Human Resources Assistant (Employee Relations & Labor Relations)

Clarification from the agency

Open to CTAP eligible candidates and current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Major Duties Include:

• Controls and responds to incoming and outgoing correspondence: determining priority, establishing suspense dates as required, referring to a supervisor or appropriate co-worker, and following-up to ensure suspense dates are met.
• Assembles evidence files and obtains information from relevant sources necessary to determine appropriate guidance/advice to management. Maintains, monitors and follows up on suspense items and reports.
• Provides information and assistance to employees and supervisors based on interpretation of regulations and rules.
• Advise leadership of conflict resolution.
• Maintains and updates a variety of computerized databases, maintains statistical data necessary to comply with the reporting requirements.
• Conducts regulatory research to provide a thorough response. Assists on special projects by gathering and organizing data, identifying issues and discrepancies, formatting material, and recommending improvements and solutions. Develops presentations, reports and analyses.
• Assists with the preparation of agency files for third-party appeals, including Merit Systems Protection Board appeals and Equal Employment Opportunity document requests and hearing files. Performs the same tasks for Disciplinary Appeals Board hearings, Administrative Investigative Boards, fact- findings, etc.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible: May be available
Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a remote position. You will be expected to report to a VA office space at one of the listed locations.
Position Description/PD#: PD09052A, PD09051A, and PD09050A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/10/2026.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
For a GS05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS04.
For a GS06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS05.
For a GS07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS06.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS05 Level

• Specialized Experience Applicants must have one year of full-time experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-04) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of qualifying experience at the GS-4 grade level include: providing administrative support in completing program assignments to include preparation of documents and reports; providing customer support services to various customers; ensuring compliance with organizational policies; managing internal recordkeeping of office files and processes.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed four full years of education above high school which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education experience which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

GS06 Level

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: experience responding to inquiries and answering routine questions related to employee and labor relations; experience maintaining a HR database to track and extract data; experience in gathering data and basic analyses to maintain data and track employee and labor relation inquiries.

GS-07 Level

Specialized Experience : Applicants must have one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-06) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: experience applying standardized HR policies, procedures, and operations pertaining to employee and labor relations; experience providing accurate responses to employee and labor relations inquiries; interviewing supervisors to gather pertinent information to address rumors and incidents; skill in conflict resolution.

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; religions; 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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, in addition to meeting the qualifications listed above, applicants must meet the following qualification: responds to customer inquiries on various employee relations law, regulations and policies.

Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communication
• Written Communication
• Reasoning
• Conflict Management

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.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be contacted for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• CTAP eligible applicants
• Current, permanent employees of the VACO Human Resources Service Center
• All other current, permanent VA Employees

During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

*FOR CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Please view the 'Current and Former Federal Employees: Validating Time-in-Grade and Eligibility' section below to ensure you are submitting the proper SF-50/s Notification of Personnel Actions.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.

A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the specialized experience. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letters, links to additional information) will not be reviewed. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

Current and Former Federal Employees: Validating Time-in-Grade and Eligibility

Required document to demonstrate eligibility:

• Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which for current employees, must be effective the first pay period (01/11/2026 or later) of the current calendar year. The SF-50 should note your current position or most recently held position, tenure, type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) Non-GS employees (including Federal Wage System and pay band employees) who do not receive annual pay adjustments in January, must submit a SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.

Required document/s to demonstrate Time-in-Grade (TIG):
TIG requirements apply to applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, and current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
Applicants who must meet TIG, in addition to their most recent SF-50, must submit:

• Official SF-50 that shows you hold or held the grade (or a higher grade) for the position you are applying for, or
• Official SF-50/s that show you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this.)

Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include (in addition to your most recent SF-50) to meet TIG requirements include:
- Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions to the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the JOA; or
- SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than 1 year from the closing date of the JOA.
NOTE: Do not submit Award SF-50s (or other SF-50s that do not provide sufficient information to verify time-in-grade.)

IF APPLYING AS A CTAP ELIGIBLE:You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility for CTAP:

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps