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Posted: January 15, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Contract Specialist - DIRECT HIRE

Drug Enforcement Administration

Department of Justice

Fresh

Location

Salary

$85,447 - $158,322

per year

Closes

January 20, 2026More DEA jobs →

GS-11 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $62,107 - $80,737

Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-10. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 years graduate study.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves managing contracts for the Drug Enforcement Administration, including developing policies, ensuring compliance with rules, and handling purchases of supplies and services.

It supports the agency's financial operations and works closely with the Department of Justice.

A good fit would be someone with a business or finance background who enjoys detail-oriented work in government procurement and has experience analyzing needs and reviewing bids.

Key Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in any field or at least 24 semester hours in areas like accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management
  • For GS-11: One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09, including receiving and analyzing requirements for supplies/services, assisting with legal reviews and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) compliance, and reviewing contractor proposals or bids; or 3 years of graduate education/Ph.D.

    in relevant fields

  • For GS-12: One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 in advanced contract operations and acquisition activities
  • Ability to lead contract operations, develop and implement acquisition policies, and ensure DEA-wide compliance
  • Experience supporting acquisition systems and coordinating with DOJ regulations
  • Submission of college transcripts if qualifying based on education

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administrator (DEA), Financial Management Division (FC), Office of Acquisition (FA).

This position(s) primary purpose is to lead and carry out operations in the area of contract operations, acquisition policy development, implementation, and compliance activities of DEA-wide-level regulations and support for acquisition systems throughout DEA and in coordination with DOJ.

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

The Contracting Series, 1102, has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), which must be met in addition to the specialized experience. Basic Qualification Requirements for GS-11 A.

4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR B.

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.

AND Applicants applying for the GS-11 must meet one of the following requirements: A.

Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-09 grade level.

Specialized 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.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Receiving and analyzing requirements for supplies, equipment, and services from organizations; 2) Assisting with legal sufficiency review of all actions and compliance with law such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): and 3) Assisting in the review of proposals or bids from contractors.

OR B. 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree 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.

Basic Qualification Requirements for GS-12 A. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR B.

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.

AND Applicants applying for the GS-12 must meet one of the following requirements: A.

Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-11 grade level.

Specialized 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.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Receiving and analyzing requirements for supplies, equipment, and services from organizations; 2) Ensuring the legal sufficiency of all actions and compliance with law such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR); and 3) Reviewing proposals or bids from contractors.

Basic Qualification Requirements for GS-13 A.

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 B.

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.

C. Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000.

This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met.

However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver.

AND Applicants applying for the GS-13 must meet one of the following requirements: A.

Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-12 grade level.

Specialized 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.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Overseeing contract negotiations with prospective contractors; 2) Conducting analysis to assess risk evaluation and contract resolution; and 3) Leading the legal sufficiency of all actions and compliance with law such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook. Major Duties:

As a Contract Specialist - DIRECT HIRE, your typical work assignments may include: Serves as a project leader coordinating acquisition activities and acts as official contract administrator during the life of the contract.

Justifies and approves, pre-solicitation documents and statements of work, pre-award documents, and contracts and agreements.

Analyzes a variety of policy issues identified through review of DEA acquisition and procurement operations and government purchase card program, and related financial management areas.

Identifies, oversees, and coordinates acquisition compliance issues including but not limited to audits, program reviews, and internal reviews.

Performs or reviews activities related to procurement of goods or services with specialized, critical or scarce requirements using formal advertisement or negotiations.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 1/15/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 1/15/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: H-DEA-26-12854079-DHA-LK