Clarification from the agency

The detail is open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the GS-11 and GS-12 grade levels. Temporary promotions are not authorized.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; or as negotiated.
Compressed/Flexible: Available at the supervisor's discretion
Telework: Yes, as determined by agency policy
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Travel: Up to 25% travel may be required (paid by funds transfer, but subject to availability
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, though some minimal physical effort may be required.

Upon selection, the detail will begin immediately.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/17/2026.

These detail opportunities enable HR Specialists in Recruitment and Staffing, Employee and Labor Relations, Quality Assurance, Classification, Technical Review, and Personnel Security to support critical functions such as hiring, employee relations, security, compliance, and oversight through targeted analytical, administrative, and technical work. Selectees will contribute to core HR operations, ensure accuracy and compliance with established standards, and utilize their organizational and evaluative skills in a mission-driven setting.

Personnel Security Specialist: The position serves as a Personnel Security Specialist, advising stakeholders on security and suitability issues. The incumbent handles security and suitability adjudications, reviews adverse or derogatory background information, interviews applicants to gather essential facts, and provides pre-employment recommendations based on these assessments. Responsibilities include monitoring pre-employment investigations, interpreting and analyzing policies to provide guidance where few precedents exist, and auditing security reviews to ensure accurate processing. The role also involves using background investigation information systems, reviewing investigation components to identify placement issues, conducting technical reviews of investigation documents, entering background investigation data into automated systems, ensuring suitability actions adhere to established policies, and advising stakeholders on security and suitability requirements.

HR Specialist: The position is responsible for conducting quality reviews and audits across all HR program areas to ensure the accuracy of personnel actions and compliance with Federal statutes, policies, guidance, and regulatory requirements. The incumbent analyzes complex HR issues, interprets policy, identifies discrepancies, and recommends corrective actions and training needs to improve accuracy in processing and coding personnel actions. The role includes accessing and analyzing reports from multiple HR systems, reviewing ongoing technical data to support continuous improvement, and preparing for internal and external audits. The position also provides expert consultation on HR policies and procedures, develops standardized processes, delivers just-in-time training, and prepares quantitative and narrative reports based on audit findings. Additional responsibilities include assessing the impact of operational changes on personnel programs, advising leadership on effective HR practices, and performing related duties within areas such as recruitment, pay administration, eOPF maintenance, awards, performance management, personnel security, and employee and labor relations.

Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment and Placement): The HR Specialist serves as a subject-matter expert in recruitment and placement, providing technical guidance on federal staffing policies and procedures. The role prepares job opportunity announcements, conducts job analyses and assessments, evaluates applicant qualifications, and advises stakeholders on recruitment strategies, pay-setting, and compensation matters. The specialist ensures compliance with applicable laws and regulations, analyzes staffing data, and resolves complex staffing and placement issues. Additional responsibilities include developing crediting plans; consulting on selective placement and quality ranking factors; and providing staffing support across competitive, excepted, temporary, term, and special hiring authorities.

Human Resources Specialist (Employee and Labor Relations): The position provides expert guidance on federal laws, executive orders, OPM directives, and VA policies related to employee relations. The incumbent advises management on resolving conduct and performance issues, ensures proper referral of sensitive employee matters, and applies HR regulations across various hiring authorities. Duties include interpreting negotiated agreements, overseeing disciplinary and corrective actions, and serving as a primary point of contact on employee and management issues. The role also provides policy-based guidance to managers and employees and applies employee relations principles and analytical techniques to address complex workplace concerns.

Human Resources Specialist (Technical Review): The position conducts complex technical reviews of personnel action requests to ensure accurate coding and full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The incumbent independently verifies employee and position data, reviews pay-setting actions, validates information in the electronic official personnel file, and ensures all required remarks and follow-up actions are completed. Duties include generating and analyzing reports to support data accuracy, resolving issues such as accessions, pay discrepancies, and benefits corrections, and recommending improvements to HR system functionality. The role involves developing reporting procedures, identifying process and system weaknesses, and communicating findings to leadership. Additional responsibilities include applying HR laws to correct actions, providing staff training, supporting process improvement efforts, building collaborative relationships across HR, and helping standardize personnel action processing and coding across the network.

Human Resources Specialist (Classification): The position provides HR advisory services across organizational design, requirements management, position classification, and data management. The incumbent advises on position changes, reorganizations, and workforce structure, interprets directives and policy updates, and supports assessments and projects involving HR processes and requirements. Core duties include monitoring organizational structures, evaluating position inventories, assisting with organizational design challenges, analyzing data to draw accurate conclusions, and maintaining organizational documentation. The position classifies positions, conducts audits, prepares evaluation statements, resolves classification issues, and ensures compliance with applicable policies. It also maintains accurate organization and position data in the HR system of record, reconciles discrepancies, provides technical system assistance, and produces data products that support workforce planning and organizational decisions.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited based on the 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.

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/.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact 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.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to 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.

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 reflecting your current, permanent status as a VA employee and your current grade level.

Next steps