Department of Labor

Contract Specialist

Washington, District of Columbia Full time

Contract Specialist

Department: Department of Labor

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $85447 - $111087 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Department of Labor's (DOL), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE). OSPE is responsible for the management and direction of DOL's acquisition system and mission; providing effective, ethical, and prudent business advice; and robust acquisition policies and services. To learn more about this agency, click here.

Major Duties:

  • The GS-11 Contact Specialist is responsible for contracting actions within contracting divisions, actively engaged in all phases and activities related to the procurement process. Duties include, but are not limited to the following: Perform the complete range of pre-award and post-award procurement functions, primarily utilizing negotiation procedures, for complex service contracts that are highly specialized, new, or innovative. Provide and coordinate support services to senior contract specialists for all pre-award and post-award activities related to the acquisition of supplies and services essential to the Department's mission. Participate actively in all phases of the acquisition process. Receive requisitions and determine the most appropriate procurement method. Draft determinations and findings, assist in preparing justifications and approvals for sole source actions, and assemble solicitation documents. Conduct market research to assess the availability of products and services. Perform other assigned duties as required.

Qualifications: You must meet the Basic Education Requirements listed in the education portion of this announcement AND the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Contract Specialist position, as described below. Please read these requirements carefully. Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must have at least 52 week of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 which is the next lower grade level of the normal line of progression of this position in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and has provided you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of qualifying specialized experience for the GS-11 Contract Specialist includes the following: Experience working with acquisition regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Experience working with various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items and special provisions. Experience with contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. Experience with negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements. Proficiency using an electronic Contract Writing and Management System and ability to fully solicit, award, and administer contracts. OR 3 full academic years of progressively higher graduate education OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR You may qualify on a combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education (in the required areas) in excess of the first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.

How to Apply: Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. You must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 -Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration. STEP 2 -Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 -Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 -On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 -Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a training a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-25