Clarification from the agency

Open to Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP), Land/Base Management eligibles and Veterans eligible under VEOA.

DRLI develops national policies, regulations, interpretations, and provides direction for administering Departmental programs that promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the nation's workforce under the Acts administered and enforced by WHD. As a Wage and Hour Specialist, you will perform the following duties which are not all-inclusive:

• Formulate, develop, coordinate, clear, issue, and disseminate official agency interpretations through regulatory rulemakings as well as sub-regulatory vehicles, such as opinion letters.
• Assist in the development of testimony and background material for hearings on WHD regulatory and sub-regulatory matters.
• Assist in the drafting and review of WHD's regulatory agenda.
• Conduct or lead developmental and exploratory special studies on selected interpretative issues and program information, analyze public comments in rulemaking dockets on proposed WHD regulations.
• Analyze proposed Federal legislation and legislative needs associated with WHD's comprehensive employment standards programs.
• Monitor and report on relevant Congressional activities and legislation.
• Assist in the review of new or revised legislative proposals.
• Assist in the development and review of information collection requests subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
• Serve as a recognized authority and senior advisor to the DRLI Director as well as WHD senior management officials.
• Explain highly complex, potentially controversial, and important nationwide policies followed by WHD under its statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with the Office of the Solicitor staff to obtain advice on legal matters.

Conditions of employment

• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

You must meet all requirements listed below to qualify for Wage and Hour Specialist.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). In addition to meeting the Specialized Experience below, the applicant must also meet the IOR in order to be found qualified.

Must Possess at least TWO of the following THREE specialized criteria requirements:

• General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
• Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
• Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.

In addition to the criteria specified above applicants must have knowledge of and ability to apply the provisions of Federal wage and hour labor laws pertaining to wages, hours of work, or related conditions of employment.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards in determining compliance for an organization or government-based program.
• Conducting interviews and providing information about laws and/or regulations.
• Industrial personnel or salary and wage administration or responsible work in a certified public accounting firm.
• Analyzing or applying labor legislation.
• Reviewing and evaluating operations and procedures through analysis, audits, or surveillance inspections.
• Federal, State, or self-regulatory agency work involving obtaining compliance with appropriate program requirements.

In addition to the criteria specified above applicants must have have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service.

For GS-14 :

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Qualifying specialized experience for GS-14 includes:
1) Experience working with Wage and Hour compliance practices, procedures and techniques to prepare, revise, or interpret opinion letters, regulations, and other policy documents.
2) Experience using research, fact-finding, and analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret, prepare, and revise Wage and Hour regulatory and sub-regulatory documents.
3) Experience working with and understanding top management thinking and philosophy on Wage and Hour programs to prepare, revise, or interpret opinion letters and other Wage and Hour policy documents.
4) Experience presenting briefings to senior management officials and for providing technical guidance and assistance to staff at all levels.
5) Experience with project management techniques to successfully plan and implement regulatory and sub-regulatory projects.
6) Experience formulating policy and conducting long-range planning in connection with prospective changes in functions and programs.
7) Experience introducing and providing training on regulatory impact analysis, automated processes and methods improvements.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated through your resume and supporting documentation.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12901127

• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Technical Competence

SME Resume Panel Review

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to assess your technical qualifications based on the competencies listed below. Applicants who meet the required qualifications will advance to the next stage of the hiring process.

For each below competency, SME(s) will provide a rating of 0-Not Applicable, 1-Awareness, 2-Basic, 3-Intermediate, 4-Advanced, or 5-Expert based on the content of your resume.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Technical Competence

Clickhere for Evaluation details.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) will be considered well-qualified if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

When Wage and Hour Division completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional sub-agencies in the Department. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional sub-agencies at DOL. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of 03/18/2026 the announcement closing date.

The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

• FEDERAL STATUS APPLICANTS: When applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility.

*WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step, and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.

• Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
• Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months is requested by the agency but will not disqualify candidates if not submitted. If not submitted during the application process, one may/will be requested at the time of the interview if the opportunity is extended. *In most cases, ICTAP/CTAP applicants must submit this document - please see ICTAP/CTAP links below for more details.

The following documents are required (if applicable):

• Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Eligibility. Click/Review these ICTAP/CTAP links to confirm what must be submitted as proof that the requirement has been met.
• DD-214 - verifying military service, eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and showing the character of discharge (ex. Member Copy 4 and 2 are acceptable vs. Copy 1 which is not acceptable to adjudicate veteran's preference)
• Land Management Eligible(s): a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) proving your eligibility for appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act. This service must have been performed in competitive service, under a time-limited appointment in a Land Management Agency, as defined by P.L. 114-328. For more information, click here.
• Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

Do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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.

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