Serves as the Human Resources Employee Benefits Specialist in the State Human Resources Office for the North Dakota National Guard. At the full performance level, the Human Resources Employee Benefits Specialist provides employee benefit and retirement advisory services for both the Army (ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG). Duties include:

• Advise and counsel customers on retirement insurance benefits, death benefits, and entitlements/options.
• Provides technical advice to personnel on benefit programs such as Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, Workers Compensation, disability benefits, military or civilian deposits for retirement, etc.
• Researches, interprets, and applies federal and state laws and policies and program regulations.
• Composes and processes memorandums and correspondence in compliance formats contained in the regulations.
• Interprets guidance and regulations to provide advice to management and employees on pay schedule adjustments, back pay, debts, and compensation.
• Determines entitlement to retirement annuities, eligibility for continuation of life and health insurance.
• Provides technical advice on flexibilities and appropriate use of leave and leave issues.
• Maintains Electronic Official Personnel Files.

If selected at the GS 09 grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the target after completing an Individual Development Plan. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• Overtime/comp time may be required occasionally.
• May require travel in military and/or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments.
• The work may required the incumbent to drive a motor vehicle. Must have valid driver's license.
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to a state emergency or disaster declaration.
• Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment.

Qualifications

PCS STATEMENT: PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION COSTS WILL NOT BE PAID FOR THIS POSITION.

NDNG Areas of Consideration (T5 Excepted Service)
Area I: All onboard NDNG Federal Employees (Tenure 1 & 2)
Area II: All onboard NDNG Federal Employee (Tenure 3)
Area III: All onboard Federal Employees (Competitive or Excepted Service)
Area IV: All NDNG military members (Army and Air) (VP Applies)
Area V: All U.S. Citizens (VP Applies)

QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE
Length of time is not of itself qualifying. Candidates' experience should be evaluated on the basis of duties performed rather than strictly on the rank of the individual; however, established compatibility criteria/assignments must be followed. The applicant's record of experience and/or training must show possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to fully perform the duties of the position.
Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e. the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed below. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

To qualify for this position, applicant must meet the specialized experience or education below.

A. GS 09 Specialized Experience: Applicant must haveleast one year of specialized experience at the GS 07 grade level or civilian equivalent which includes:

• Provided administrative support in the coordination and delivery of employee services, including managing documentation and responding to inquires related to benefits;
• Maintained and updated records, performed data entry and conducted basic calculations to support financial or personnel administration functions;
• Assisted with interpreting and applying established guidelines or regulations to provide information and support to individuals regarding program eligibility and processes.

OR

B. EDUCATION:

• Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field directly related to the job; OR
• 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

A. GS 11 Specialized Experience: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS 09 grade level or civilian equivalent which includes:

• Practical knowledge of other HRO functional areas, i.e. Recruitment and Placement, Classification/Position Management, Labor Relations, Equal Employment Opportunity, etc. for purposes of interacting and resolving issues;
• Providing technical advice regarding the vast expanse of federal employee benefits, retirements, and separations;
• Conducting research to solve complex, highly controversial employee issues and decision.

OR

B. EDUCATION:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR
• 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Applicants who meet one of the DoW Priority Placement Program categories below are eligible to apply with this preference.
(Note: See Required Documents section of this announcement for requiredsupporting documentation.)

Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible"
Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

There are tools to assist with resumes and the federal application process located on the NDNG public website which will help with applying for jobs through USA Jobs - https://www.ndguard.nd.gov/job-opportunities

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
NOTE: Ensure you have removed social security numbers from all documentation.

1. YOUR RESUME MUST HAVE COMPLETE INFORMATION. Please ensure your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/DD/YYYY; and total hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.

2. Other Supporting Documents. The following supporting documents may be required to support your claim SF-15, DD 214, Transcripts, SF 50, Certifications, Course completion certificates, three work related references, and Other(s) as applicable.

Applicants claiming Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible must submit the following documentation:
Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD 3145-3)
Termination SF-50 Separation stating that the applicant has Priority Placement Eligibility
Notice of Separation confirming of eligibility.

Applicants claiming Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement must submit the following documentation:
Military Reserve and Technician Disability PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD 3145-2)
Termination SF-50 Separation stating that the applicant has Priority Placement Eligibility
Notice of Separation confirming of eligibility.

Applicants claiming DOD Military Spouse preference must submit the following documentation:
Marriage Certificate
Spouses PCS Orders
Military Spouse PPP Self Certification Checklist

Applicants claiming DoD Retained Grade preference must submit the following documentation:
Retained Grade PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD3145-1)
SF-50 effecting the placement in retained grade status, and
A copy of the notification letter received (RIF or classification downgrade)

Next steps