The VHA has adopted the HR Modernization and Shared Services (SS) Implementation, which is a new model of organizing and consolidating essential Human Resource (HR) functions and services to the VISN level. This streamlined and focused approach moves VHA forward in its continuum of providing comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care to Veterans. ***A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for this position.***

Duties

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. SLRP: This occupational series is eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Participants must sign a service agreement and maintain an acceptable level of performance to remain eligible for this program. Duties: Duties include, but are not limited to the following. -Provides technical guidance, advice and counseling to management officials and supervisors to address issues with workforce-related conduct and performance. -Develops strategies to respond to employee-related issues. -Prepares appropriate agency responses to employee relations matters. -Provides consultation on associated program areas, such as reasonable accommodation and leave management. -Delivers training for management and employees on a variety of employee relations topics. -Incumbent prepares a variety of correspondence on behalf of the agency to address complex employee relations matters including, disciplinary and adverse actions, settlement agreements, and congressional correspondence. -Advises management officials at all levels of the network, including senior leaders, about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques in response to a range of conduct and performance problems. -Resolves disputes and evaluates events and/or identifies aggravating or mitigating factors relevant to the case. -Conducts extensive analysis to identify obscure or underlying causes of misconduct or poor performance. -Provides services to an integrated healthcare network, ensuring strict adherence to all contractual and regulatory timeframes. -Develops management strategies to respond to labor issues. -Prepares appropriate agency responses to labor-related matters. -Offers technical guidance, information and assistance to management and senior leadership officials on sensitive, serious, and controversial labor relations issues regarding employees in a wide variety of administrative and clinical occupations with substantial differences in working conditions, entitlement, and occupational practices and policies. -Incumbent provides technical and consultative guidance, including actions of a disciplinary or adverse nature, grievances, demands to bargain, impasse proceedings, local bargaining, unfair labor practices, performance management and recognition, employee counseling, appeals, complaints, drug testing and related functions. -Provides management with interpretation of policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements. -Researches and interprets legal and regulatory program guidance, including case law, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, and VA Handbooks and Directives. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level, GS-12, 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, Administrative Days Compressed/Flexible: At supervisors discretion Telework: ADHOC-May be authorized (Employees who Telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Remote: This is not a remote position. Position Description/PD#: Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations/Labor Relations)/PD99976S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive: This occupation is currently approved for a Critical Skills Incentive (CSI) through October 7, 2023. Candidate may be eligible for a pro-rated CSI amount if onboarded prior to the CSI expiration date. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/17/2023. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. 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-9 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 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: Applying the principles, concepts, legal requirements, and methodology of an employee relations/labor relations program; interpreting, explaining, and applying a body of law, regulations, and procedures; analyzing facts, identifying problems, reporting findings, making conclusions, and recommending corrective or other appropriate action; and preparing correspondence that required research. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 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: Provides technical guidance, advice and counseling to management officials and supervisors to address issues with workforce-related conduct and performance; analyzes changes to regulations and policies to determine the impact on the labor relations program; knowledge of, and skill in applying, employee relations concepts, principles, practices, and case law (e.g., related to reasonable accommodation, prohibited HR practices, and third-party powers and procedures) in order to advise management. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first two years) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria: Criteria 1- Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. 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: Applying the principles, concepts, legal requirements, and methodology of an employee relations/labor relations program; interpreting, explaining, and applying a body of law, regulations, and procedures; analyzing facts, identifying problems, reporting findings, making conclusions, and recommending corrective or other appropriate action; and preparing correspondence that required research. ~OR~ Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (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: Provides services to an integrated healthcare network, ensuring strict adherence to all contractual and regulatory timeframes. Advises management officials at all levels of the network, including senior leaders, about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques in response to a range of conduct and performance problems; Explains rules and procedures to employees and management to help them understand rights and obligations while maintaining and encouraging objectivity in situations that may be charged with emotion and involve assumptions; Conducts and Advises on ER matters, all proposed adverse actions, coordination and oversight, including OAWP, DAB, AIB, fact findings, grievance examiner, state licensure reviews, suitability, Drug Free Workplace, Workplace Violence Prevention Program, and third-party hearing representation; provides technical and consultative guidance, including actions of a disciplinary or adverse nature, grievances, demands to bargain, impasse proceedings, local bargaining, unfair labor practices, performance management and recognition, employee counseling, appeals, complaints, drug testing and related functions. Preferred Experience: Employee Relations/Labor Relations experience at the Federal level, Federal Human Resources experience, and a degree in Human Resources.

Education

Qualifying education for the GS-0201 series includes courses and programs in HR, HR development, HR management, business, business management/administration, industrial relations, labor relations, industrial psychology, organizational psychology, organizational development, management, organizational behavior, pre-law/law, legal studies, health care management/administration, public administration, public policy, human services, leadership and/or humanities.

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.

Contacts

• Address VISN 23 VA Midwest Health Care Network 2805 DODD ROAD SUITE 250 EAGAN, MN 55121-2123 US
• Name: Nola Mattson
• Phone: 320-252-1670 X6621
• Email: [email protected]