Easter Seals Jobs

Summary The Department of Commerce ranked top 5 in the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government amongst large agencies for the 12th year in a row! The ranking showcases the Department's continued commitment to increasing our employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and positive perceptions towards diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates. Responsibilities In this position, you will: Serve as a contract specialist for all potential activities for the full acquisition cycle (pre-award and post-award) for a wide variety of complex, mission-critical acquisitions of products and services. Be responsible for all actions related to acquisition planning, solicitation, evaluation, negotiations, contract award, contract administration, and contract management functions for highly specialized and significant agency procurements. Develop acquisition planning and procurement objectives to create complex supply and/or service contracts; utilize intricate contractual strategies requiring original research, unique requirements, and long-term acquisition impact. Prepare solicitations and may conduct pre-solicitation/pre-proposal conferences to afford industry opportunities to ask questions, express concerns, or offer suggestions that impact the overall acquisition strategy. Maintain full responsibility for contract administration and adherence; determine actions related to contract performance, coordinate support for programs, establish milestones and performance schedules, and ensure compliance. Analyze price and cost data contained in the contractor's proposals to ascertain the reasonableness of price with or without competitive pricing. Conduct negotiations to consummate award actions with responsible contractors; ensure the government's requirements are obtained at a fair and reasonable price and within the required timeframes established. Investigate and handle complex, controversial post-award actions and problems; explain and justify issues and positions; and resolve particular contractual claims. Conduct training in the contracting functions for technical, administrative, and contract support personnel. Perform mentoring and review of work products for other contract specialists who are performing pre-award and post-award actions. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENTS: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR Completion of 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. IN ADDITION to the basic qualification requirements above, an applicant must meet the criteria below: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 (ZA-II for NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience in contracting principles and procedures applicable to pre-award and/or post-award actions sufficient to procure and/or administer contracts for a variety of specialized equipment, services, and/or construction. This includes skill in negotiating sole-source contracts and modifications. 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 qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration Education This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required prior to a final offer of employment. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course-by-course listing) is required with your application. Additional Information This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Learn more about the APMS here! A probationary period may be required. This position requires the filing of an OGE-450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of onboarding and annually thereafter. We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy. NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as: Telework Flexible work schedules Paid parental leave Paid vacation Sick leave Family-friendly leave Childcare subsidy program for qualifying families Back-up child care program Child and elder-care resources On-site childcare center Lactation spaces Wellness programs Fitness center Employee assistance programs