Assistant Human Resources Officer (Senior Strategic Business Partner)

Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent VISN 8 Network Office (485) Human Resources employees and CTAP eligibles only.

Duties consist of but not limited to the following:

• Apply a wide range of advanced HR principles, concepts, and practices, as well as seasoned consultative skills sufficient to provide management consultative service involving the full spectrum of HR functions (e.g., recruitment and placement, position classification, employee performance and conduct issues, employee and labor relations, education and training, benefits, etc.).
• Render expert advisory service and/or authoritative policy interpretations on highly complex VISN-wide or equivalent issues (e.g., re-engineering and improving HR processes).
• Provide administrative and policy direction in terms of broadly defined missions or functions of the organization; is responsible for a significant program; defines the objectives; analyzes and interprets policies promulgated by senior authorities and determines the overall effect on programs; and independently plans, designs, and reviews the work of employees.
• Assign work to staff and provides technical and policy direction to their efforts; reviews completed work of the staff and provides feedback to encourage top performance to enhance an atmosphere of teamwork in the office.
• Evaluate the work performance of subordinate staff members and recommends appropriate awards to enhance effective performance or acts to deal with inadequate performance, through counseling, training, coaching and other means; effects minor disciplinary measures, i.e., warnings and reprimands, etc.; and resolves staff complaints concerning working conditions and related matters, and provides referral services, if necessary, to employees who develop personal problems that interfere with effective performance or undermine work group cohesiveness.
• Develop appropriate interventions for management on significant HR issues and concerns; applies new developments to problems not susceptible to treatment by accepted methods; collaborates with and leads management in employing change management process concepts and techniques such as strategic planning and workforce development; and develops strategic goals for change (e.g., conduct organizational needs assessments, determine organizational readiness for change, market organizational awareness, and lead change initiatives).
• Conduct survey focus groups, group facilitation, and other techniques and methods necessary for organizational assessment and change; leads special projects or studies of considerable scope and depth critical to the resolution of operating issues and problems; and interprets complex legislative, regulatory, and policy guidance to prepare study recommendations for management.
• Create and present new insights and innovative approaches in making or supporting organizational improvements tailoring HR programs and services to support the organization and improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Apply consensus building, negotiating, coalition building, and conflict resolution techniques sufficient to establish and maintain effective relationships and to interact appropriately in highly charged emotional situations for the purpose of influencing managers or other officials to accept and implement findings and recommendations for justifying and resolving matters involving significant or controversial issues.
• Effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing, to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports, and correspondence in order to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations and, present, explain, and defend controversial policies and to persuade facility program managers and other decision-making officials with widely differing goals and interests to follow a recommended course of action consistent with established policies, objectives, and regulations.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Ad-hoc telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Assistant Human Resources Officer (Senior Strategic Business Partner)/PD99991S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• 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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/24/2026.

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 14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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-14 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-12 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:

* Leads employees.
* Oversees different complex sections of HR.
* Holds difficult conversations with all levels of leadership.
* Knowledge in HR rules and regulations in areas, including Employee Relations and Labor Relations and Staffing.

~OR~

Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 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:

• Supports VA leadership by participating in organizational goals such as Resource Management Services, Succession Planning, Emergency Management, Activations Planning, Quality Management, Workforce Planning, Employee and Labor Relations, Performance Management, and Compensation, etc.
• Advises leadership and provides responses to proposed legislation, policies, and standards of higher authority regarding human resources issues; to include requests from members of Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
• Resolves complex issues and operations in multiple areas such as: Recruitment and Placement, Compensation, Classification, Human Resources Information Systems, Manpower Analysis, Position Management, Employee and Labor Relations, Performance Management, Suitability, Reasonable Accommodation, Benefits, HR Training and Development, Workers' Compensation Program, Quality Assurance, and Technical Review.
• Provides expert authoritative information to top management and program directors throughout the service on a wide variety of complex, controversial, sensitive problems and issues.
• Develops, implements, evaluates, and improves processes and procedures to monitor the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of the subordinate units.
• Prepares VISN responses to Congressional, IG Inspections, VA and OPM surveys/reviews, etc.
• Works with local labor unions to improve/solve difficult situations or issues; provides analysis and recommendations to senior management officials on various Human Resources programs and issues; working knowledge of recruitment/placement rules and regulations, employee and labor relations, and succession planning; and performs internal management of HR staff.
• Applies consensus building, negotiation, coalition building, and conflict resolution techniques sufficient to establish and maintain effective relationships and to interact appropriately in highly charged emotional situations for the purpose of influencing managers or other officials to accept and implement findings and recommendations for justifying and resolving matters involving significant or controversial issues.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

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.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, small boxes, or books.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

o FSA Competencies

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness ? Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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