performance. This includes issuing stop-work orders, contract modifications, and managing corrective actions as needed to ensure seamless contract execution. Training and Mentorship: Monitor and provide oversight to CA CORs across the organization. Ensure that all CORs are appropriately trained and maintain the required certifications to manage assigned contracts effectively. Market Analysis: Perform market research and analysis to identify potential contractors and assess market trends. Advise on innovative procurement approaches to support the dynamic needs of the Bureau. Global Coordination: Work closely with embassies, consulates, and program managers to ensure smooth operations of GSS and related projects across global locations. Performance Reporting: Develop and implement tracking systems for contractor performance and provide regular updates to senior management regarding contract status and any emerging risks or issues. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship is required. Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing. Maintain or able to obtain COR Level lll Certification within 12 months of appointment. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. Qualifications This announcement will close at 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/05/2024, or 11:59 PM (ET) the day when 50 applications are received, which may be sooner than the closing date. Applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. All applicants must meet one of the following basic requirements: GS-12 BASIC REQUIREMENT: To be considered for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet the basic requirement: A. Successful completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field. (You must submit transcripts.) OR B. Successful completion of 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 submit transcripts.) OR C. Held a position in the GS-1102 series since 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 must submit SF-50(s) as documentation.) GS-13 BASIC REQUIREMENT: To be considered for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet the basic requirement: A. 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 of 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 successful completion of 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 submit transcripts.) OR B. Held a position in the GS-1102 series since January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grade 13 or higher will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions classified at GS-13 or higher. Applicants must have continually held this occupational series since January 1, 2000. (You must submit SF-50(s) as documentation.) In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the grade level to which you are applying: GS-12 Specialized Experience: Must have at least one full-time year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing ALL of the following duties: Conducting market or price analysis to determine availability of products, producers, or reasonable of prices; Performing contracting activities such as bid scheduling, preparing the solicitation, determining sources to be solicited, negotiating terms, or awarding or terminating contracts; Monitoring contractor performance in relation to compliance with contract terms; and Assisting with preparing briefings and reports for high-level business leaders and Government officials. GS-13 Specialized Experience: Must have at least one full-time year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing ALL of the following duties: Conducting market or price analysis to determine availability of products, producers, or reasonable of prices; Performing contracting activities such as bid scheduling, preparing the solicitation, determining sources to be solicited, making recommendations for vendors, negotiating terms, reallocating resources, or awarding or terminating contracts; Developing procurement objectives in terms of competition and price range and appropriate contractual vehicle; Developing systems and milestones for evaluating performance of contractors for compliance with terms and conditions of contracts; and Preparing and presenting briefings and reports to high-level business leaders, industry leaders, and Government officials. There is no education substitute for specialized experience at the GS-12 or GS-13 levels. Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work performed 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education It is your responsibility to provide documentation that you meet the education qualification(s) you claim. If you do not submit transcripts we will not use your claimed education when determining if you are qualified for the position. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. Transcripts: You may submit official or unofficial transcripts as part of the application process. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. A transcript is a copy of your permanent academic record and includes: Your full name. The name of the college, university, or other educational institution. Your major and degree. The date your degree was awarded/conferred. Your cumulative grade point average (GPA). Any honors you received. The dates you attended the school. A list of the courses you took, to include the total number of credits completed. Academic degrees must be granted from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. To determine if a school or program is accredited, refer to the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs. 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 more information, click here. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation and list the specific courses taken as part of the foreign education program to be considered complete. Additional Information If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) / Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible surplus and/or displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP/ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and have a final assessment score of 85 or better. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. For additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility click here. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Veterans' Preference does not apply when selecting individuals under a Direct-Hire Authority (DHA). When agencies select individuals under DHA, the law allows agencies to hire them without regard to sections 5 U.S.C. 3309-3318, which eliminates the requirement for applying veterans' preference. Qualified candidates with veterans' preference can be selected as they are found, just as any qualified non-preference eligible candidate would be.