Employee Relations Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Your application will be considered if you: Live in the Fort Worth, TX area and are eligible under GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP); Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP); VEOA eligible Veteran; Are a Military spouse or Are an eligible Land Management employee.

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

• Complete developmental assignments in the application of employee relations guidelines, principles, and practices. Under close supervision and assistance as required, analyze the issues in an assignment, then select and apply accepted HR principles, processes, and practices to determine the most effective methodology needed to meet program objectives for the resolution of employee relations issues.   
• Perform tasks that support learning the scope and foundation of agency human resources employee relations activities; agency missions; policies, objectives; and management principles and processes. Interpret or adapt available guidelines to specific HR employee relations issues or subjects studied regarding the attainment of the goals of limited projects.  
• Perform analytical and evaluative work selected by the supervisor to enhance developing skills and experience. Gather and analyze data and information on select employee relations issues and present recommendations for resolution to higher-graded specialists or supervisors.  
• Assist higher-graded specialists in preparing briefings to management and/or senior staff employees on a variety of employee relations issues. Provide assistance to higher grade specialists in conducting New Employee Orientation (NEO) and/or Supervisory Toolbox training presentations.  
• Identify and develop information required for use by higher- graded specialists in the management and direction of employee relations programs. Prepare and present recommendations to higher-graded specialists or supervisors regarding employee relations issues.

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
• Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).    

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-07 salary range starts at $54,857 per year. Locality pay will be determined upon selection.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.  

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that involves completing structured assignments and producing work products such as reports, summaries, or presentations; analyzing problems and identifying key factors; gathering and organizing information; planning and prioritizing work; and communicating information clearly, both orally and in writing. 

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). 

OR

Combination of Education & Specialized Experience: A combination of graduate level education and appropriate experience that together meet the qualification requirements of this position.

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level is fully qualifying at the GS-7 level.  To claim SAA, submit documentation of one of the following:

1.      Class standing -- You must be in the upper third of your graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

2.      Grade-point average (rounded to one decimal point) of:

1. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum; or
2. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during your final 2 years of the curriculum.

3.      Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

How you will be evaluated

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

A panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the resumes of qualified candidates and assign a score for each of the five required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) based on the experience documented in the resume and narrative responses.

1. Ability to apply basic organization principles and practices to complete structured, entry-level assignments. 
2. Ability to apply an organization’s policies, objectives; and management principles of an organization’s programs to support learning entry-level assignments.
3. Ability to gather and analyze basic facts to provide input and draw conclusions to issues.  
4. Ability to communicate factual and procedural information, orally and in writing. 
5. Ability to provide support to senior staff on routine and/or continuing assignments.

Demonstration of these KSAs must be supported by your resume. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process.

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process.  If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If you are eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), your resume must clearly demonstrate experience in at least 3 of the 5 required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to receive priority consideration.

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit.

Resume: Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be accepted by USAJOBS and will prevent your application from moving forward in the hiring process.  Your resume must contain the following information:

• Name, address, telephone number, email address;
• Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
• Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement.
• Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts.

Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic, general, or specialized experience requirements for each grade level you are applying. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible.

Note:  If required to submit an SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action), an equivalent agency Notice of Personnel Action form is acceptable. The SF-50 or equivalent agency Notice of Personnel Action form must show all of the following: effective date, position, title, series, grade, and rate of basic pay, tenure group 1 (career) or 2 (career-conditional), position occupied group, and name of agency. If you are a GSA employee (except in the OIG), you are not required to submit an SF-50.

If you are a 30% or more disabled veteran, VEOA or VRA applicant or qualified spouse, widow/widower, or parent:

(a)  Copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 that shows your type of discharge and the dates of your active duty service.
(b)  If you are a disabled veteran, or are applying under VRA or VEOA as a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran, submit both of the following in addition to the DD-214: (1) completed SF-15 form; and (2) proof of your entitlement (refer to SF-15 for complete list).

If you are active duty military- Certification on a letterhead from your military branch that includes your rank, character of service (must be under honorable conditions) & military service dates including discharge/release date (must be no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted).

If you are ICTAP/CTAP eligible - submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal.

Next steps