Senior Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) Job in Rockville, MD

Vacancy No. OCHCO/HROP-2025-0021 Department Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Salary $142,488.00 to $185,234.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/26/2025 Close Date 9/2/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Rockville, MD


Summary

This position is located in Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, Benefits and Work-life Programs Branch. The supervisor is Karen Cobbs.  

This position is not subject to Confidential Financial Disclosure or security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

This position is not subject to security ownership restriction reporting requirements.

Duties

As a Senior Human Resources Specialist (Benefits), GG-0201-14, you will be responsible for:

Such duties include but are not limited to:

  • Resolving complex benefits issues and providing advice and guidance to HR personnel within the branch and on occasion, as the need requires, across the directorate.
  • Providing sound advice, guidance, and decisions on complex and non-routine human resources management issues.
  • Recommending actions to be taken in individual cases of a complex nature that involves exceptions to normal policies and practices.
  • Recommending the development of new or revised human resources policies, standards, and practices.
  • Evaluating human resources management issues in relation to current policies and practices and assessing their impact on achieving HR and agency objectives.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • This is a Drug Testing position.
  • Background investigation leading to a clearance is required for new hires.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as:

  1. Experience applying laws, regulations, procedures, and legislative changes related to retirement, benefits entitlements, health and life insurance, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), military service, veterans’ benefits, and policies governing prior government service.
  2. Experience utilizing human resources information systems and software applications such as but not limited to the Government Retirement and Benefits (GRB) platform, the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Online Retirement Application (ORA), and the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF).
  3. Experience developing options and recommendations as it pertains to federal benefits programs and making decisions that ensure effective human resources management in accordance with appropriate policies, procedures, laws, and regulations. 

Ideal Candidate:

  1. Possesses strong analytical skills to assess complex HR issues and develop effective, creative solutions.
  2. Have extensive knowledge of modern human resources (HR) policies, procedures, and regulations, including federal laws and OPM guidance.
  3. Communicate complex HR topics clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing, to various audiences.
  4. Skilled in using a wide range of HR information systems and software tools to support personnel actions, reporting, and employee services.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience as well as how you meet the experience desired in an ideal candidate should be addressed in your resume.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

The duty location of this position is Rockville, MD. This position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy.

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.

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.

As an NRC employee you will enjoy excellent Federal Benefits, including: comprehensive health and life insurance plans; Flexible Spending Account Program for health and dependent care; Dental and Vision Insurance; retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) (Thrift Savings Plan); annual (vacation) and paid sick leave; family friendly leave policies; 11 paid holidays per year; transit benefits. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees. 

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.

When the application process is complete, your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the job requirements.  You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to any vacancy questions to determine your level of knowledge, skill and ability related to the job requirements.  If you are among the top candidates for this position, your application will be referred to the hiring manager.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position.  Therefore, we encourage you to submit a resume that directly relates to this position.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

List of supplemental material that may be applicable: 

NOTE: Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to any vacancy questions, and if necessary, documents which prove your eligibility to apply. 

Your resume is crucial in our evaluation of your qualifications. Resumes should clearly demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Please limit your résumé to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine if the minimum qualifications for the position have been met. To ensure your resume contains all required information, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, please ensure it contains all the required information, and you organize it so we can associate the following information with each experience/position:

  1. Job title
  2. Name of employer
  3. Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year) format
  4. Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will pro-rate part-time employment in crediting experience.
  5. Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable).
  6. Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).

If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, please submit your transcript OR list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses along with the course credits in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. 

Please carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application. 

If you are an NRC employee, you are required to submit your most recent Rating of Record (Performance Appraisal) or a statement saying that one is not available. Additionally, you must also submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).
 
If you are a current/reinstatement eligible Federal employee in the competitive service with status (Tenure Group 1 or 2), you will be considered under our merit promotion procedures and must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) to verify competitive status or reinstatement eligibility.

 
Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.)  You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/
 
If you are applying for a position that requires a college degree, you must submit your College Transcripts. 
 
All supplemental documents will now be collected electronically and should be submitted before the closing date of this vacancy announcement.  You have three choices for submitting your supplemental documents: 
 
1.  Use the "USAJOBS" feature to download documents from your USAJOBS portfolio; or 
2.  Use the "Upload" feature to upload documents directly from your computer.  The following types of documents can be uploaded:  .gif, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc; or 
3.  Use the "Fax" feature to print the Fax Cover Sheet and fax it, along with your supplemental documents to 1-571-258-4052. 

How to Apply

We strongly encourage you to complete your USAJOBS profile before you submit your application for this position. 

Please read the entire announcement.  Your application for this vacancy must be received online via the USAJOBS application system BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online application, you will not be considered for this position. 
 
Paper applications will not be accepted unless hardship circumstances can be demonstrated. Requests for extensions WILL NOT be granted. If applying online poses a hardship for you, the Human Resources Specialist listed on the announcement will provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted online by the closing date. Applicants must contact the Human Resources Specialist during business hours BEFORE the closing date of the announcement and speak to someone who can provide assistance for your online submission. 
 
You must answer any job specific vacancy questions. You will be rated based on your responses to any vacancy questions and especially the information provided in your resume. Breadth, recency, and length of experience in the field; training, awards, and commendations; past and current performance; and community or outside professional activities will be considered to determine your level of knowledge, skill or ability for this position. Abbreviated responses to the vacancy questions, such as “significant experience” or “see resume” do not provide enough information and should not be used. You will not be considered for this position if you leave any of the vacancy questions unanswered.

To begin the application process, select the "Apply On-line" button to the right on this screen. Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process. 

Agency contact information

Please Complete
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Please.Complete@nrc.gov
Website
https://www.nrc.gov
Address
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of the Chief Human Capital OfficO/er
Attn: Please Complete
Washington, District of Columbia 20555
United States

Next steps

You may check the status of your application at any time after the announcement closes by logging onto USAJOBs and selecting "Application Status."


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