Job opening: HR Specialist (Benefits Officer)
Salary: $59 966 - 153 354 per year
Published at: Feb 06 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/
Duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Associate Director for Administration, Human Resources Division (HRD), HR Benefits and Support Branch, Benefits and Systems Unit.
This position is responsible for carrying out a variety of benefits functions and advises management and counsels employees on such programs as health and life insurance, leave, Thrift Saving Plan (TSP) and other related benefits.
At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
Serves as the technical expert and provides guidance and assistance to managers, supervisors, and employees in executing a variety of employee benefits' programs, which may include workers' compensation, retirement, health and life benefits, Thrift Savings Program (TSP), and Long-Term Care Program.
Handles correspondence to employees/survivors on complex, delicate, or highly contested determinations of benefits eligibility and/or retirement coverage (e.g., FERCCA cases, VERA/VSIPs, employee death, re-employed annuitants, etc.).
Advises, interprets, designs, implements, and assesses benefits program policies and initiatives.
Responsible for carrying out benefits activities and providing advice to managers, supervisors, and employees concerning the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
Serves as the workers' compensation program manager in formulating, implementing, and managing the full range of policies, programs, and procedures.
Provides advice on/calculates retirement determinations in complex cases, such as re-employed annuitants and disability retirements; provides advice and guidance on similarly complex entitlement determinations where the benefit program and/or requirements are vague or difficult to apply specific cases.
Responsible for conducting periodic data integrity audits and for trouble-shooting areas of non-compliance in order to identify fundamental causes of such errors and to propose corresponding solutions.
BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
Salary Range Information (Per Annum): *First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
Sterling, VA & Washington DC:
GS-09: $68,405 - $88,926
GS-11: $82,764 - $107,590
GS-12: $99,200 - $128,956
GS-13:$117,962 - $153,354
Jefferson, LA:
GS-09: $59,966 - $77,955
GS-11: $72,553 - $94,317
GS-12: $86,962 - $113047
GS-13: $103,409 - $134,435
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
To qualify for this position, you must meet the Education or Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.
Specialized Experience:
NOTE: Applicants utilizing education to qualify at the respective grade level must provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) in order to verify that the educational requirement has been met. The documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information will result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating.
To Qualify for the GS-09 Grade Level, you must meet A, B, or C below to qualify for this position:
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GS-9 Specialized Experience:
A. To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully, the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
Making retirement coverage determinations upon appointment of employees; AND
Providing guidance on benefit entitlements when an employee has experienced a Qualifying Life Event; AND
Providing guidance to managers, supervisors, and employees concerning the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.; AND
Providing benefit information for separating Federal employees.
MUST MEET ALL IF QUALIFYING ON EXPERIENCE OR COMBINATION.
-OR-
B. Education: You may substitute education for experience if you have achieved:
Master's (or equivalent graduate degree), OR
2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR
LL.B. or J.D., if related.
C. Combination Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience that total 100% of the experience requirements for the GS-09 grade level.
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To Qualify for the GS-11 Grade Level, you must meet A, B, or C below to qualify for this position:
GS-11 Specialized Experience:
A. To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully, the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
Analyzes OPM and program guidance to advise management and counsel employees on eligibility for such programs as health and life insurance, leave, Thrift Saving Plan (TSP), physical capability requirements and /or the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA); AND
Coordinates with survivors on employee death in service benefit claims; AND
Conducts benefit and retirement trainings/presentations on Open Season and FERS retirement.
MUST MEET ALL IF QUALIFYING ON EXPERIENCE OR COMBINATION.
-OR-
B. Education: You may substitute education for experience if you have achieved:
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, OR
3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR
LL.M., if related.
-OR-
C. Combination Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience that total 100% of the experience requirements for the GS-11 grade level.
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At the GS-12 Grade level, you may not substitute education for experience.
GS-12 Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully, the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
Administers the benefits program and provides advice to managers and employees concerning complex reemployment benefit provisions; AND
Writes correspondence to employees/survivors on complex, delicate, or highly contested determinations of benefits eligibility; AND
Provides guidance on traumatic and occupational injury claims; AND
Provides advice on/calculates retirement determinations in complex cases, such as disability retirements; provides advice and guidance on similarly complex entitlement determinations where the benefit program and/or requirements are vague or difficult to apply specific cases.
MUST MEET ALL.
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At the GS-13 Grade level, you may not substitute education for experience.
GS-13 Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully, the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
Serves as the subject matter expert in estimating potential utilization rates of VERA/VSIP authority during periods of restructuring/downsizing; AND
Serves as the final authority with regards to reviewing workers' compensation chargeback discrepancies; AND
Serves as an Agency Benefits Officer, consultant, and/or advisor to carry out benefits/retirement services to serviced clientele.
MUST MEET ALL.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Education
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
Contacts
- Address Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
45600 Woodland Road
Sterling, VA 20166
US
- Name: Kelly Souza
- Phone: 703-787-1430
- Email: [email protected]