This position is in the Employee Relations & Performance Management Service (ER&PMS), Office of Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO). The incumbent supervises a team responsible for providing expert advice and assistance on title 5 and title 38 employee relations matters. Responsibilities include development and maintenance of Department-wide policies and guidance on disciplinary/adverse actions, grievances/appeals, performance management, recognition and awards, and Drug Free Workplace Program.

Duties

Seek customer input, opinions, and feedback in connection with activities of the service. Assess information obtained from customers to ascertain the extent to which customer service standards are being met. Serve as an advocate for and promote a customer focus within the Service and throughout OCHCO. Assess the HR needs of customer organizations and ensure that these needs are met through existing or new HR programs. Provide expert employee relations advisory and policy development services to customers Department-wide. Provide consulting and problem resolution services to field HR community, including line managers, as well as VA Central Office elements. Lead or participate on ad hoc project teams developing major new policies/programs/products that are strategically aligned with the direction of VA's business needs. Participate in demonstration projects to test new and innovative HR practices, systems, or policies. Analyze major Department or line organization initiatives having HR implications and develop strategies to assist these organizations in achieving their objectives. Formulate the Service's annual budget by identifying Service resource needs for delivering optimum customer services.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

To qualify for the Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations) position, candidates must meet the basic requirements AND grade level qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees or 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-15 Position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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-15 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-13 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: serving as the subject matter expert and technical advisor for human resources systems and automated technologies; highly skilled in human resource systems and analysis; expert knowledge and skill in program evaluation techniques related to performance management; designing comprehensive studies to validate theories or proposed solutions for new system functionalities or enhancements; providing expert advisory services and/or policy interpretation on complex issues involving performance management; knowledge of VA human resources, manpower management, and workforce planning strategic objectives, major issues, and program goals; leading system-level initiatives and/or workgroups; planning, organizing, monitoring and reviewing work of a workgroup or team; completing database retrieval and manipulation; developing a training plan, training materials (user guides/job aides), conducting training, and incorporating feedback into future training sessions. OR Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 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 1). Knowledge of laws, regulations, policies, and practices related to employee relations and performance management service (ER&PMS) portfolio (e.g., disciplinary/adverse actions, grievances/appeals, performance management, awards, etc.) sufficient to provide Department-level policy development, guidance/assistance, and program oversight. 2). Ability to supervise/lead a team of Employee Relations Specialists (e.g., assign work & establish priorities, provide advice & guidance to staff, evaluate performance, take appropriate personnel actions, employee engagement, etc.). 3). Ability to provide guidance and assistance to VA leaders, HR offices, and employees on the full range of issues in the employee relations and performance management portfolio. 4). Ability to identify and resolve problems, establish and maintain positive relationships with customers, exhibit VA core values, and provide quality products and services in support of veterans and their families. GRANDFATHERING PROVISION HR Specialists, GS-0201, employed in VA on the effective date (2/26/2023) of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: a. HR Specialists who are grandfathered into the GS-0201 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder, promoted to a higher grade or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. b. HR Specialists who are grandfathered into the GS-0201 occupational series can be placed in a lead, supervisory or managerial position through an appropriate position change without meeting the basic requirements required in this standard but must meet the grade level requirements. c. HR Specialists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard. d. HR Specialists serving on an appointment that leads to noncompetitive conversion to the competitive service may be extended on that appointment or converted to the competitive service without meeting the basic requirements of this standard, but they must meet the grade level requirements. e. HR Specialists who are grandfathered under this provision that leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Qualification Standards Used: VA Handbook 5005/156, Part II, Appendix F1, Dated 1/13/2023. For more information on these qualification standards, please reach out to the Human Resources Office.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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. 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.

Contacts

• Address DAS Human Resources Management 810 Vermont Ave Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: Zachary Gordon
• Phone: 313-471-3884
• Email: [email protected]