Human Capital Specialist Job

Vacancy No. HCO-26-ST-12781836 Department Government Accountability Office
Salary $91,852.00 to $157,820.00 Grade 2 to 2
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/9/2025 Close Date 12/24/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DCAtlanta, GA


Summary

This position is located in the Human Capital Office (HCO), Processing and Information Center (PIC). The PIC provides recurring payroll processing, personnel action processing, time & attendance administration and information for GAO; and supports the administration and deployment of HCO's IT systems. To learn more about HCO visit: HCO

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (Merit Promotion and VEOA Eligible) The GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. Applicants employed by other federal excepted service agencies who do not have status gained in the competitive service are ineligible for consideration.

Duties

As the Human Capital Specialist, PT-0201-II, your typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Serves as Team Lead for HR staff engaged in personnel action and payroll processing using HR Connect and the National Finance Center (NFC) system.
  • Provides technical guidance and ensures that work meets established standards for accuracy and timeliness.
  • Reviews and resolves complex or sensitive personnel/payroll processing issues, serving as an escalation point of contact.
  • Conducts process reviews and recommends improvements to increase efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Develops Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), job aids, and desk guides to promote consistency across the team.
  • Serves as point of contact and liaison with auditors and oversight entities; compiles documentation, coordinates responses, and ensures timely corrective actions.
  • Prepares recurring and ad hoc reports on processing performance, audit status, and compliance with OPM, agency, Treasury, and NFC requirements.
  • Provides training, mentoring, and guidance to team members to enhance technical knowledge and processing accuracy.
  • Evaluates and proposes new T&A application (GovTA) procedures and guidelines to improve organizational efficiency.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must meet all qualification requirements before the announcement closes.
1. You must be a U.S. citizen.
2. You may be required to submit a financial disclosure statement.
3. You must be suitable for federal employment.
4. Registered for Selective Service, if applicable. (www.sss.gov).
5. Completion of a probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band level, or equivalent to GS-11, PT-I, AC-III, and CS-I grade level in the Federal Service, which has equipped the applicant with the skills and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience is defined as processing a variety of personnel actions such as accessions, separations, reassignments, and position creation utilizing automated payroll/personnel system such as National Finance Center (NFC) or equivalent systems. Researching, interpreting and applying regulations associated with personnel processing. Correcting and canceling historical personnel actions using the correction function in the processing system. Managing employee time and attendance using the government time and attendance or equivalent system.

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.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement.

Additional information

For some advertisements, the GAO receives hundreds, even thousands, of applications from job-seekers. Because of this high level of interest, GAO reserves the option of setting an application number limit.

When an applicant limit is set, USAJOBS will close the vacancy at as follows:
(A) the day the limit is reached -OR-
(B) the pre-defined closing date of 12/24/2025If the limit is reached before (put link here), all applications in excess of the limit will continue to be accepted until 11:59 pm EST. The application limit is 100.

Form I-9, Employment Verification and the Electronic Eligibility Verification Program - GAO participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. If selected, the Form I-9 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here for more information about E-Verify and to obtain a copy of the Form I-9.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

Males born after 12/31/59 and at least 18 years of age must be registered with the Selective Service System. Visit https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx.

Selectees will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. If selected, at the time of appointment, selectees will be required to update the OF-306.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the GAO require completion of a one or two-year probationary period.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the qualification requirements stated above, you will be further rated based on your responses to the assessment questions. Please make sure that your responses to the assessment questions are supported in your resume. Please follow all instructions carefully. If you provide incomplete answers, fail to provide a narrative response to any vacancy question(s) that requires further explanation, or if your response to a vacancy question is "see resume", your rating may be affected or you may be determined ineligible.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Administration and Management, Problem Solving, Quality Management, and Technical Credibility
To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12781836

Required Documents

You must provide a complete application package which includes:

Resume: For qualification determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week (if part-time) and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume.

***Federal agencies only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying to a job.***

Check your current resumes in the Documents tab of your USAJOBS profile after you sign in, and USAJOBS will tell you whether any resumes in your profile are too long.



Veteran Hiring Authority Eligibilities: VEOA, VRA, and 30% Disabled Veterans must submit adequate proof of active service in the Armed Forces including Member 4 copy of your DD-214, which indicates character of service. To claim 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 and a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs verifying the percentage of your disability and preference in hiring. To claim 5-Point veterans' preference, you must submit a Member 4 copy of the DD-214 or if you are currently active duty: an official statement of service from your command. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.

If you are applying under Military Spouse Preference, you must proof of marriage to the service member and the service members DD-214 (member 4 copy); or proof the service member was released or discharged due to a 100 percent disability; or proof of the service member's death while on active duty.

Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent), showing tenure, type of service (competitive/excepted) and the highest grade held.

If you are applying under the Schedule A hiring authority for individuals with disabilities, you must submit proof disability.

If you are applying as a Former Peace Corps and AmeriCorps Vista Volunteers, you must submit certification of this volunteer service.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

**Federal agencies only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying to a job.**

Check your current resumes in the Documents tab of your USAJOBS profile after you sign in, and USAJOBS will tell you whether any resumes in your profile are too long.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.If you are unable to apply online, please contact Joycelyn Williamsat williamsjr1@gao.gov or williamsjr1@gao.gov by 3 p.m. on the closing date of the announcement.

For technical issue with USAJOBS: Please refer to the USAJOBS help page.

Agency contact information

GAO Recruitment
Email
GAORecruitment@gao.gov
Address
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US

Next steps

After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated "best-qualified," your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.

If you do not meet the key requirements, and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.