Human Resources Assistant

Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (this includes current or former Federal employees with career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service, Former Overseas Employees, CTAP, ICTAP, VRA, VEOA, ADSM, More Disabled Veterans, Schedule A, Military Spouses, Americorps, Peace Corps, Vista, Land Management, and Interchange Agreement Eligibles)

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, including all of those required by OPM 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 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 resolves 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.

Responsible for the management of Official Personnel Folders (OPFs), electronic as well as hard copy. Using the OPM Guide to Personnel Record Keeping, the HR Assistant establishes and/or acquires employee records for new hires, audits records, and merges records as necessary.

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

Conditions of employment

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 a U.S. citizen.

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.

The USHMM is an equal opportunity employer.

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.

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:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service or private sectors which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: 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 Specialists with staffing and recruitment actions; conducting new employee orientation; processing payroll and personnel forms; and preparing regular and special personnel reports.

Time-in-Grade Requirements:  Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or expected service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).  Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.  NOTE:  All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility.  The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 

***Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating.***

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 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, 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 a structured interview.

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 (ex: resume and supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and the results of the online assessments required for this position. Be sure your resume includes enough detail to support your qualifications.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):  Accountability, Clerical, Decision Making, Flexibility, HR Information Systems, Interpersonal Skills, Labor Law, Learning, Quality Assurance, Teamwork.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Optional Essay Questions: Applicants may choose to respond to four short essay questions (200 words max each) to help us better understand your alignment with the agency's mission. These responses are optional and will not affect the applicant's eligibility. 

• Your DD-214 or Statement of Service shows if you qualify for Veterans' Preference, the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 or the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heros Act. We prefer the member 4 copy of your DD-214.
• If you qualify under the Schedule A appointing authority, include a disability letter.
• If you are a disabled veteran and want to claim preference, you must submit a letter on VA letterhead with your overall combined service-connected disability rating.
• Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade.
• Your SF-50 shows a federal position you've held, grade level and duty location. Your SF-50 can support position changes, conversions or separation for employment eligibility.

A complete application includes

1. Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. Please limit your resume to two-pages. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: 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 Vet Guide

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 Military Service Records

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and rate highly qualified. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate.

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.

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