Contract Specialist

NASA•Multiple Locations• Contract

Posted 7 hours ago• Legal & Compliance• Mechanical

Compensation

$106,437–$172,980/year

Job Description

Summary

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 is structured to provide support to our mission partners regardless of location. This announcement may fill positions at all NASA facilities and for the IT Procurement Office. The IT office is located in Greenbelt, MD, but supports IT acquisition activity with employees located at multiple NASA Centers.

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

04/17/2026 to 04/24/2026

Salary $106,437 - $172,980 per year

Salary range reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries of the locations. Actual salary range varies by selectee(s) location.

Pay scale & grade GS 13

Locations

Who Can Apply

Current NASA federal employee serving on a career, career-conditional, VRA, Schedule A for individuals with disabilities, or NASA term appointment that provides eligibility to convert to a permanent appointment.

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Duties

Serves as a lead negotiator and business advisor responsible for all pre-award and/or post award functions for a variety of supply, service, research, and/or construction contracts.
Performs all aspects of contracting for procurements that may be complex in nature and require extensive contract and subcontract administration.
Develops contract-related documentation to include incremental funding modifications, preparation of rate and cost adjustments, redirection of effort, coordination of contract extensions.
This includes, the incorporation of change orders, evaluating contractor performance, reviewing and analyzing contractor financial reports and other submittals.
Develops contract instruments representing sound judgement and business acumen (e.g. proper contract type, pricing/other contract provisions, source selection, acquisition method, determination/findings, documentation, and propriety of cited funds).
Coordinates with mission partners to develop overarching procurement objectives for program and construct contractual instruments accordingly including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting goals, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
Plans the negotiation strategy, coordinates strategy with negotiation team, and conducts the negotiations with contractors to develop the contract prices and terms.

Requirements

Current Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the activity or duty location/NASA Center requirements.
Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the activity or duty location/NASA Center requirements.
Selectee will have a designated "Home Center, but may be assigned to support programs or projects at any NASA Center using virtual tools and capabilities.
Selected applicant(s) must be assigned to an activity or duty location listed on the announcement. Selectee(s) will be required to work ON-SITE at the activity or duty location selected.

You must meet all three requirements listed below; unless you are covered by an exception:

The mandatory Basic Requirement shown in the Education section below;
Specialized experience and/or directly related education, as shown below, which has equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of this position; and
Certification/Training requirements.

To qualify for GS-13, you must have one year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

Performing pre-award and post-award actions to procure and administer contracts for various contract types (e.g., supplies and services); AND
Utilizing negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, and contract modifications in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

Certification/Training for GS-13:
You must meet one of the following requirements to be considered for this position:

A. Certification:
Possess a valid Level II Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting (FAC-C) certification or FAC-C (Professional) or Level II Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification or DAWIA Professional.

OR

B. Training:
Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for level II Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting (FAC-C) (NASA-FAC-C-Curriculum-Table.pdf), and at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions. At least one 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.

To be hired for this position, you must possess a valid level II Federal Acquisition Certification-Contracting (FAC-C) or FAC-C Professional or level II Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification or DAWIA Professional or must have already completed all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for level II FAC-C and/or FAC-C Professional. If you are currently certified, you will be asked to provide evidence of continuous learning to verify your existing certification. If you are not currently certified, you must apply for certification within 30 days after your start date in this position.

List your FAC-C or DAWIA certification level and date of certification. If you are not currently certified, but have completed the mandatory procurement training, list the training that you have completed to date.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Basic Requirement:

1. 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

2. A 4-year course of study leading to a minimum 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.

NOTE: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the basic education requirements for positions they occupied on January 1, 2000; only including positions at the same grade.

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

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. These education credentials must be 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 further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Evaluation

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements outlined in this vacancy announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed in conjunction with your responses to the assessment questionnaire. As part of the assessment, your responses to the Written Interview prompts will be scored and used to place you into one of three quality groups. These scores, along with your qualifications and supporting materials, will determine your referral status. Please ensure your application materials and responses accurately reflect your experience and competencies, as misrepresentation may result in removal from consideration.

These competencies will be assessed using technical assessments. They may also be evaluated during a structured interview:

Acquisition and Contract Management
Contract Management and Performance Assessment
Decision Making
Procurement Planning and Contract Formation
Contract Management
Contracting/Procurement
Technical Competence

NASA considers 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.

Under NASA's quality grouping process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three groups identified and defined below:

Best Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
Highly Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
Qualified Group - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Candidates eligible for ICTAP/CTAP, reemployment priority or priority consideration will be referred before other candidates, as necessary. If no such candidates apply or are eligible to be referred, the following candidates will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration:

Best Qualified merit promotion candidates. Highly Qualified merit promotion candidates may also be referred, if additional candidates are needed.
Qualified candidates eligible for consideration under Schedule A or VRA in accordance with veterans' preference rules, as applicable.
Qualified candidates that are eligible for special hiring authorities or non-competitive hiring authorities.

NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: [email protected].

Required Documents

All submitted resumes must not exceed two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two pages will be rejected by USAJOBS. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize including experience and relevant qualifications that directly align with the position advertised. All work experience and accomplishments must be associated with dates (month/year) to allow for accurate qualification assessment.

A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: . Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. If you are using a Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a resume, it must meet all requirements listed above for a complete resume package.

Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified:

Classified or government sensitive information.
Social Security Number (SSN)
Photos of yourself
Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
Encrypted and digitally signed documents.

If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application.

The following documents are required:

Professional Certification
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript

As listed above in the Education section above, this position has a basic education requirement.

To be found qualified, you must provide a copy of your college transcript that fully demonstrates you meet the requirements listed in the Education section. You may provide either an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript. Failure to provide a complete copy of your college transcript that shows you have completed a required degree program or coursework may result in you being found not qualified.

You may need to submit other supporting documents (Notification of Personnel Action SF-50, licenses, certification, veterans preference, etc.), depending on your answers to the questionnaire and job announcement description, that you may have to submit, please verify your application. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application.

If you are a surplus or displaced employee (CTAP and ICTAP), submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP. This includes copies of your agency notice, most recent Performance Rating and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

If you are a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For more information on veterans' preference and possible other supporting documents that you may have to submit, please visit FedshireVets.

Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.