HR Specialist (Classification)

Clarification from the agency

This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current Department of Interior (DOI) Office of the Secretary (OS) employees in the Office of Policy, Management, and Budget (PMB), or a current employee of the Interior Business Center (IBC), or CTAP eligible.

This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current Department of Interior (DOI) Office of the Secretary (OS) employees in the Office of Policy, Management, and Budget (PMB), or a current employee of the Interior Business Center (IBC), or CTAP eligible.

At the full performance level GS-12 the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Interpret and apply complex federal legal, regulatory, and policy guidance to develop recommendations for HR classification and position management strategies.
2. Conduct thorough position reviews and desk audits to make accurate determinations and prepares detailed evaluation statements supporting final classification decisions.
3. Develop and implement innovative HR classification and position management solutions for highly complex, agency-wide issues, ensuring compliance with established policies and minimizing risks.
4. Prepare clear, concise, and well-reasoned written reports, policy interpretations, and guidance documents for management and stakeholders on significant HR classification matters.
5. Proactively manage workload, prioritize tasks, and ensure timely completion of HR classification actions, adhering strictly to federal rules and departmental procedures.
6. Analyze controversial classification situations, gather pertinent data, evaluate alternative courses of action, and provide authoritative advice to management on final decisions, considering organizational impact.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

OS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/09/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

GS-9: To qualify for the GS-9 level you must meet A, B, or C defined below.

A. Specialized Experience: one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience: 1) Performs classification analysis of General Schedule and Wage Grade positions across organizational components by reviewing duties, responsibilities, supervisory relationships, and organizational context; 2) Conducts fact-finding through review of position descriptions, organizational charts, and discussions with supervisors and employees to clarify assigned duties and responsibilities; 3) Identifies discrepancies between assigned duties and documented position descriptions and recommends corrective actions to ensure alignment and accuracy. If qualifying in whole on specialized experience applicants must meet all specialized experience statements described above.

OR

B. Education: Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a .LL.B. or J.D., if related. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

OR

C. Combination of education and experience: Have a combination of specialized experience and education that equals 100% of the requirement for the GS-9 level.

Note: If qualifying based fully or partially on education, transcripts are required and must be submitted with your application.

GS-11: To qualify for the GS-11 level you must meet A, B, or C defined below.

A. Specialized Experience: one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Performs a full range of classification assignments and applies OPM classification standards, job family standards, and functional guides to evaluate positions involving mixed duties or overlapping functional responsibilities, positions with evolving or partially defined duties, career ladder positions and full performance level determinations; 2) Conducts desk audits and structured interviews with supervisors and employees to obtain and clarify information regarding assigned duties and responsibilities; 3) Advises on appropriate classification approaches and implications of classification decisions on organizational design and workforce structure. If qualifying in whole on specialized experience applicants must meet all specialized experience statements described above.

OR

B. Education: Completed Ph.D. or equivalent degree or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a doctoral degree. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

OR

C. Combination of education and experience: Have a combination of specialized experience and education that equals 100% of the requirement for the GS-11 level.

Note: If qualifying based fully or partially on education, transcripts are required and must be submitted with your application.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

GS-12: To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level you must meet:

A. Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Classifying a variety of positions across different occupational series and grades to ensure strict alignment with legal and regulatory position-grading standards. 2) Administering policy to standardize personnel evaluation techniques, supporting the organization's consistent execution of merit system principles. 3) Advising management on position design and classification impact to clarify civil service rules and grading frameworks, supporting hiring managers in designing efficient, legally compliant workforce structures.

You must include hours per week worked.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

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), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP). To be considered under CTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) -09/09/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time). Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. Resumes must not exceed 2 single-sided pages and resumes longer than 2 pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed. Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. Resume Builder: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
2. Complete All Required Assessments.
3. Performance Appraisals and Awards: All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If the performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months OR no performance appraisal is available, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
4. All College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
5. Eligibility Documentation:
   • Current and former Federal employees must submit latest SF-50 (i.e. Promotion, Separation, Within Grade Increase (WGI)) showing tenure 1 or 2 in block 24, grade, and if applicable, an additional SF-50 showing the highest grade or promotion potential held. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. If your SF-50 showing highest permanent grade held has an effective date within the past year, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year. Do not submit award SF-50s.
   • Veterans Preference Documentation: Veterans eligible under VRA (GS-11 & below only), VEOA, 30% or more Disabled, or Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program must submit the most recent Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions (e.g. DD-214) as listed on the SF15. If you are a Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all documentation as listed on the SF15. You may request a copy of the VA letter from https://www.va.gov/records. If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
   • Special Appointing Authorities: If you are applying under a special appointing authority (i.e. Schedule A, Peace Corps, Military Spouses, etc.), you must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority.
   • CTAP/ICTAP eligiblesMUST submit proof of eligibility including a copy of the agency notice, most recent performance rating, and most recent SF-50 showing your position, grade level, and duty location. For more information visit: Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.

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