Please see announcement on USAJOBS for available locations.
Summary
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Acquisition, Strategic Initiatives and Program Branch, located in one of the following locations: Ashburn, VA San Diego, CA Washington, DC Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
Duties
Joining Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition, will allow you to utilize your expertise in procurement to perform a full range of contracting services and functions that improve the efficiency of acquisition programs. This position starts at a salary of $124,531.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $161,889.00 (GS-14, Step 10). Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to perform homeland security functions by serving as a senior contract specialist with responsibility for contract solicitation, selection, and post award administration for CBP contracting missions. Salary: Salary reflects the Rest of U.S. scale and will be adjusted to meet the locality pay of the duty location upon selection. GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position. Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts. In this Contract Specialist position you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals involved in performing a full range of contract service duties as part of an acquisition team; which includes serving as a subject matter expert in contract selection and review, providing support to assigned CBP/DHS organizations, programs, projects, or activities, and responsible for a variety of contracts that frequently require special handling or specialized terms and conditions. Typical Work assignments include: Serving as contract specialist for a significant system or program with authority for all contractual actions (pre-award and post-award functions) and phases of the program; which includes contract specializations such as negotiation, cost and price analysis, and administration. Serving as principal contracting advisor and subject matter expert to program officials and to program management office, representing the Office of Acquisition as contractual authority for assigned programs at conferences and in meetings, and advising program officials of the procurement objectives to be used and assisting in the preparation of statements of work. Planning, developing, and establishing the contractual strategy for the assigned acquisition programs, with authority for all contractual actions and phases of the procurement, including requirements definition, advanced acquisition planning and development, contract negotiation, award and contract administration, and management in accordance with established procedures. Serving as a lead negotiator, developing a pre-negotiation position, determining the types of contracts and negotiation authority to be used, preparing justification, planning the negotiation strategy, and leading the negotiations which are conducted with contractors.
Requiremennts
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below) You may be required to pass a background investigation CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link. DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities. Financial Disclosure is required. Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions - NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU
Qualifications
Basic Requirement 14: You must provide supporting documentation in your application to show you meet the basic requirement below. 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 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 B. 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. OR C. 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. You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above and possess one year of specialized experience, as described below . Specialized Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Serving as a contract specialist for a significant system or program, involving a range of contract specializations such as negotiation, cost and price analysis, and administration. Planning, developing, and establishing contractual strategy for assigned acquisition programs. Serving as a contracting advisor or subject matter expert to program officials and to program management office. Resolving complex contractual issues, claims, and termination settlements in accordance with established procedures. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements. 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. You must: Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 05/20/2025. 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. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions: Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement.
Education
Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.
Additional Information
Telework: No - exemptions related to telework may be available in very limited cases Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Requirements: In accordance with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Acquisition Workforce Policy Number 064-04-002, completion of FAC-C levels is required as outlined below. GS-14: Level III (Senior Level): Employees assigned to the GS-1102 position in grade GS-14, who do not meet the FAC-C training requirements, may be approved for an Individual Training Waiver, at the discretion of the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency. If a training waiver is approved, the FAC-C training requirements must be met within 24 months Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DAWIA): You must meet Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DAWIA) requirements applicable to the duties of this position. Note: DAWIA Level III (Senior Level) is equivalent to FAC-C Level III (Senior Level). Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR
Summary
Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Acquisition, Strategic Initiatives and Program Branch, located in one of the following locations: Ashburn, VA San Diego, CA Washington, DC Additional selections may be made for other organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above.
Duties
Joining Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition, will allow you to utilize your expertise in procurement to perform a full range of contracting services and functions that improve the efficiency of acquisition programs. This position starts at a salary of $124,531.00 (GS-14, Step 1) to $161,889.00 (GS-14, Step 10). Apply for this exciting opportunity to strengthen the Department's ability to perform homeland security functions by serving as a senior contract specialist with responsibility for contract solicitation, selection, and post award administration for CBP contracting missions. Salary: Salary reflects the Rest of U.S. scale and will be adjusted to meet the locality pay of the duty location upon selection. GS Salary: Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position. Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts. In this Contract Specialist position you will become a key team member of Homeland Security professionals involved in performing a full range of contract service duties as part of an acquisition team; which includes serving as a subject matter expert in contract selection and review, providing support to assigned CBP/DHS organizations, programs, projects, or activities, and responsible for a variety of contracts that frequently require special handling or specialized terms and conditions. Typical Work assignments include: Serving as contract specialist for a significant system or program with authority for all contractual actions (pre-award and post-award functions) and phases of the program; which includes contract specializations such as negotiation, cost and price analysis, and administration. Serving as principal contracting advisor and subject matter expert to program officials and to program management office, representing the Office of Acquisition as contractual authority for assigned programs at conferences and in meetings, and advising program officials of the procurement objectives to be used and assisting in the preparation of statements of work. Planning, developing, and establishing the contractual strategy for the assigned acquisition programs, with authority for all contractual actions and phases of the procurement, including requirements definition, advanced acquisition planning and development, contract negotiation, award and contract administration, and management in accordance with established procedures. Serving as a lead negotiator, developing a pre-negotiation position, determining the types of contracts and negotiation authority to be used, preparing justification, planning the negotiation strategy, and leading the negotiations which are conducted with contractors.
Requiremennts
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below) You may be required to pass a background investigation CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link. DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities. Financial Disclosure is required. Bargaining Unit: This is a bargaining unit covered position, represented under the National Treasury Employees Unions - NTEU. For local chapter contact information see Chapter Websites - National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU
Qualifications
Basic Requirement 14: You must provide supporting documentation in your application to show you meet the basic requirement below. 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 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 B. 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. OR C. 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. You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above and possess one year of specialized experience, as described below . Specialized Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Serving as a contract specialist for a significant system or program, involving a range of contract specializations such as negotiation, cost and price analysis, and administration. Planning, developing, and establishing contractual strategy for assigned acquisition programs. Serving as a contracting advisor or subject matter expert to program officials and to program management office. Resolving complex contractual issues, claims, and termination settlements in accordance with established procedures. NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements. 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. You must: Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 05/20/2025. 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. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link: Applicant Resources | CBP Careers Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions: Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government Probationary Period: All employees new to the federal government must serve a one year probationary period during the first year of his/her initial permanent federal appointment to determine fitness for continued employment. Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the Required Documents section of this announcement.
Education
Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.
Additional Information
Telework: No - exemptions related to telework may be available in very limited cases Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Requirements: In accordance with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Acquisition Workforce Policy Number 064-04-002, completion of FAC-C levels is required as outlined below. GS-14: Level III (Senior Level): Employees assigned to the GS-1102 position in grade GS-14, who do not meet the FAC-C training requirements, may be approved for an Individual Training Waiver, at the discretion of the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency. If a training waiver is approved, the FAC-C training requirements must be met within 24 months Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DAWIA): You must meet Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DAWIA) requirements applicable to the duties of this position. Note: DAWIA Level III (Senior Level) is equivalent to FAC-C Level III (Senior Level). Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR
- 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR
- 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.