Summary This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Coast Guard (USCG), United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), Business Operations Division located in New London, CT 06320. Responsibilities You will serve as a Contract Specialist and be responsible for planning and recommending for execution, contractual actions and phases for assigned programs. Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team. Typical work assignments include: Soliciting bids to procure a variety of requirements and negotiates and administering contracts. Assisting higher level employees with contract termination procedures. Performing basic analyses for firm fixed price or similar contracts. Participating as a team member on an Acquisition Management Review Team; or any equivalent assignment. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Key Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov A one-year probationary period may be required. Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation. This is a Bargaining Unit position. Qualifications Basic Requirements: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience or substitution of education for experience or combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: EDUCATION: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; or 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. AND To qualify at the GS-09 grade level, applicants must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the federal sector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. Specialized experience must include the following: Assisting customers in formulating requirement packages. Creating and issuing solicitations. Performing recurring or developmental assignments involving the use of formal advertising or basic negotiations procedures. Performing basic analysis of contracts. OR Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-09 level by possessing a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the position being filled. OR Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-07 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the grade GS-09. Therefore, only education in excess of 1 full year of graduate level education may be used to combine education and experience. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. NOTE: Education can be substituted for experience at this grade level. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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. Education This position does have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here AND FAC-C Professional Certification: Training is referenced within the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Modernization Memo issued by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy on January 19, 2023. Applicants must meet the FAC-C Professional requirements and be certified at the time of application. Possession of certification must be indicated as part of the application submission AND a copy of certificate/certification is required at time of application. Applicants not certified may still apply and be selected but must achieve certification within 24 months of appointment. A valid Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, provided the FAC-C education and continuous learning requirements have been met. Additional Information E-Verify 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. Fair Chance Act The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to Stephanie.L.Williams@uscg.mil. Suitability Statement If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Shared Certificates Statement Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Special Employment Consideration 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. More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued. If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s). If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 1(888)992-7387. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation Below is the link to the list of CRSP's, which are assigned by area: https://www.uscg.mil/Resources/Civil-Rights/Service-Providers/