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Contract Specialist

DLA Careers
Philadelphia, PA Full Time
POSTED ON 11/27/2025
AVAILABLE BEFORE 12/27/2025
Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

Duties

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  • Responsible for all actions related to acquisition planning, solicitations, evaluation, negotiations, contract award, contract administration, and contract management functions.
  • May serve as a warranted contracting officer.
  • Exercises extensive knowledge of local, agency, and federal acquisition regulations and statutory laws to manage complex acquisition program.
  • Develops negotiation strategies and objectives and assures high quality decisions and actions during all phases of the acquisition process – including contract performance, cost analysis, and administration of corporate and long-term contracts.
  • Organizes meetings with contractors to plan objectives, obtain contractual agreements, negotiate post-award modifications, termination settlements, and pricing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Tour of Duty: Flexible (https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Join-Our-Team/Benefits/#Work)
  • Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
  • Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
  • Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
  • Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
  • Bargaining Unit Status: Yes
  • Acquisition Workforce Position NON- CAP: Defense Acquisition Workforce position. Must complete DoD certification and other requirements. See Addtl Info.
  • Financial Disclosure Requirement: Required

Qualifications

To qualify for a Contract Specialist your resume and supporting documentation must support: 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.

  • Basic Contracting Requirement: A.) A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees OR B.) a current civilian employee in DoD or member of the Armed Forces, who occupied an 1102 position, contracting officer position, or comparable military contracting position with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold on or before September 30, 2000, are excluded from the requirements of "A.)" above.
  • Contracting Officer Requirement: Must possess at least two years of experience in a contracting position.
  • Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. In addition to meeting the Basic Contracting and Contracting Officer Requirements above, to qualify for the GS-13 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-12 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:
  • Conducts extensive negotiations which address issues related to specialized contracts.
  • Analyzes difficult contracting issues and identifies alternative courses of action requiring significate departures from previous approaches
  • Performs cost or price analysis, including reviewing cost breakdowns to determine reasonableness.
  • Administers and monitors long-term contracts which require numerous contract changes and special provisions.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

Additional information

For Important General Applicant Information and Definitions go to: http://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/careers/GenAppInfoDef.pdf

Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF

Information for Veterans is available at: https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/. As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Drug-Free Workplace: The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has established a Drug-Free Federal Workplace Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for DLA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with DLA for a period of six months. This policy extends to random testing for the use of illegal drugs by employees who occupy testing designated positions defined as sensitive in Section 7(d) of Executive Order 12564. The Defense Logistics Agency's Drug Free Workplace Plan's drug testing panel includes testing for the following illegal substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates (codeine/morphine), 6-Acetylmorphine (heroin), phencyclidine, amphetamines (amphetamine/methamphetamine), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone. ADVISORY: By using cannabidiol (CBD) products you are risking a positive drug test result for marijuana.

Acq Workforce - Non-CAP: Position requires DoD Acquisition Contracting (C) / CON, Professional (Foundational) acquisition certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you are an eligible ICTAP applicant you may apply for special selection over other candidates for this position. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at a score of 85 or higher for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Salary.com Estimation for Contract Specialist in Philadelphia, PA
$76,659 to $97,775
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