Human Resources Specialist (ER)

Not Required

Duties

Major Duties Include: Functioning as a principal and senior advisor to all levels of management officials within the VACO Staff Offices for all Employee Relations matters and serving as an expert consultant on issues related to conduct, performance, attendance, and dispute resolution. Conducting research of complex legal or regulatory issues raised by Staff Office managers, supervisors, and employees and provides interpretation and guidance on issues of fact and law. Reviewing complaint and/or grievance actions and performing fact finding as necessary to advise management. Analyzing, evaluating, and developing major aspects of agency-wide ER/LR programs. Functioning as a principal and senior advisor to all levels of management officials within the VACO Staff Offices for all Labor Relations matters and serves as an expert advisor to management regarding the establishment and maintenance of effective relationships with relevant labor organizations. Providing advice to management on questions raised by unions in complying with terms of contracts, requirements of the statute, means of settling disputes, etc. and investigates disputes, unfair labor charges, and formal/informal complaints. Analyzing negotiated agreements and conducting special studies to develop improvements in management's positions and/or to respond to union's demands. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: May be available Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is a virtual position. Where you will work from one of the locations listed above. Position Description/PD#: PD41348A and PD41349A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/08/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. AND Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade. The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above. To qualify for this position at the GS-12/13 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria: Criteria 1- In order to qualify for the GS-12, Graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level or One year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical, or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: advising managers about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques that are responsive to a range of conduct and performance problems; conducting research on complex legal or regulatory issues involving ER/LR issues; providing labor relations consultative service on reorganizations, realignments, relocations, reduction in force, transfer of function and outsourcing to educate management on potential impact of these decisions on bargaining unit employees. ~OR~ Criteria 1-In order to qualify for the GS-13, Graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. One year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical, or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: experience providing management consultative service involving ER/LR to render expert advisory service and/or authoritative policy interpretations on highly complex agencywide issues; serving as a recognized ER/LR senior advisor by other senior HR staff and program managers; reviewing ER/LR policy to ensure consistency in their application and recommend modifications; resolving unfair labor practice charges and complaints, arbitration of grievances, resolution of negotiability issues, and conformance of labor agreements with applicable laws. Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix F1; Human Resources Specialist Qualification Standards GS-0201. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office. Qualifications: Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified for the GS12: applicants must meet the following qualifications Knowledge of a wide range of HR case laws, programs, principles, policies and practice. Must be able to perform detailed analyses and draw conclusions on complex legal matters. Must possess conflict resolution techniques to interact with occasionally highly charged emotional situations. Must be knowledgeable in negotiation, mediation, advocacy and legal research techniques. To be found well qualified for the GS13:Applicants must meet the following qualifications: Must possess the ability to advise management and executive of various employee relation programs. Must have knowledge of the complaint process and be able to advise management on complex employee relations issues. Knowledge of conduct, performance and attendance issues and disciplinary methods for corrective actions. Experience reviewing complaints and grievance actions. Able to educate management of the complaint process. Able to participate in staffing determination and establish training needs, SOPs, training and development for HR staff. Must be able to develop Memorandums of Understanding and Service Level Agreements. Knowledge of laws, policies and procedures pertaining to employee relations matters. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Other Information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information