Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees (career or career-conditional) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (competitive or excepted), Current permanent Federal employees eligible for transfer, former federal employees eligible for Reinstatement, Veterans eligible for consideration under VEOA, Certain Military Spouses, Peace Corps/VISTA, disabled individuals eligible under Schedule A, and those eligible under current Interchange Agreements.

Major Duties:

• Serves as an Employee Relations (ER) Specialist on ER programs including policy guidance and advice to senior leadership, program managers, other management officials and supervisors.
• Provides assistance, interpretation, information, and guidance on employee relations problems and issues which affect organizational goal performance, individual performance, performance appraisal systems, and employee relations training programs.
• Serves as a technical advisor for disciplinary and adverse action procedures.
• Provides advice and assistance to supervisors, employees and HR in a wide variety of employee relations matters such as performance issues, conduct actions (disciplinary and adverse actions), grievances, appeals, etc.
• Trains supervisors and management officials on ER problems, performance and conduct issues, merit systems principles, and investigative techniques.
• Act as management's representative for labor contract negotiations and administration that include multiple contracts and multiple bargaining units.
• Serves as management's representative on negotiating team(s) providing advice on developing management proposals, negotiating strategies, and when union's proposals may be nonnegotiable under federal law and regulations.

Position Description/PD#: Human Resources Specialist (Employee & Labor Relations)/PD70049A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required as needed for this position.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: As determined by the Agency Policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Physical Demands: No special physical exertion is required. The work is primarily performed while sitting, though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meeting and training rooms, or commercial vehicles.
Working Conditions: The work environment includes everyday risks and discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of an office environment.

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.
• Selectee is subject to background/suitability investigation.
• Selected applicant will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment.
• To be considered for this position, applicants must complete all required steps in the process.
• 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 will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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 the GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

To qualify for this position, all qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement-06/01/2026.

• EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.
  • Specialized experience for this position is defined as: advising management and human resources on a broad range of employee and labor relations issues, such as disciplinary actions, performance management, and EEO-related matters under Title 5 and agency-specific authorities. This role requires interpreting collective bargaining agreements, grievance procedures, and federal labor relations statutes, as well as analyzing fact-finding inquiries and management investigations. The work also involves independently researching relevant laws, regulations, and precedents and providing clear, legally defensible written recommendations and decision documents.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 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.

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, 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
• Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessment 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.

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

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes one or more of the following documents. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included documents required for your application. You will not be contacted for additional information:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the two-page resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position.
2. Complete All Required Assessments (including USA Hire).
3. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
   • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
   • An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
   • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
   • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
     • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
     • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
     • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
   • If you are a former Federal employee who previously held a career or career-conditional position in the competitive service and separated from the Federal Government over a year ago and you are requesting non-competitive consideration you must submit a copy of your last SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration and a copy of your last Federal Performance appraisal with a rating of at least Fully Successful (or equivalent).
4. Documentation that you meet Selective Placement Factors, if applicable.
5. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g., DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.) Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
   • When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.).
   • If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active-duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation.
   • Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form.
6. If your application is rated as well-qualified (score 85 or above) and you are claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) submit:
   • a copy of your agency notice,
   • a copy of your most recent performance rating, and
   • a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.

Next steps