Human Resources Specialist

Clarification from the agency

All current TSA permanent or competitive temporary employees, TSA-Wide and TSA displaced employees.

This Human Resources Specialist position is located within TSA Human Capital (HC) Talent Management. HC Talent Management is responsible for managing and providing consultative, operational, and policy-related HR advice and service to Program Offices, Airports, and Field Offices, on all recruitment and hiring, position management, and position classification activities across TSA Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Areas of service include Security Operations (SO) Hiring Services; SO Field/Headquarters Management, Administrative, and Professional (MAP) Hiring Services; Transportation Security Officer (TSO) Hiring, Law Enforcement Hiring Services; Direct Reports/Administrator Hiring Services; and Executive Hiring Services. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Leading the development and execution of strategic staffing and workforce plans to meet agency-wide goals and objectives. Facilitating and leading planning sessions with executive leadership, managers, and HR liaisons to address critical workforce challenges, including skills gaps, and organizational restructuring.
• Providing expert guidance on complex staffing and recruitment strategies, including the use of special hiring authorities, workforce shaping, and organizational design.
• Leveraging HR staffing and processing systems to systematically input, update, and validate personnel and position data, ensuring accuracy and adherence to regulatory and organizational standards. Prepare, analyze, and interpret system-generated reports to monitor workforce metrics, identify discrepancies, and support compliance audits. Collaborating with HR team members and stakeholders to facilitate staffing actions, resolve data issues, and provide actionable insights that inform strategic workforce planning and operational decision-making.
• Utilizing advanced data analytics to assess program effectiveness, forecast workforce needs, and recommend innovative solutions to improve recruitment and retention.
• Leading or serving as senior advisor on major projects and studies impacting HR programs, policies, and systems across the agency.
• Serving as a principal HR advisor to agency executives, senior managers, and program directors, HR support staff, and other stakeholders on highly complex and sensitive HR matters.
• Interpreting and providing authoritative guidance on Federal HR laws, regulations, and policies, and ensures consistent application across the agency.

The major duties described above reflect the full performance level of this position. Typically, the lower Pay Band (Pay Band G and H) performs the same duties but will receive more guidance and training; and/or projects/work assignments may be less complex.

Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. Must obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Qualifications

To qualify for the SV-G Pay Band (equivalent to GS-11), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-F or GS-9 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as:

Working in a human resource setting performing at least 3 of the following functions

• recruitment strategy;
• recruitment and placement;
• recruitment event planning and support;
• posting job opportunity announcements;
• conducting eligibility and qualification reviews;
• issuing selection certificates;
• updating candidate or new hire records in various electronic systems (e.g., USA Staffing, Automated Processing Tool, National Background Investigation Services, DHSiD, Integrated Security Management System);
• reviewing candidate or new hire forms (e.g., SF-86, OF-306, SF-61) for accuracy and completeness;
• extending tentative and final job offers;
• responding to candidate inquiries;
• resolving candidate issues;
• coordinating candidate assessment activities;
• researching human capital policy;
• providing guidance on human capital policy;
• responding to inquiries from employees and managers; or
• resolving employee issues related to personnel transactions or payroll.

OR

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

A combination of education and experience.

To qualify for the SV-H Pay Band (equivalent to GS-12), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-G or GS-11 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as:

Working in a human resource setting performing at least 4 of the following functions:

• recruitment strategy;
• recruitment and placement;
• recruitment event planning and support;
• posting job opportunity announcements;
• conducting eligibility and qualification reviews;
• issuing selection certificates;
• updating candidate or new hire records in various electronic systems (e.g., USA Staffing, Automated Processing Tool, National Background Investigation Services, DHSiD, Integrated Security Management System);
• reviewing candidate or new hire forms (e.g., SF-86, OF-306, SF-61) for accuracy and completeness;
• extending tentative and final job offers;
• responding to candidate inquiries;
• resolving candidate issues;
• coordinating candidate assessment activities;
• researching human capital policy;
• providing guidance on human capital policy;
• responding to inquiries from employees and managers; or
• resolving employee issues related to personnel transactions or payroll.

To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H or GS-12 Pay Band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as:

Briefing management and communicating with various audiences on human resources issues; and

Working in a human resource setting performing at least 4 of the following functions:

• recruitment strategy;
• recruitment and placement;
• recruitment event planning and support;
• posting job opportunity announcements;
• conducting eligibility and qualification reviews;
• issuing selection certificates;
• updating candidate or new hire records in various electronic systems (e.g., USA Staffing, Automated Processing Tool, National Background Investigation Services, DHSiD, Integrated Security Management System);
• reviewing candidate or new hire forms (e.g., SF-86, OF-306, SF-61) for accuracy and completeness;
• extending tentative and final job offers;
• responding to candidate inquiries;
• resolving candidate issues;
• coordinating candidate assessment activities;
• researching human capital policy;
• providing guidance on human capital policy;
• responding to inquiries from employees and managers; or
• resolving employee issues related to personnel transactions or payroll.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

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) and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Accountability, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

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.

You may preview the questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13015847

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Documentation is needed to verify the eligibilities you are claiming.

NOTE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet this requirement; otherwise, you will be deemed ineligible. Additionally, copying and pasting information from the announcement into your resume will not adequately convey your qualifications.

Resume Requirements:

1. All applicants are required to submit a resume. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
2. Narrative description of duties with start and end dates (including month and year) for work experience.
3. Number of hours worked in a position (i.e., full-time or part-time). If part-time, (i.e., less than 40 hours per week) state the total number of hours worked per week.
4. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your performance level for federal civilian positions (i.e., band or grade).

If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position.

Do NOT include photographs (or links to social media such as LinkedIn), inappropriate content, classified information, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc. on your resume.

Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

In addition to a resume, you must submit copies of any of the following documents if you are applying based on being a current eligible TSA employee (which includes permanent employees and 5 year temporary employees), or education or a combination of education and experience:

TSA Current Employees- Strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, at the time of application, to support eligibility for Status consideration. TSA employees who do not submit the SF-50 with the application must document their current TSA position in their resume and may be required to provide the SF-50 document during the selection process. TSA employees may obtain a copy of their most recent non-Award SF-50 at https://eopf.opm.gov/dhs/.

TSA Displaced Employees- If you indicate eligibility for this priority consideration and exemption from Area of Consideration restrictions, you must submit a copy of the official notification that supports this eligibility at the time of application.

Education Required Documents - If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

Detail Documentation: Eligible applicants who wish to qualify for this position based upon experience obtained while serving on a detail with TSA must submit signed copies of the corresponding TSA form 1160, Terms And Conditions For Temporary Internal Assignment -Detail, or an SF-52, Request for Personnel Action, as supporting documentation along with their application otherwise the experience cannot be credited.

If you do not submit required documentation described in this job opportunity announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.

Next steps