Your steps to apply
Contract Specialist
National Gallery of Art · Washington, District of Columbia · Closes in 10 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Open to U.S. citizens and nationals, and people who owe allegiance to the U.S. Veterans' preference and time-in-grade restrictions do not apply under this direct hire authority.
Experience: You need at least 1 year of specialized experience equal to the GS-11 level to qualify for GS-11, or equal to the GS-11 level for GS-12 as well. The experience must include contract administration using formal advertising or negotiation, price or cost analysis, reviewing vendor proposals, applying procurement rules, and building Microsoft Office materials for acquisition meetings.
Education: A 4-year bachelor's degree in any major, or at least 24 semester hours in fields like accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, or management. Applicants with Superior Academic Achievement qualify for GS-7. For GS-11, a doctoral degree, 3 years of full-time graduate study toward one, or a related LL.M. can replace specialized experience. The school must be accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized body.
Licenses and certifications:
- FAC-C (Professional) certification from FAI or DAWIA, or eligibility for it
- Or the ability to earn FAC-C certification within 12 months of appointment
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 10 days (November 13, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
This job will close once the agency receives 100 applications, which may happen before the stated closing date.
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: Your resume is checked against the required qualifications, then rated on competencies like knowledge of contract types, acquisition planning, clear writing, communication, and problem solving. A Subject Matter Expert reviews your application, and some applicants may be asked for writing or work samples. Missing required documents or information can lead to an ineligible rating or loss of consideration.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, a security clearance (Other), then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Show the month and year for each job, plus your weekly hours, on your resume.
- Attach a copy of your FAC-C certification or note your eligibility and source (FAI or DAWIA).
- Apply early, since the job may close after 100 applications.
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