Senior contract specialist

Black Fox is a certified ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 22301:2019 firm with an array of experience in managing and delivering professional services to public, private, education institutions, and nonprofit organizations across the globe. Black Fox has exemplified excellence by receiving the 2021 University of Connecticut’s School of Business Veteran Impact Award, the 2022 Department of Labor’s HIREVet Medallion Gold Award, and the 2023 Small Business Administration Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year Award.

Since its inception, Black Fox has been a recognized leader in the development and implementation of information management and solutions. We depend on a diverse team of talented staff to design, develop, and deploy information solutions for our clients.

Scope of Work:

The Senior Contract Specialist provides expert, non-personal acquisition support to the Black Fox. This individual executes tasks across the entire procurement lifecycle — from the earliest stages of market research and requirements definition through award, administration, modification, and closeout — in strict accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR). The Senior Contract Specialist works directly alongside OHCA Contracting Officers, providing the analytical rigor, regulatory precision, and documentation quality that enables ASPR to execute contracts that protect the nation’s public health preparedness.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct rigorous market research using GSA CALC, FPDS-NG, USAspending, and SAM.gov to establish defensible price baselines.
• Draft clear, comprehensive Statements of Work (SOW) and Performance Work Statements (PWS).
• Develop accurate Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCEs) built on labor-hour decomposition, escalation modeling, and comparable-buy analysis.
• Prepare complete solicitation packages, including Determinations and Findings (D&Fs), Justifications and Approvals (J&As), and Acquisition Plans.
• Serve as a non-voting advisor during source selection; provide objective cost and price analysis.
• Draft clean, defensible Price Negotiation Memorandums (PNMs) and award documents.
• Monitor contractor milestones against the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.
• Review invoices for accuracy against CLIN structures within three (3) business days.
• Reconcile funding and de-obligations; maintain FAR 4.8-compliant contract file documentation.
• Support the Contracting Officer in drafting modifications, processing closeouts (including final reconciliation and release of claims), and responding to data calls, FOIA requests, and Congressional inquiries within mandated suspense dates.
• Participate in internal peer-review gates prior to deliverable submission to maintain a 95% first-pass acceptance rate.
• Adhere to all HHS mandatory training requirements and CUI handling protocols consistent with NIST SP 800-171.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Public Administration, Finance, or a related field. Or equivalent work experience.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of federal contract specialist experience (GS-1102 series or equivalent), including demonstrated experience across the full acquisition lifecycle (pre-award, award, post-award, closeout). Demonstrated experience with multiple contract types, including Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Labor-Hour (LH), Time-and-Materials (T&M), and Cost-Reimbursement. Experience supporting HHS, ASPR, NIH, CDC, or other public-health-mission agencies is highly preferred. Familiarity with emergency acquisition authorities (FAR Part 18), interagency agreements, and large-dollar contract administration ($50M+) is a plus. Prior experience with OASIS+, GSA MAS, or SeaPort NxG vehicles is a plus.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Expert-level fluency in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR), and applicable supplements. Experience with simplified acquisition procedures, competitive negotiated procurements, and sole-source justifications. Proficiency with federal contract writing systems, PRISM, FPDS-NG, USAspending, SAM.gov, and GSA CALC. Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Word). FAC-C Level II or higher, or DAWIA Contracting certification preferred. CON 100, 124, 127, or equivalent coursework. Demonstrated ability to work autonomously in a telework environment, manage competing priorities, and deliver high-quality work products under tight deadlines.

Personal Attributes:

Able to be trusted with sensitive information, including CUI and acquisition-sensitive data. Experienced at working both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. Advanced interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills. Ability to conduct research into acquisition issues, regulatory updates, and market conditions as assigned. Can conform to shifting priorities, demands, and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Must be able to learn, understand, and apply new regulatory guidance quickly. Highly self-motivated and directed. Proven analytical and creative problem-solving abilities. Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure, mission-critical environment.

Clearance:

Must be able to obtain and maintain an HHS Tier 2 Public Trust.

Salary:

$105,000.00 with benefits