Public Notice - Contract Specialist (Direct Hire)

Duties

*This Public Notice will be posted on a quarterly basis.

This Public Notice - Contract Specialist (Direct Hire) position is located in the Mission Support, Contracting and Procurement Division, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to:

• Drafting written solicitations that include the appropriate provisions and clauses for the requirement, assembled in a format appropriate to the acquisition method and market. Draft business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors.
• Apply acquisition strategies for non-complex contract actions. Research and identify recommendations on contracting matters that interpret, extend, or revise significant elements of contracting actions.
• Preparing business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors.
• Collaborate with customers to define procurement needs and analyze procurement requests to determine requirements, recommend changes to statements of work, and determine the appropriate type of contract.
• Assist with the receipt of quotation/proposals including the safeguarding, opening, tracking, assessing compliance with minimum solicitation requirements, and identifying the quotation/proposals that will not receive further consideration.

The duties described above reflects the full performance level of this position. Typically, at the lower Pay Bands (SV-E/F/G), you will perform the same duties but will receive more guidance and training; and projects or work assignments may be less complex.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. Financial Disclosure required.
6. You must comply with education and training requirements for this position.
7. You must follow and maintain FAC-C Professional requirements.
8. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

Conditions of Employment (If applicable): You must comply with the education and training requirements for this position; see below:

Basic Requirements for SV-E through SV-H (equiv. to GS-7 through GS-12):

• 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.
  
  Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for positions at the GS-7 level.

In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must meet the following requirement(s) to be considered qualified for the position:

To qualify for the SV-E Pay Band (equivalent to GS-7), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-D or GS-5 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must include ALL of the following:

1. Experience utilizing Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and related procurement statutes, Executive Orders, contracting rules, directives, policies and procedures to draft written solicitations; And
2. Experience applying acquisition strategies for non-complex contract actions.

OR

- One full year of graduate education 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

- Superior Academic Achievement

To qualify for the SV-F Pay Band (equivalent to GS-9), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-E or GS-7 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must include ALL of the following:

1. Experience utilizing Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and related procurement statutes, Executive Orders, contracting rules, directives, policies and procedures to draft written solicitations; And
2. Experience drafting written solicitations that include provisions and clauses for the requirement, in a format appropriate to the acquisition method and market; And
3. Experience collaborating with customers to define procurement needs and assist with proposals including the safeguarding, opening, tracking, assessing compliance, and identifying quotes/proposals that will not receive further consideration.

OR

- 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.

To qualify for the SV-G Pay Band (equivalent to GS-11), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-F or GS-9 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must include ALL of the following:

1. Experience utilizing the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and related procurement statutes, Executive Orders, contracting rules, directives, policies, procedures, and contracting administration principles to prepare solicitations; And
2. Experience applying contracting principles and procedures to perform the full range of pre-award and post-award procurement actions to include drafting written solicitation documents, performing cost/price analysis, and administering contracts of moderate complexity and value; And
3. Experience applying acquisition strategies for contract actions and research/identify recommendations on contracting matters that interpret, extend, or revise elements of contracting actions.

OR

- 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

To qualify for the SV-H Pay Band (equivalent to GS-12), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-G or GS-11 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience must include ALL of the following:

1. Experience performing the full range of pre-award and post-award functions for a variety of complex contractual actions to include conducting market research, developing solicitations, evaluating proposals, negotiating terms, and administering contracts and modifications; And
2. Experience drafting written solicitations and business clearance memoranda to document the negotiation process, cost/price analysis, technical evaluations, and other factors in addition to preparing contracts and supporting documentation (e.g., justifications and authorizations, determinations and findings, etc.) to ensure compliance with relevant policies, procedures, and regulations.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

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.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Education

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

Additional information

This position will be filled through use of TSA's Direct-Hire Authority pursuant to TSA MD 1100.30-26. Under the Direct-Hire Authority, category grouping and Veterans' Preference does not apply.

Eligibility to apply for other Federal positions: TSA is an Excepted Service agency exempt from most of Title 5 United States Code, including regulations which apply to displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) of other agencies, and employment with TSA does not confer "Competitive Status" that generally results from selection and service in Competitive Service agencies. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established an Interchange Agreement, which allows most permanent TSA employees to apply and be considered for vacancies in Competitive Service agencies. Information from OPM on this or other Interchange Agreements is available at: www.opm.gov/

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into this position.

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.

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.

TSA employees who are absent for the purpose of performing military duty may apply for any vacancies announced in their absence.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

If you are entering TSA employment on an appointment without time limitations, you must serve a basic trial period unless you have already met the requirement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments . ( https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information )

Client-provided location(s): Springfield, VA

Job ID: TSA-878200500

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Posted: 2026-07-29T20:20:51