This position is in the Salt Lake City VA Regional Office. The incumbent is assigned to the Office of the Director and reports to the Assistant Director, who serves as the immediate supervisor. The incumbent serves as a Program Specialist responsible for providing performance management and technical support for the regional office HR program. The incumbent is the key advisor to the Director and the Division Chiefs on all human resources issues and coordinates directly with the HR Center.

Duties

Specific duties include: Provides guidance on merit system principles, prohibited personnel practices, the development and use of valid selection criteria, and other approaches that may help in staffing the organization and in improving employee productivity, morale, and retention. Develops multiple recruitment strategies utilizing various hiring flexibilities and authorities. Prepare recruitment packages to include crediting plans, job analysis on a variety of complex positions using research, interview, observation, and analytical techniques. Serve as technical specialist in leave administration to include Family Medical Leave Act, Leave Without Pay, leave sharing, military leave, annual and sick leave, and time off for special circumstances. Provide support and advice in benefits programs such programs as: Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB); Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI); Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). Performs a technical review and certifies and processes all benefits forms submitted to the Human Resources office. Provide guidance to employees and supervisors in the submission of workers' compensation claims due to an occupational injury and/or disease. Maintains automated databases in order to track information and extract data used to generate documents, records, and reports. Utilizes HR systems to create reports for promotions, within grade increases, performance management, awards and all Human Resources related programs; creates requests for recurring and non-recurring personnel actions and ensures timely execution of all personnel related functions. Uses word processing and/or other office automation equipment and various software programs to create, copy, edit, store, retrieve and print a variety of documents; produce correspondence, memoranda, directives, forms reports; create or maintain spreadsheets or databases, etc. Reviews and processes performance appraisals, performance awards and special contribution awards. Reviews and tracks telework agreement expiration dates and prepares monthly/quarterly telework utilization reports. Ensures all types of employee awards including service awards, special contribution awards, quarterly awards etc. are processed accurately and timely. Provides advice and assistance in the areas of performance management, recognition, and related functions. Assists management officials in meeting their labor management obligations by appropriately interpreting contract provisions in specific situations. In-process new employees, including fingerprinting, and processing of security clearances. Perform coordination of separating employees in order to ensure they attend an exit interview and complete required forms. Provides employees with documentation of eligibility involving continuing health/life insurance benefits summary, copy of Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), information on future retrieval of federal records, etc. Train management officials on human resource policies and procedures. Draft recurring and non-recurring documents such as informational inquiries from the Director's Office, circulars, manuals, directives and correspondence. 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: Standard 5-day, 8 hours, full time (40 hours a week) 8:00am to 4:30pm (MST Time) schedule. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist,39565A,39564A,39563A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/GS.pdf

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/03/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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 .You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade. General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes. Specialized Experience GS-9 Level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in three of the following areas: Work collaboratively on a variety of leave programs (Family Medical Leave Act, Voluntary Leave Transfer, annual leave, sick leave, etc.) Providing advice and counseling on benefits and entitlements to new and existing employees. Administer and advise on awards programs. Experience processing personnel actions. Provide leaders and employees with information and interpretations of the organization's policies, procedures, and guidelines. Maintain and utilize automated databases in order to track information and extract data used to generate documents, records, and reports. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a Masters Degree. or equivalent doctoral degree OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond combination of specialized experience s described and education as described and when combined equal 100% of the total requirement. GS-11 Level: In addition to the required GS-9 specialized experience above, applicants must also have 1 year at the specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in at least two of the following: Experience performing HR management advisory services for specific requests requiring research and applying human resources policies and practices. Experience in Federal staffing and recruitment using a variety of Federal hiring authorities. Experience performing performance management. Experience providing guidance on labor issues regarding unfair labor practices, grievances, information requests and negotiations. Advising on and drafting disciplinary and adverse actions and performance-based actions. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond combination of specialized experience s described and education as described and when combined equal 100% of the total requirement. GS-12 Level: In addition to the required GS-11 specialized experience above, applicants must also have 1 year at the specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in at least three of the following: Experience providing authoritative management advisory services, which includes researching, analyzing and evaluating issues, determining applicable precedents, and identifying the most effective approach to resolve complex human resources problems. Experience meeting and dealing with managers and employees at all levels in situations of a highly sensitive nature. Experience providing expert advice and guidance in the areas of employee relations and staffing and recruitment. Experience in recruitment using various Federal hiring authorities. Resolving complex leave administration issues. Preparing the Agency response for 3rd party hearings (FLRA, MSPB, etc.). Experience in labor negotiations. Experience interpreting labor agreements. There is no educational substitution at the GS-12 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 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: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking in offices and similar areas for meetings and to conduct HR work. Work may also require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the worksite. The work does not require any special physical effort. 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.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Salt Lake City Regional Benefit Office 550 Foothill Dr Salt Lake City, UT 84158 US
• Name: David Ladurini
• Phone: 515-323-7575 X3243
• Email: [email protected]