Human Resources Specialist (MP)

Duties

As a Human Resources Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

• Provide advisory services on complex recruitment, staffing, and classification issues and makes recommendations to resolve issues and improve hiring processes.
• Prepare job opportunity announcements, job analysis, and crediting plans. Review applications/resumes and determine qualification and appointment eligibility. Prepare certificates of eligibles, adjudicate veterans' preference, and refer applicants in accordance with Federal rules and regulations, and Department of Commerce (DOC) policies. Establish rates of pay and prepare job offers. Audit certificates and recruitment case files.
• Provide guidance on competitive, non-competitive and excepted service appointing authorities, recruitment, relocation, and retention (3Rs) incentives, student loan repayments, creditable service for annual leave accruals.
• Provide advisory services on position classification. Provide guidance on classification actions including the application of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOC classification standards covering General Schedule (GS), Federal Wage System (FWS), and Commerce Alternative Personnel System (CAPS) positions. Assists in the development and/or classification of position descriptions and position evaluation statements.
• Keep abreast of current policies, regulations, emerging trends and technological changes to coordinate the application and implementation of new guidance and assure general consistency in interpretation and delivery.
• Establish and maintain a cooperative working relationship with Enterprise Services (ES) staff, customers, and vendors to ensure human resource operations activities are executed in line with DOC policies, procedures, and guidance. Provide expert customer service to ES customers, ensuring prompt and effective response to their needs and concerns, facilitating the resolution of issues, and coordinating interactions with providers where required.
• Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to document talent acquisition operational activities. Collaborate with DOC Headquarters and bureau/operating unit Human Resources (HR) offices to develop procedural guidance and propose changes in policies.
• Provide authoritative guidance on recruitment, staffing and classification functions/activities ensuring established procedures are followed and adhere to regulatory and DOC policy requirements.

These duties are described at the full performance level.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Human Resources Specialist, ZA-0201-3/4, Full Performance Level (FPL) ZA-4 positions within the Office of the Secretary in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
• A probationary or trial period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Position Sensitivity: This is a Moderate risk position.
• Drug Test: No
• License required: No
• Pre-employment physical required: No
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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; 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.

This position is being filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). The system replaced the Federal GS pay plan structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. Non supervisory positions cap out at interval 3 of the band. The ZA-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12 grade levels. The ZA-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade levels.

To qualify at the ZA-3 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Applying Federal rules and regulations and providing advice and guidance on staffing, recruitment, classification and pay setting issues;
• Developing vacancy announcements, job analysis, and certificates of eligibles for merit promotion and delegated examining recruitment case files;
• Applying classification principles and concepts to interpret and adapt classification standards to ensure correct occupational series, title, and grade level;
• Developing narrative and statistical reports to track and document results of recruitment and placement actions.

-OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M, if related;

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level.

To qualify at the ZA-4 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Interpreting and applying Federal rules and regulations and providing technical advice and guidance on complex staffing, recruitment, classification and pay setting issues;
• Developing vacancy announcements, job analysis, certificates of eligibles, and reviewing merit promotion and delegated examining recruitment files for compliance with Federal rules regulations, and agency policies;
• Applying classification principles, practices, and concepts to interpret and adapt classification standards to review requests and provide advisement to management to ensure compliance and resolve issues;
• Developing narrative and statistical reports to track and document results of recruitment and placement and classification actions;
• Identifying and recommending process improvements for HR programs and services.

This position will remain open until 09/29/2023. The initial cut-off date is 05/17/2023. Applicants may receive consideration prior to the initial cut-off date, as requested by the organization, as well as on the following cut-off dates specified below. Applicants found eligible and referred on a cut-off date, or the date requested by the organization, will continue to be referred on subsequent cut-off dates:

• 06/20/2023
• 07/17/2023
• 08/17/2023
• 09/29/2023

Cutoff dates and the closing date of this announcement may be adjusted as needed, and any updates will be reflected on this announcement.

Education

See Qualifications Above.

Additional information

The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.

Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA)

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

30% or more disabled veterans

Persons with disabilities

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)

ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).

A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;

A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and

Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;

A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;

A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and

Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.