Human Resources Specialist (Employee & Labor Relations) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. M24-CH-12419995-OHC Department Export-Import Bank of the United States
Salary $117,962.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 13 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/5/2024 Close Date 6/19/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

Announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days of the closing date.

About this agency

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This Merit Promotion position is open to Current Federal Employees and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).

Duties

Please Note: Employees will be required to report to their assigned office location at least 2 day per week for non-supervisory positions and 3 days per week for supervisory/managerial positions unless the position advertised is designated as a remote-only position.

The incumbent of this position serves as a Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations and Labor Relations) in the Office of Human Capital (OHC), Chief Management Officer, Office of the Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States. The Office of Human Capital (OHC) provides leadership and direction in the formulation and implementation of human capital policies, programs, and systems to promote efficient and effective federal workforce management. OHC provides operational support and oversight for the full lifecycle of employment for employees of the EXIM.

The incumbent is responsible for establishing and maintaining an effective Labor Management Relations (LMR) program for the agency. Provides expert advice and assistance in the most complex areas of negotiating and administering labor agreements to include bargaining unit determinations, consolidation of bargaining-units, mediation, arbitration, questions of negotiability, and unfair labor practices. Under the direction of the Assistant Director of HR (Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer), drafts agency policy and guidance that are designed to provide optimum emphasis, leadership, and staff guidance that ensures continuous improvement in personnel management throughout the agency.

At the full performance level, duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Plans and develops programs for labor relations negotiation. Provides comprehensive and direct advice and guidance to agency personnel in person and/or by telephone or written correspondence on all facets of the labor relations program. Provides continuing advice on all aspects of labor relations.
  • Provides research, analysis and application of law, regulations, standard procedures, case law and guidance from EXIM, OPM, MSPB, Department of Labor, courts, and other competent authorities to determine applicable requirements and best methods or techniques to be practiced in labor employee relations functions.
  • Prepares responses to sensitive correspondence including, Congressional and union inquiries by obtaining information from the various sources. Evaluates, conducts, or participates in staff studies on programs to determine trends, problems, and corrective action.
  • Serves as an agency representative or key witness in third-party proceedings. Presents management's position through written correspondence and appearances before various third parties, including arbitrators and the MSPB, FLRA, and FSIP.
  • Represents the Agency in negotiating substantive personnel policy and other matters affecting working conditions
  • Counsels, advises, and assists on actions concerning employee/management communications, grievances and appeals, disciplinary actions, and performance-based actions for both management and employees.
  • Works with managers, supervisors, and employees in resolving highly controversial and politically sensitive problems.
  • Provides advisory services, technical support, and policy guidance responsibilities include, but are not limited to suitability determinations, disciplinary and adverse actions, performance management, performance-based actions, grievances (administrative), appeals, special inquiries, and leave administration.
  • Decides and/or develops consensus as to what actions will be taken in response to union demands for specific contract provisions, and for developing provisions to be proposed to the union for the purpose of resolving problems that have been experienced or to achieve more effective operations.
  • Maintains a sensitivity to the roles, authorities, prerogatives, and responsibilities to all parties, both union and management, and strives to maintain a rapport where often divisive influences are involved.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship
  • Background and Security/Suitability Investigation
  • You may be required to serve a one year probationary period
  • Specialized experience MUST be documented on your resume
  • Current or Former Political Appointees: If you are, or have been employed in the last 5 years, you must disclose this information. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience GS-13
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal or other equivalent pay system that has equipped you to perform the major duties of this position. This specialized experience includes:
  • Experience of employee relations, discipline, appeal, telework, and other personnel management concepts, laws, rules, principles, and practices to research, interpret, develop, and advocate personnel policies, programs, and initiatives that affect the agency;
  • Experience in applying broad labor relations concepts, principles, and practices, including non-traditional collaborative approaches to labor relations, labor-management partnership, alternative dispute resolution, interest-based bargaining, and facilitation, to provide staff advisory services on agency-wide issues pertaining to the potential impact of negotiations and third-party decisions concerning management rights as defined in statute; and
  • Experience and skill to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to clearly communicate instructions, guidance, and related information to various internal and external stakeholders.
Specialized Experience GS-14
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal or other equivalent pay system that has equipped you to perform the major duties of this position. This specialized experience includes:
  • Experience of advanced employee relations, discipline, appeal, telework, and other personnel management concepts, laws, rules, principles, and practices to research, interpret, develop, and advocate personnel policies, programs, and initiatives that affect the agency;
  • Experience in applying broad labor relations concepts, principles, and practices, including non-traditional collaborative approaches to labor relations, labor-management partnership, alternative dispute resolution, interest-based bargaining, and facilitation, to provide staff advisory services on agency-wide issues pertaining to the potential impact of negotiations and third-party decisions concerning management rights as defined in statute;
  • Experience and skill to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to clearly communicate instructions, guidance, and related information to various internal and external stakeholders; and
  • Experience in third party decisions effecting employee relations programs and negation strategies.
For qualification determinations, your resume must contain the following for each work experience listed:
  • Organization/Agency's Name
  • Title
  • Salary (series and grade, if applicable)
  • Start and end dates (including the month and year)
  • Number of hours you worked per week
  • Relevant experience that supports your response to the specialized experience that is stated in the job announcement
If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.

NOTE: Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications and your application may be marked as incomplete/ineligible and you will not receive consideration for this position.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. Please visit the following links for more information: 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.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined here.

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by 06/19/2024, the closing date of the announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Current or Former Political Appointees: Pursuant to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) oversight authority under section 1104(b)(2) of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.) and section 5.2 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, OPM requires agencies to seek their approval prior to appointing any current or former political appointee to a permanent position (without time limits) in the civil service. A former or recent political appointee is someone who held a political appointment covered by OPM's policy within the previous 5-year period. OPM's oversight in this area safeguards merit system principles as well as fair and open competition free from political influence. If you are currently employed, or have been employed within the last 5 years, you must disclose this information. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Please visit the following link for the types of political appointments.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation 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 on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Ethical Standards/Financial Disclosure:

EXIM is committed to the highest ethical standards. As an employee, you will be covered by the criminal conflict of interest statutes and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. You will be required to complete new employee ethics training within 3 months of your appointment.

If this position is subject to financial disclosure requirements (either public or confidential depending upon your position), you will be required to complete a new entrant financial disclosure report within 30 days of your appointment.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 80 or above based on the competencies listed above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information, please click here.

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.

Review our benefits

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.

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 the responses you provide on the application questionnaire.

If you are found qualified for this position and meet or exceed a predefined rating threshold from your questionnaire responses, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your resume to determine if your technical competencies meet the proficiency requirements established for this position.

You will be notified by email if your application is forwarded to the hiring official for further consideration.

If you do not meet the rating threshold to move forward to the next evaluation stage or it is determined that your technical competencies do not meet the proficiency requirements for this position, you will be notified by email.

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

  • Your Resume (applicants are required to submit a resume with job title, series/grade (if federal employee), duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and ending dates of employment, number of hours worked per week, and annual salary). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
  • Copy of your most recent SF-50 which shows your position title, series, grade, step, salary, position occupied, and tenure to verify Time-in-Grade/competitive status. If you have previously held a higher grade and are applying based on that grade you must provide a copy of the SF-50 showing you held the higher grade and/or have promotion potential to the grade being advertised. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50's on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50.
  • Unofficial Transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
  • Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
  • Special Priority Selection rights under CTAP or ICTAP:
    • Copy of your agency notice (RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc);
    • Copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating),
    • Most current SF-50 showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, position title, grade level, and duty location.
  • Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD-214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF)15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter, if applicable. If a DD-214 (Member Copy 4) is not available, other documentation listing the beginning and ending dates of active service and the type of discharge must be submitted to verify eligibility.
  • Submission of any required documents listed in vacancy announcement, if applicable.
Please note that if you do not provide all required information/documents, 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).

How to Apply

Applications will only be accepted online; however if you are unable to apply online, please contact the Agency Contact Person listed below.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

The following is a link to preview the occupational questionnaire:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12419995

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/19/2024 to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  • Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
  • To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account here, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Courtney Harris

Address

Office of Human Capital
811 VERMONT AVENUE NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20571-0000
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After all application packages have been received, we will review your application to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information in the Occupational Questionnaire.

You will be notified by email if your application is forwarded to the hiring official for further consideration.

If you do not meet the rating threshold to move forward to the next evaluation stage or it is determined that your technical competencies do not meet the proficiency requirements for this position, you will be notified by email.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.