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Human Resources Specialist

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Foreign Service Registrar Division in the Bureau of Global Talent Management (GTM), Office of Talent Acquisition (GTM/TAC/REG). The division is the sole hiring authority for Foreign Service positions, including Foreign Service Generalists, Specialists, and Limited Non-career Appointments, Recalls and Reappointments.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/03/2022 to 06/09/2022
Salary
$61,947 to - $116,788 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 12
Location
Washington, DC
MANY vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HRSC/GTMEX-2022-0039
Control number
658022900

Duties

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  • Provides client Bureaus two more of the following Human Resource functions: staff acquisition, organization and position management, compensation management, benefits management, performance management, separation and/or information systems.
  • Serves as a key member on teams of HR Specialists who participate in the development and evaluation of new or revised Department policies, procedures, and regulations.
  • Processes Foreign Service personnel actions that affect awards, benefits or corrections.
  • Ensures that requests for new positions are consistent with the requesting organization' s staffing limitations, approved organizational structure, and official missions and functions as described in Volume 1 of the Foreign Affairs Manual (1FAM).
  • At the GS-9 and GS-11 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receives closer supervision than the GS-12 level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applying for the GS-9:

Applicants applying for the GS-09 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience providing human resource functions such as staff acquisition, human resource strategy, organization and position management, performance management, compensation management, benefits management, separation and information systems. 
  • Experience performing clerical work using office automation to produce a variety of documents such as letters, memos, and reports.
  • Experience performing customer support functions such as responding to inquiries,  managing case files and providing advisory services.

OR

B. Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.B or J.D. from an accredited college or university. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position to be filled;

OR

C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%.

Applying for the GS-11:

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience providing human resource functions such as staff acquisition, human resource strategy, organization and position management, performance management, compensation management, benefits management, separation and information systems. 
  • Experience researching, interpreting and applying appropriate laws, regulations, policies and guidelines in two or more human resources functional areas (e.g., recruitment and placement, classification, employee relations, including performance management and employee benefits). 
  • Experience compiling information for reports and maintaining files.

OR B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. from an accredited college or university.

OR C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position.

Applying for the GS-12:

Applicants applying for the GS-12 must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience researching, interpreting and applying appropriate laws, regulations, policies and guidelines in two or more human resources functional areas (e.g., recruitment and placement, classification, employee relations, including performance management and employee benefits). 
  • Experience providing authoritative management advisory services, which includes researching, analyzing and evaluating the issues, recommending innovative methods and strategies to resolve complex integrated human resources problems.
  • Experience drafting a variety of reports, letters, memoranda, position descriptions, position evaluation statements, and other correspondence on a full range of sensitive management issues.
  • Experience meeting and dealing with managers and employees at all levels in situations of a highly sensitive nature.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework and remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

  1. Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
  2. Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
  3. Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.  The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Ability to research, interpret and apply human resources laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Ability to provide advisory services on a variety of human resources matters.
  • Ability to plan and organize work.
  • Ability to communicate orally and in writing. 

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category.  Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify.  View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. 


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