Contract Specialist (Direct Hire)- French Language Requirement
About This Position
This position serves as a senior Contract Specialist for the American Battle Monuments Commission with a duty station in Paris, France. The incumbent plans, awards, and administers complex overseas A-E, construction, and service contracts-including infrastructure and horticulture projects-supporting ABMC cemeteries worldwide. The ideal candidate has held a contracting officer warrant, exercises independent business judgment, and is proficient in French.
Qualifications
Language Requirement Because 16 of our 26 sites are in French-speaking countries, proficiency in French is a requirement for final selection. The Agency may correspond with applicants in French throughout the application process.
Applicants will be evaluated by a third-party testing facility prior to interview to determine their proficiency in speaking and reading French using the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. You should be prepared for a language evaluation immediately upon consideration. A minimum score of ILR speaking 2+ / reading 2+ is required to qualify.
More information on the ILR scale is available online. If you are selected at the minimum score(s), you may require completing a language training program and/or re-test as a condition of continued employment. Proficiency in languages other than French (particularly Italian, Dutch, Arabic, and Spanish), while not required for selection, should be indicated on your application.
Basic Requirements for GS-13 and above: 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 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.
Specialized Experience: For the GS-13 level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12); or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Serving as a warranted Contracting Officer (i.e., held a Contracting Officer warrant or Certificate of Appointment/COA) and exercising that authority to award and/or administer contracts. Independently performing the full range of pre-award and post-award contracting functions, such as acquisition planning; market research and analysis; development of solicitation documents; establishment of evaluation criteria; evaluation of offers/proposals; price and/or cost analysis; conducting negotiations; preparing award documentation; awarding contracts; administering contracts (including processing modifications and addressing performance issues); resolving contract administration problems; and performing contract closeout. Applying federal contracting principles, regulations, and policies in the execution of contracting actions.
Specialized Experience: For the GS-14 level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-13); or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Serving as a warranted Contracting Officer (i.e., held a Contracting Officer warrant or Certificate of Appointment/COA) and exercising that authority to lead, award, and administer complex contracting actions. Leading and executing complex, high-risk, or high-visibility acquisitions, including developing acquisition strategies and negotiation approaches; serving as lead negotiator; performing and/or overseeing price/cost analysis; awarding contracts; and directing complex contract administration actions (e.g., significant modifications, claims, disputes, or terminations). Providing authoritative contracting guidance beyond individual actions, such as developing procedures or templates, conducting quality or peer reviews, advising senior leadership or program officials, or providing technical guidance or training to acquisition personnel.
NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-1630 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards 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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment.
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.
Major Duties
The position serves as a senior Contract Specialist responsible for independently planning, negotiating, awarding, and administering complex contracts in support of ABMC's overseas mission. Work includes full lifecycle pre-award and post-award contracting for supplies, services, architect-engineer (A/E) requirements, and construction, often involving high-visibility and mission-critical requirements. The position requires a Contracting Officer warrant and exercises Contracting Officer authority to develop acquisition strategies; conduct market research; prepare solicitations; evaluate offers; perform price and cost analysis; negotiate terms; award and administer contracts; resolve contractual issues; and complete contract closeout actions, applying federal acquisition principles and adapting them to internal agency policies and host-nation laws and practices.
The position reports to the Chief Acquisition Officer/Senior Procurement Executive and coordinates with Headquarters and Overseas Operations leadership and stakeholders to execute the agency's contracting and procurement program. Overseas Information Please note the following information related to this overseas assignment: The selectee will be required to obtain a diplomatic passport and appropriate visas (at the cost of the Agency) prior to assignment. The selectee will be required to live in assigned, government quarters.
The selectee will receive post allowance and/or post differential in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) in lieu of locality pay. More information on DSSR benefits can be found here. On this overseas accompanied tour, medical, dental, and education services may not be available in the immediate location and/or may be provided solely by host nation providers.
The availability and level of care at host nation medical facilities will vary by location. Movement overseas may require the selectee to initiate a change in your health benefits plan to ensure coverage. Eligibility for foreign area benefits will be determined at the time of hire, and may change at any time depending on law, regulation and Agency policy.
Foreign laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of a selectee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the selectee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information before applying for or accepting this position. The majority of entitlements through a civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government will be considered taxable benefits by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
However, any additional taxes incurred will be offset either by government regulations, Agency policy, or both, as applicable.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.
Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates. Selectees for our overseas positions must complete specific pre-employment requirements, which we will facilitate after selection. This includes: background investigations, medical clearances, diplomatic passports, and country visas if applicable.
Due to these processes, the estimated time from Selection to Entrance on Duty is 3 - 6 months.
Additional Information
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility.
To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority, applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and have a rating of 85 or above. Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. To view the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12904144 You will receive an email notification when your application has been received. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position.
The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year); title, If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09, other qualifications. Please limit your resume to two (2) pages.
If more than two (2) pages, it will not be accepted in USA Jobs. Please note it is highly recommended that your resume is in the format that is recommended by USA Jobs. To learn how to format the resume go to USA Jobs Helpdesk If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. 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. If you submit multiple copies of the same document, only your most recent uploaded document (by date & time stamp) will be considered. If your resume or supporting documents are illegible or unreadable, or if you fail to include any of the above-mentioned required documents, you may lose consideration due to an incomplete application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
You may not be considered for any hiring eligibilities that you fail to list and/or support with proper documentation. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be considered further. If your application materials contain sensitive or inappropriate information, including but not limited to photographs; classified or government sensitive information; copied and pasted portions of this job announcement; obscene information, etc., you may not be considered.
Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for non-selection, disqualification from further consideration or withdrawal of tentative or final job offers.