Human Resources Specialist

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
  
  

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

FOR THE GS-09 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Knowledge of personnel management programs, methods, policies, laws, and procedures in order to perform a variety of Human Resources activities.
• Delivering presentations and briefings to managers, supervisors, or employees on various HR topics.
• Communicating orally and in writing in order to respond to HR questions from field employees and write internal SOPs on HR processes.
• Provide advisory services include relaying, interpreting, and recommending methods for applying policies and procedures.
  
  

OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Policy, or a closely related field of study.

Note: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Independently performs fact-finding and research to develop background information for formulating or revising segments of personnel policies, programs, and procedures.
• Reviews and analyzes personnel operations to assure meeting statutory and regulatory requirements
• Develop and deliver presentations and briefings to managers, supervisors, or employees on various HR topics.
• Provides advice and support to supervisor(s) and other staff on all personnel matters, to include recruitments, separations, performance management, and employee relations.
  
  

OR Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Policy, or a closely related field of study

Note: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Provides technical expertise and assistance to management on the interpretation and implementation of new and/or substantially revised personnel laws, regulations, policies, and/or procedures.
• Developing, monitoring, and implementing personnel policies and procedures including but not limited to performance management, employee relations, recruitment, employment, staffing, retirement, compensation, position classification, employee development and training.
• Advising and making recommendations to managers and supervisors on employee conduct and performance issues.
• Independently develops and deliver training, presentations, and briefings to managers, supervisors, or employees on a variety of HR topics.
  
  

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS Are Required If

• This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.
  
  

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Experience in related fields that did not involve the use and understanding of economic principles and theories may not be used as qualifying experience for these positions.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
• Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
• This position is being concurrently announced under Case Exam Announcement Number DE-12622512-DY-25. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
• Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
• Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
• Worksite Information: This is a 100% remote position that must be located within the cities listed in the vacancy announcement. The duty station for a remote designation is the selectee's home and must be established within the defined geographic options prior to start date. The selectee is not required to regularly work from a government facility however, the option may be available.
  
  

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• Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.