Summary
The Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) position provides human resources advisory services to employees and managers at various levels within the agency to administer the employee benefits program and to address and resolve associated employee and transportation benefits. The position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Human Capital Management Division (HCMD), Employee Benefits and Services Branch.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.
Duties
This is a career ladder position requiring the selectee to perform progressively more complex duties and responsibilities leading to the full performance level.
The Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) position is responsible for duties such as the following:
- Providing information, advice, and guidance to individual employees and groups on the various benefits programs, such as Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) programs.
- Providing assistance to employees to enroll in FEHB and FEGLI benefits, and Long Term Care (LTC); Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); Federal Dental and Vision Program (FEDVIP); and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
- Counseling employees and beneficiaries on program coverage, options, variances in coverage, and the advantages and disadvantages of benefits.
- Facilitating orientation for employees on the benefits programs available. Covers such items as benefits and costs.
- Planning and organizing ongoing Health Benefits Open Season.
- Planning and organizing the quarterly Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Long Term Care (LTC) and Retirement/Medicare seminars.
- Administering and providing information on the Transportation Benefits Program regarding eligibility and the rules that apply to use of the program.
- Planning and organizing transportation benefits training for jurisdictions point of contacts, supervisors and employees.
The ideal candidate has knowledge of, and skill in applying, fundamental federal human resources methods, principles, and practices related to the Employee Benefits specialization and enthusiasm to learn new policies, regulations, and procedures to grow in the field.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be able to pass a drug test.
- You must meet the qualifications by specialized experience or education.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
“To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet
one of the categories below:
- A citizen of the United States;
- A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
- A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
- A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
- A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.”
Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards
QUALIFYING ON EXPERIENCE:
Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Candidates for the GS-7 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-5 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position includes:
- Applying basic laws, regulations, policies and precedents of Federal employee group life insurance, health benefits, and Thrift Savings Plan programs.
- Counseling management, employees and beneficiaries on program coverage, options, variances in coverage and advantages and disadvantages of benefits.
- Interpreting, applying and explaining Federal employee retirement and insurance laws and regulations to employees.
QUALIFYING ON EDUCATION:
At least one year of graduate level education in a field of study related to the duties of the position.
Or
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university that meets one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement based on one of the following: (1) Class Standing: you must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or (2) Grade-Point Average: You must have a GPA of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.
Education
Is not required but can be used to replace specialized experience.
If using education to qualify, you must submit transcripts after selection.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education:
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.
Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.
You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.
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 variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.
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 designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.
The AOC offers:
- Competitive salary, comprehensive retirement plan, monetary and non-monetary awards, and other employee recognition.
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance options as well as flexible spending accounts; the government shares the cost of health and life insurance premiums.
- Training and developmental opportunities.
- Flexible work hours, subsidized transportation options and paid annual and sick leave and holidays.
- Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position and work schedule. Contact the hiring agency for more information on specific benefits offered.
The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.
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.
Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.
Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:
- Knowledge of Federal employee benefits programs and the ability to read and interpret related laws, regulations and guidelines.
- Ability to deliver effective management advisory services, efficient, high quality customer service and to establish and maintain positive working relationships.
- Ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally (interpersonal skills).
- Ability to use computer systems and associated software programs to process a variety of personnel actions and prepare forms and other documents.
Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration. Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application). You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) job application process is designed to ensure you only provide information necessary to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position vacancy.
To apply for this position, you only need to submit: a) your resume and b) answers to the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant information. No additional documentation or attachments are required at the time of application.
Your resume should list your education, training and work experience including job titles, employment dates, duties and accomplishments.
Nothing further is required until it is requested by AOC’s Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for the position, you will be asked to provide it during the interview or selection process. At that time, you may be asked to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
For example, you may be asked to provide a copy of your diploma, college transcripts, or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires licensure or certification, you will be asked to provide proof at the time of selection.
If Veterans’ preference is claimed, you will be asked to submit proof (DD-214, and, if claiming a 10-point preference, a SF-15 and the proof required by that form).
Failure to provide the required documents will end further consideration and/or result in the withdrawal of any tentative job offers.
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
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJOBS System when you have successfully submitted your application. We will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJOBS Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two (2) weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJOBS System when you have successfully submitted your application. We will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJOBS Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two (2) weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
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