Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment and Placement)

Clarification from the agency

Area of Consideration: This announcement is open to current, Permanent employees of the Veterans' Health Administration.

RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT:

• Review the application packages of applicants in accordance with agency's qualification standards.
• Adjudicate Veteran's Preference, verify eligibilities, and rate and rank applicants for positions.
• Adjudicate and make decisions on applicants' appeals and agency's request to pass over (or objects to) qualified applicants listed on the certificates, as well as provide input to the Hiring Manager on final decisions.
• Draft assessments and announcements based on classified position descriptions or functional statements and completed job analysis forms by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the USA Staffing system.
• Send reviews to Hiring Managers to make changes/edits to announcements.
• Post announcements on USAJOBS website.
• Issue certificates to Hiring Managers.
• Send Notice of Ratings and Referrals (NORs), and disposition letters to applicants.
• Audit and complete certificates.
• Update various documents, spreadsheets and databases regarding recruitment and staffing.
• Review recruitment packages to ensure all documents are received from the service lines for the recruitment requests.
• Consult with supervisors/managers regarding the marketing sources for viable applicants for positions and recommend strategies for overcoming employment barriers.
• Provide technical advice and assistance to HR staff and management officials in all areas of recruitment and staffing.
• Support employment programs by advising supervisors/managers on the fundamental legal and regulatory provisions of these programs.
• Coordinate and work with leadership regarding priorities for positions to be filled.
• Troubleshoot and resolve recruitment requests and contact Hiring Managers to finalize recruitment actions.
• Process a variety of requests for personnel actions (RPAs) to fill a variety of positions and ensure that all personnel actions meet regulatory requirements.

CONSULTATION:

• Evaluate trends in missions, technology, manpower, fiscal resources and other factors influencing future needs.
• Advise staff on difficult and unusual recruitment, placement, and pay issues or problems.
• Advise on the selection of SMEs and the rating panel process.
• Provide advice to management and resolve problems that arise in administering recruitments.
• Prepare written correspondence and other documents, such as newsletters, congressional inquiries, responses to reconsiderations, verbal and/or written inquires from employees and other internal/external customers.
• Provide guidance to internal/external customers on regulations, policies, directives and applicable supplements.
• Consult with Hiring Managers on recruitment strategies, such as job fairs, social media, recruitment campaigns, graduates, colleges/universities, private sector and other specialty talent.
• Create benchmarks by utilizing quantitative and qualitative recruitment data from OIG, annual workforce planning studies, special initiatives, and other VHA applicable studies and data to achieve short and long-term recruitment outcomes.
• Ensure job analysis forms are properly formulated by SMEs to obtain highly qualified applicants.
• Advise staff on the types of appointments, such as permanent, temporary, term, competitive and excepted service, special hiring authorities, Direct Hiring Authority.
• Other duties as assigned.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc. Eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment and Placement)/PD99989S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required

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
• Subject to background/security investigation
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/06/2026.

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 a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.
For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.

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.

The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following:
Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Experience in an administrative setting with Human Resources duties; interpreting and applying recruitment and placement regulations; advises management officials on various types of appointments in both the competitive and excepted service; develop rating factors and crediting plans; drafting and preparing announcements, determining applicant's eligibility, and issuing referral lists; establishing priorities, planning and organizing work to meet time restraints. ~OR~
Education: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~
Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following:
Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Experience in a Human Resources position requiring extensive knowledge of federal personnel regulations and laws as it applies to recruitment and placement, providing consultative advice and guidance on processing personnel actions, staffing and recruitment; perform the full range of recruitment and placement functions related to administrative and clinical positions. Work is done with minimal supervisory oversight. ~OR~
Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~
Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first two years) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

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

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR 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; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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.

Next steps