Summary
This position is located in the Human Capital Management Office within the Office of the Executive Director. The Specialist supports the Executive Resources Division, which manages senior executives, senior-level positions, administrative law judges, and certain political appointees across the agency. The work helps ensure the Federal Trade Commission can recruit, hire, develop, and retain its executive workforce.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Land and base management
Current or former employees of a base management agency.
Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
National Guard and reserves
Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.
Clarification from the agency
Current Federal employees; former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; well qualified displaced and surplus Federal employees in the local commuting area; individuals eligible for special hiring authorities and veterans who are eligible for special hiring authorities.
Duties
As a Human Resources Specialist in the Executive Resources Division, you will:
- Support and administer human capital programs for Senior Executive Service (SES) members, Senior Level (SL) employees, Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program detailees, and political appointees, including Presidential appointees, non-career SES, and Schedule C positions.
- Provide expert guidance on recruitment, staffing, hiring, onboarding, position management, classification, and pay administration for career and non-career executive positions.
- Prepare tentatively selected executive candidates for OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) Structured Interviews, including coordinating with OPM, reviewing materials, and advising candidates on expectations and interview readiness.
- Assist selectees in assembling qualification materials and transitioning effectively into the agency.
- Coordinate and prepare documentation, analysis, recommendations, and decision-ready materials for the Executive Resources Board (ERB), Performance Review Board (PRB), and senior leadership.
- Support executive compensation activities, including salary-setting packages, pay adjustments, incentives, compensation modeling, and coordination with legal, budget, or OPM partners as required.
- Maintain and update Executive Resources information systems, including the Executive and Schedule C System (ESCS), ensuring accurate tracking of executive hiring actions, personnel movements, and government-wide compliance.
- Manage or support executive performance management processes using USA Performance, including plan initiation, mid-year reviews, close-out activities, awards submissions, data calls, and compliance with OPM and OMB requirements.
- Conduct studies, evaluations, and special projects related to executive personnel programs; develop or revise internal guidance, policies, procedures, and operational processes.
- Collaborate across FTC bureaus and offices; coordinate intergovernmental assignments, executive details, and executive onboarding activities; and support agency-wide initiatives impacting senior leadership.
- Represent the Executive Resources Division in meetings, working groups, and negotiations; present recommendations; resolve issues; and provide advisory services on complex, sensitive, or precedent-setting executive human capital matters.
- Contribute to the improvement of executive resources policies, systems, and operations to ensure effective, compliant, and strategic management of the agency's senior workforce.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
- This position is subject to a background investigation.
- Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
- The position may be subject to completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods are an extension of the hiring process.
- If selected for this position, the agency will evaluate your fitness and whether continuation of employment advances the public interest before extending your appointment beyond the one-year probationary period.
- You must meet time-in-grade requirement by the closing date of this vacancy.
- You must submit a copy of your performance appraisal with your application.
- This position is not in the bargaining unit.
Qualifications
To qualify for the Human Resources Specialist (Executive Resources) position at the GS-13 level, you must meet the following requirements:
You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: applying Office of Personnel Management (OPM) policies and principles for SES, SL, ALJ, political appointee, and Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program detailee staffing; assisting in policies and operations covering executive recruitment, staffing, position management, classification, performance management, executive compensation, and executive development; providing advisory support to managers and supervisors; assisting tentatively selected candidates preparing for OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) Structured Interviews; maintaining executive resource systems such as the Executive Schedule C System (ESCS) and USA Performance; and researching and applying laws, regulations, and policies governing executive personnel programs.
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.
Education
There is no education substitution for specialized experience at this grade level.
Additional information
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.
Career Transition Assistance Programs: 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 Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 87 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
For more information visit: ICTAP/CTAP
Non-competitive Appointment Authorities:
For more information on non-competitive appointment authority eligibility requirements:
- Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
- Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
- Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses
- Other Special Appointment Authorities
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are found qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
Performance Appraisals: In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete application package which includes:
1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education
- Most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held (if applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service)
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
- DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
- Noncompetitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
- Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility. For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50. Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks' time-in-grade requirements. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/service/SF-50/
- Schedule A- In order to receive consideration under the Schedule A authority, you must provide a certification of job readiness printed on a medical professional's letterhead and signed. For more information, please visit USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/individuals-with-disabilities/)
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
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12998864.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.