Human Resources Assistant Job in District of Columbia, DC

Vacancy No. HMM-3650-2025-0006 Department U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Salary $55,924.00 to $80,510.00 Grade 07 to 08
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/20/2024 Close Date 12/31/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
District of Columbia, DC


Summary

This position is located in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), Office of Human Resources, Washington, DC

The Museum is committed to cultivating and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI). Please click here to view the Museum Statement on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (PDF).

Duties

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences. The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention.

In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion.

Duties include:

Processing personnel actions per the OPM Guide to Processing Personnel Actions including, but not limited to, appointments, separations, promotions, reassignments, transfers, etc. The personnel actions are reviewed for accuracy, adequacy of supporting documentation, and existence of administrative approvals. Working with Human Resource Specialists and team members to acquire and/or complete missing items and resolve discrepancies.

Using FPPS to process personnel actions and generate reports. This includes capturing, reviewing, and recording essential employee data elements needed for employee entitlement and pay determinations, aggregate analysis, reporting, and personnel action processing (i.e., service computation date, veteran’s preference, tenure code, etc.), and resolving any questionable data by conferring with HR Specialists after researching OPM guidelines (i.e., Guide to Personnel Data Standards, Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, etc.) and automated systems guidelines (i.e., the FPPS Data Dictionary, FPPS Relational Data Tables, etc.).

Conducting new employee orientation, reviewing and processing a wide variety of payroll and personnel forms such as tax forms, payroll allotments, bond deductions, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) elections, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) elections, Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) elections, etc.

Managing Official Personnel Folders (OPFs), electronic as well as hard copy. Using the OPM Guide to Personnel Recordkeeping to acquire and establish employee records for new hires (transfers from other agencies, new to government, and reinstatement employees). Auditing records, merging records as necessary, and retiring records when required.

Troubleshooting and correcting errors in pay related matters and providing technical advice and assistance to employees, HR Specialists and team members regarding pay problems and procedures necessary for the correction, back-pay entitlements, or money owed based on the error.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

·       The USHMM is an equal opportunity employer.

·       You must be a U.S. citizen or national to apply.

·       This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  The decision granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

·       As a condition of employment, all new hires must agree to direct deposit of their salary checks.  Employees will have up to two (2) pay periods from the date they enter on duty to arrange for their direct deposit transaction.

·       This is a Federal agency.  Former employees who received a voluntary separation incentive (“buyout”) must repay the full amount of it if reemployed under any type of appointment or under a personal service contract within five years after separation with a buyout.

·       On-line resumes must be submitted by 11:59pm EST of the closing date.

·       You must be a suitable for Federal employment.

·       You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable (www.sss.gov).

·       A one year probationary/trial period may be required.

·       Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards. 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 

GS-7: 

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled.  You qualify for the GS-7 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-6 (or equivalent) grade level in the Federal government, performing the following duties: processing personnel actions, coding and documenting personnel actions through the Federal Personnel Payroll Systems (FPPS) and other required personnel management systems; managing employee records (Official Personnel Folders) electronic and hard copy; supporting Human Resource (HR) Specialists and team members with staffing and recruitment actions; conducting new employee orientation; processing payroll and personnel forms; and preparing regular and special personnel reports.

GS-8:

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled.  You qualify for the GS-8 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-7 (or equivalent) grade level in the Federal government, performing the following duties:  processing personnel actions, coding and documenting personnel actions through the Federal Personnel Payroll Systems (FPPS) and other required personnel management systems; troubleshoots and corrects errors in pay related matters; provides technical advice and assistance to employees, HR Specialists and team members regarding pay problems; managing employee and HR records (Official Personnel Folders, staffing case files, other HR documentation and records, hard copy and electronic); and extracts data from payroll and personnel systems and runs regular and ad hoc reports in support of HR team, management or customer requests and quality control efforts.

In addition to the specialized experience requirement above, this position has a selective placement factor (SPF).

Selective Placement Factors are special requirements, in addition to the minimum requirements, that are essential in successfully performing the duties of this job. If SPF experience is not documented in your resume, you will not receive further consideration under this announcement.  The SPF is listed in the vacancy questions.

Education

There is no positive education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Selective Service: This link provides information on the Selective Service System Registration. http://www.opm.gov/fedregis/1999/6428713.pdf.  If you are an Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligible, you may receive selection priority. You must apply and be found to be well-qualified.

Benefits

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.

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. Learn more about federal benefits.

Explore the benefits offered to most Federal employees

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.

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation (transcripts if applicable) to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire that you completed as part of the application. However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the occupational questions, or your score will be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc..) Due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional.  Your resume must include information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: job title, duration of employment (mm/dd/yy – mm/dd/yy), hours per week, duties and accomplishments, salary, and your education. For work in the Federal service, please include the grade level for the position/s. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service or other valid proof of eligibility (i.e., statement of service that shows service dates AND character of service). If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VeteransEmploymentAct1998.

Active Duty Service Members- You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the announcement closes. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm the discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not be considered for this job opportunity under Veteran Preference procedures. To gain access to your DD-214 online please visit http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation if applicable (see other information).

Education.  If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

This position is also announced under HMM-3652-2025-0005 to Status Candidates (this includes current or former Federal employees with career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service.

Click the Apply Online button to create an account on USAJOBS.gov or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Pull up the Museum’s vacancy announcement that you are interested in.  Follow the prompts to complete the on-line Assessment Questionnaire. Please ensure that you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Application Assistance: If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you must contact the Servicing Specialist, Chanel Cabiness at careers@ushmm.org no later than noon Eastern Time on the closing date to request a complete application package.  After this time, requests to apply will not be granted. 

All electronic application packages must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. eastern time by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

NOTE: Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. This position requires the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described previously. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in you not being considered for employment.

Agency contact information

Chanel Cabiness
Phone
202-488-2674
Fax
202-314-0311
Email
careers@ushmm.org
Address
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W.
Attn: Human Resources
Washington, District of Columbia 20024
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov and clicking on “Track Your Online Application.” The four points of notification are:

  1. Application Received or Application Incomplete
  2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Not Met;
  3. Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Eligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official); and
  4. Selected or Not Selected.

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application.  If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.  After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment.  The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans’ preference, disability, etc.). 


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