Program Manager / Senior Contract Specialist

We are seeking a Program Manager / Senior Contract Specialist to provide dedicated acquisition and contract management support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Acquisition Services (OAS).

This position will serve as the senior acquisition lead for contractor-delivered support across the federal acquisition lifecycle, including acquisition planning, solicitation development, evaluation support, award documentation, post-award administration, reporting, quality control, and day-to-day coordination with the Contracting Officer, COR, program offices, and contractor staff. The role is remote/contractor-facility based, with potential travel to Government facilities.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Program management and senior acquisition support services include, but are not limited to:

• Program Management and Team Oversight. Serve as the primary contractor lead responsible for coordinating work assignments, monitoring quality, tracking workload, identifying issues, supporting corrective action plans, and ensuring timely delivery of acquisition support services.
  • Manage and coordinate contractor support personnel performing acquisition lifecycle tasks for CDC OAS and supported program offices.
  • Track procurement action workload, milestones, action status, risks, and Procurement Administrative Lead Time (PALT) metrics.
  • Prepare and submit weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly status updates, including action counts, average PALT, in-transit files, issues, and corrective actions.
  • Maintain regular communication with the Contracting Officer, COR, program stakeholders, and contractor leadership to support workflow efficiency and customer satisfaction.
  • Ensure staffing continuity, professional conduct, ethical behavior, and compliance with non-personal services requirements.
  • Identify performance risks early and recommend practical solutions to maintain timely and acceptable performance.
• Pre-Award Acquisition Support. Provide senior-level support for procurement planning and pre-award activities under applicable federal acquisition requirements.
• Conduct and document market research, historical procurement reviews, and industry analysis.
• Advise on acquisition strategy, contract type, procurement approach, and applicability of FAR, HHSAR, and HHS/CDC local policy requirements.
• Support preparation, review, and routing of acquisition plans, market research documentation, determinations and findings, memoranda, checklists, and other file documentation for Government review.
• Attend acquisition planning meetings, support data calls, and coordinate timely reviews and approvals.
• Assist program offices in refining procurement requirements so packages are complete, supportable, and ready for acquisition action.
• Prepare and edit solicitation and file documents, including RFQs, RFPs, IFBs, combined synopsis/solicitations, memoranda, checklists, and supporting documentation.
• Support notices and postings through appropriate procurement channels, including SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, NITACC, NASA SEWP, and agency websites, as applicable.

• Evaluation, Award, and Procurement Documentation. Support Government review of offers or quotes and prepare professional, accurate, and complete award documentation.
  • Assist with control of vendor communications and support pre-proposal conferences, technical evaluations, past performance reviews, and source selection documentation.
  • Prepare analyses of business elements and pricing information, negotiation objectives, discussion support materials, and documentation of findings.
  • Prepare award documents, notices of award, debriefing or feedback materials, and Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reporting support.
  • Organize, quality-check, and submit complete electronic procurement files in accordance with CDC OAS requirements.
• Post-Award Contract Administration. Support post-award actions and contract administration activities for assigned procurement actions.
  • Participate in kick-off meetings and support contract administration communications among OAS, program offices, and contractors.
  • Prepare administrative, unilateral, and bilateral modifications with supporting documentation for Government review.
  • Assist with option exercise notices, contract term and condition accuracy checks, de-obligations, and other post-award actions.
  • Create and maintain digital/electronic contract file folders and deliver procurement files within required timeframes.
• CDC Systems, Compliance, and Records Management. Perform work in accordance with CDC, HHS, and federal acquisition, information security, privacy, records management, accessibility, and contractor identification requirements.
  • Use or support use of CDC’s Integrated Contract Expert (ICE) contract writing system and related procurement tools after Government-provided access and training.
  • Ensure documents and deliverables are suitable for Government review, accessible where applicable, and aligned with Section 508 expectations.
  • Comply with CDC contractor identification, non-disclosure, privacy, information security awareness, records management, and safeguarding requirements.
  • Protect non-public, procurement-sensitive, and controlled information and ensure contractor staff understand applicable disclosure and conflict-of-interest restrictions.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.

Experience: At least seven (7) years of experience in program management, contracting, acquisition planning, cradle-to-grave federal acquisition support, or a combination of these areas is required.

Certification: Current or previous Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) for a minimum of five (5) years is required, or a civilian equivalent certification/credential acceptable for senior federal acquisition support.

• Demonstrated senior-level knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR), and federal procurement lifecycle requirements.
• Experience supporting pre-award, solicitation, evaluation, award, post-award administration, modification, de-obligation, and closeout activities.
• Ability to lead, coordinate, and quality-review work performed by acquisition support staff while maintaining schedule, accuracy, and customer service expectations.
• Strong technical writing and document review skills, including the ability to produce clear, complete, and compliant acquisition documentation for Government review.
• Experience with contract writing and acquisition systems; previous CDC Integrated Contract Expert (ICE) experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience using or supporting procurement tools and systems such as FPDS, SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, contract file systems, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, and related reporting tools.
• Experience supporting small business coordination, SBA 8(a) documentation, GWAC or Schedule-based procurements, and federal strategic sourcing vehicles is preferred.
• Ability to facilitate meetings, respond to data calls, prepare executive-ready reports, and communicate acquisition status, risks, and recommendations to Government stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain complete, accurate, and auditable electronic contract files and submit procurement files within required deadlines.
• Experience preparing status reports that include procurement action status, workload volume, PALT metrics, issues, and corrective actions.
• Demonstrated ability to protect non-public, procurement-sensitive, and controlled information and comply with NDA, privacy, information security, and records management requirements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.

Security, Citizenship, and Access Requirements:

Candidates must be able to complete required HHS/CDC personnel security, suitability, identity proofing, and agency access procedures, including fingerprinting and background investigation requirements as applicable. The selected candidate must complete required CDC information security awareness, privacy, records management, role-based training where applicable, ICE training, and any required non-disclosure agreements before or upon beginning work. U.S. citizenship or work authorization requirements will be determined by contract and agency access requirements.

Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience supporting CDC, HHS, or another federal civilian health agency; prior OAS acquisition support experience; previous ICE experience; experience managing similar acquisition support teams; and demonstrated success supporting high-volume procurement actions with timely, accurate, and complete contract file documentation.