Duties

As a Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits), duties include but are not limited to:

• Administering the Division's benefits and retirement program by providing guidance and consultation to employees regarding retirement, insurance, and health benefits and entitlements;
• Providing information necessary to assist employees with making irrevocable benefits decisions and to garner the maximum gains from available benefits;
• Preparing Division correspondence on sensitive, complex, or highly contested case matters and retirement determinations;
• Counseling employees on flexible spending accounts, dental and vision insurance, and the federal long-term care program;
• Preparing for the annual Open Season Benefits Fair by providing information to employees on benefits updates for the new coverage year;
• Representing the Division at new employee orientation sessions by making presentations about the benefits programs; and
• Managing the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) and the Performance Management Program.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level) by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• Current of former federal employees MUST submit your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Failure to submit an appropriate appraisal or statement will result in not receiving consideration for this position.
• DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience Requirements

To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or other pay system. Examples of specialized experience include:

Verifying creditable service for federal retirement and benefits applications;

Calculating creditable service for federal retirement purposes and determining if employees are eligible for federal retirement and benefits;

Providing guidance, briefings, and training to employees, former employees, annuitants, survivors and beneficiaries regarding retirement, health and life insurance, health benefits, and TSP;

Utilizing human resources systems, such as National Finance Center (NFC), to process updates to employee benefits information, solve benefits issues and code/process personnel actions for retirement, benefits, and leave related transactions; and

Making retirement and/or benefits determinations in compliance with applicable policies & procedures, regulations, and laws.

To qualify at the GS-13 grade level, candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or other pay system. Examples of specialized experience include:

Independently make retirement and/or benefits determinations in compliance with applicable policies & procedures, regulations, and laws;

Corresponding with employees, beneficiaries, and/or service-providers regarding benefit and retirement entitlements;

Providing guidance and assistance with all types of federal leave, in accordance with OPM policy and federal leave laws;

Utilizing human resources systems, such as National Finance Center (NFC), to process updates to employee benefits information, solve benefits issues and code/process personnel actions for retirement, benefits, and leave related transactions;

Assembling and submitting employee retirement packages for adjudication; and

Interpreting laws, regulations, and policies related to a benefit and retirement program.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants applying for a grade higher than the grade you currently hold, must provide an SF-50, which shows type of service appointment, tenure group, grade, and salary. Your SF-50 Form must also show the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s over one year old). No award SF-50s will be accepted. Current Civil Rights Division employees are not required to submit an SF-50.

All qualifications, time-in-grade, and education requirements (if applicable) must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. If you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

The bullets below outline the various groups of applicants that fall under the term "status candidates". This vacancy is open to applicants from any of the groups listed below: When you apply you'll have the chance to claim an eligibility pathway, be sure you fully read each statement and any links provided to make sure select the applicable eligibilities.

See a full list and learn more at USAJOBS, see: What does Status Candidate mean? or Which Jobs am I Eligible to Apply for?

CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: For more information, see USAJOBS - Federal Employees .

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS ( CTAP or ICTAP ): For more information visit: USAJOBS Career Transition Programs

VETERANS : Please see USAJOBS - Veterans Preference for more details. MILITARY SPOUSES: Please see USAJOBS - Military Spouses SCHEDULE A, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Learn more at USAJOBS - Individuals with Disabilities . DOJ welcomes and encourages applicants from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advance on the basis of merit. The Civil Rights Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to Diane Turner by email to Diane.M.Turner@usdoj.gov .

PEACE CORP & AMERICORPS VISTA: Please see: USAJOBS - PEACE CORP & AMERICORPS VISTA

LAND MANAGEMENT: Please see: USAJOBS - LAND MANAGEMENT

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test, which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.

DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download

Residency Requirement: The Residency Requirements ensure an adequate background investigation can be completed. It applies to all DOJ applicants, both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, whose job location is within the U.S. In addition, for a total of three years (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S.; 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or, 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee serving overseas.

Most jobs in the Division offer flexible work options, including telework, and other family friendly opportunities. Most employees who commute by public transportation are eligible for a transit subsidy benefit.

Please Note : Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate