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Ascension is seeking a Federal Acquisition Communications and Training Specialist to support communications, outreach, documentation, training, and stakeholder-engagement activities associated with NIH-wide and multi-agency acquisition contract vehicles.

This position is intended for a communications and training professional who can take complex Federal acquisition information and turn it into clear, accurate, accessible, and user-friendly guidance for Government customers, contracting personnel, program offices, contract vehicle users, and industry partners.

The successful candidate will help NIH make acquisition vehicles easier to understand and use by developing communication plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), ordering guides, presentations, fact sheets, frequently asked questions (FAQs), website materials, templates, training tools, vendor kick-off materials, road-show content, and other supporting communications.

Ascension is looking for someone who combines strong writing and editing skills with presentation development, training-support capability, stakeholder awareness, and exceptional attention to detail. The right candidate will be comfortable working in a Federal environment where documents may undergo multiple levels of Government review and where accuracy, accessibility, consistency, confidentiality, and timeliness are essential.

This role is particularly well suited to someone who can understand technical or policy-driven information, determine what an audience needs to know, and transform that information into clear and practical communications.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Federal Acquisition Communications and Training Specialist will primarily support NIH/OALM activities associated with category management, strategic sourcing, NIH-wide and multi-agency contract vehicles, communications, outreach, and customer/vendor training.

The specialist will work with Contracting Officers (COs), Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs), acquisition specialists, program personnel, vendors, and other stakeholders to develop materials that help customers understand available contract vehicles, ordering procedures, responsibilities, requirements, and available acquisition resources.

A major focus of the position will be helping Government personnel successfully introduce, communicate, and sustain contract vehicles through structured communications and training. This may include preparing materials for vendor kick-off meetings, customer training sessions, road shows, quarterly contractor meetings, informational campaigns, website updates, and other outreach initiatives.

The ideal candidate will be a detail-oriented and highly organized communicator who can manage multiple assignments and deadlines while maintaining document quality and consistency. The individual should be self-driven, comfortable working with limited day-to-day supervision, capable of anticipating information needs, and able to identify gaps or ambiguities in communications before materials reach Government stakeholders.

The candidate should also be capable of working in an environment where priorities can change rapidly and where the Government may need materials revised, updated, or produced within short timeframes.

This is a contractor support position. The individual will not have authority to negotiate contracts, make Government acquisition decisions, obligate Government funds, or otherwise act as an agent of the Government.

Key Responsibilities and Day-to-Day Activities

• DEVELOP communication plans supporting the introduction, implementation, use, and ongoing administration of NIH-wide and multi-agency contract vehicles.
• CREATE clear, professional, and user-friendly acquisition communications for Government customers, vendors, program offices, and other stakeholders.
• DRAFT and maintain Standard Operating Procedures, ordering guides, reference guides, job aids, templates, instructions, and other procedural documentation.
• DEVELOP presentations, briefing decks, agendas, talking points, resource materials, handouts, and supporting documentation for vendor kick-off meetings.
• PREPARE customer-training presentations, training aids, instructional materials, reference documents, and supporting tools that enable users to understand how to properly access and use contract vehicles and associated ordering processes.
• DESIGN informative “how-to” presentations that simplify acquisition processes and make contract vehicles more understandable and user-friendly.
• CREATE road-show presentations and supporting materials used to communicate contract capabilities and answer stakeholder questions.
• DRAFT post-award fact sheets, FAQs, announcements, guidance documents, and reference materials explaining contract vehicle capabilities and procedures.
• DEVELOP and update website content, downloadable resources, templates, procedural materials, and other online information supporting acquisition users.
• COORDINATE content required for quarterly contractor/vendor meetings, including meeting topics, communications, agendas, presentations, schedules, and supporting materials.
• SUPPORT communications with contractors and vendors regarding meetings, training, operational guidance, and contract-vehicle administrative activities.
• COLLABORATE with Contracting Officers, CORs, acquisition specialists, program personnel, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to gather, validate, and translate information into usable communications products.
• EDIT and proofread correspondence, presentations, reports, guidance, training materials, website content, and other Government-facing documents for clarity, grammar, accuracy, consistency, and professional presentation.
• FORMAT documents and electronic materials in accordance with applicable Government standards and Section 508 accessibility requirements.
• MAINTAIN document templates, communications resources, training materials, presentation libraries, FAQs, guides, and other reusable program content.
• TRACK requested changes, Government comments, document versions, approvals, and publication status to maintain effective configuration and version control.
• INCORPORATE Government feedback into revised documents and produce final materials within established delivery schedules.
• SUPPORT transition-in and transition-out activities by organizing communication resources, training materials, background documentation, templates, presentations, and knowledge-transfer materials.
• ASSIST with the preparation of transition training materials and knowledge-transfer sessions when transition activities are exercised.
• ENSURE information presented to Government and external audiences is consistent, accurate, current, accessible, and approved through the appropriate review process.
• PROTECT procurement-sensitive, proprietary, confidential, Privacy Act, and other non-public Government information encountered while performing assigned duties.