New Career Opportunity: Contract Management Support (CMS) at the LightHouse SF

The Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is seeking motivated legally blind individuals to join its Contract Management Support (CMS) training program.

The federal government is facing a critical shortage of qualified contracting personnel, and the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired has partnered with National Industries for the Blind to develop a training program to help meet this need while simultaneously providing high-growth career opportunities for people who are legally blind.

What is Contract Management Support?
Contract management support (CMS) services include the tasks required to conduct contract close-out and administration. These tasks range from research and analysis prior to awarding a contract to contract negotiation and post-award vendor follow-up.
In 2008, the federal government spent over $500 billion on the purchase of various goods and services, but is facing a critical shortage of qualified contract specialists as hiring has not kept up with retirements and government demand has increased for contracted goods and services.

What is National Industries for the Blind?
NIB’s mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. Careers ranging from manufacturing to call center operations, high-tech distribution and management exist through a nationwide network of associated agencies.

What is included in the CMS training?
NIB is partnering with the Department of Defense’s Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to provide the core training courses required to establish a foundation on contract management.  This is a 10 Week program and consists of four online courses and one on-site class.  Tuition is free to participants who are eligible for this training.

Who is eligible to apply?
In order to be considered for this program, candidates must:
•    Be a U.S. Citizen
•    Be legally blind
•    Have Bachelor’s degree, or 24 semester hours in a combination of the following fields:  accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
•    Be proficient using adaptive technology such as Zoomtext and/or JAWS

For more information please contact Sam Rodriguez, Assistant Director Business Services, at 415-694-7360 or send resume to srodriguez@lighthouse-sf.org