Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to various hiring paths. Please see above for further clarification.

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As a Human Resources Specialist Employee Labor Relations (ER/LR), you will be responsible for providing technical advice and assistance to the human resources staff and management officials in all areas of ER/LR. The duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Providing technical guidance, advice and counseling to management officials and supervisors to address issues with workforce-related conduct and performance.
• Develops strategies to respond to employee-related issues.
• Prepares appropriate agency responses to employee relations matters.
• Providing consultation on associated program areas, such as reasonable accommodation and leave management.
• Delivers training for management and employees on a variety of employee relations topics.
• Prepares a variety of correspondence on behalf of the agency to address complex employee relations matters including, disciplinary and adverse actions, settlement agreements, and congressional correspondence.
• Providing services to an integrated healthcare network, ensuring strict adherence to all contractual and regulatory timeframes.
• Advises management officials at all levels of the network, including senior leaders, about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques in response to a range of conduct and performance problems.
• Explains rules and procedures to employees and management to help them understand rights and obligations while maintaining and encouraging objectivity in situations that may be charged with emotion and involve assumptions.
• Resolves disputes and evaluates events and/or identifies aggravating or mitigating factors relevant to the case.
• Conducts extensive analysis to identify obscure or underlying causes of misconduct or poor performance.
• Helps managers and supervisors focus on performance management processes, including planning, monitoring, developing, rating, and rewarding performance.
• Advises managers about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques in response to a range of conduct and performance problems; explains rules and procedures to employees and helps them understand their rights and obligations.
• Determines appropriate FLSA and BUS codes for all positions.
• Responsible for submission of properly coded personnel actions in collaboration with the Technical Reviewer.
• Providing services to an integrated healthcare network, ensuring strict adherence to all contractual and regulatory timeframes.
• Develops management strategies to respond to labor issues.
• Prepares appropriate agency responses to labor-related matters.
• Offers technical guidance, information and assistance to management and senior leadership officials on sensitive, serious, and controversial labor relations issues regarding employees in a wide variety of administrative and clinical occupations with substantial differences in working conditions, entitlement, and occupational practices and policies.
• Providing technical and consultative guidance, including actions of a disciplinary or adverse nature, grievances, demands to bargain, impasse proceedings, local bargaining, unfair labor practices, performance management and recognition, employee counseling, appeals, complaints, drug testing and related functions.

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: Administrative Day Tour, Monday - Friday
Compressed/Flexible: At supervisory discretion
Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Position Description/PD#: HR Specialist (Emp Rel/Lab Rel)/PD99976A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/16/2023.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5.
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.
For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.
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-7 level, you meet one of the following:
Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 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: Basic knowledge of federal or non-federal personnel regulations and laws as it applies to Human Resources; explaining Human Resources processes, rules, regulations, and laws; processing personnel actions using automated personnel systems.
. ~OR~
Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.). The S.A.A. provision is an educational achievement based on class standing, grade-point average or honor society membership. 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 a bachelors degree) 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-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: General knowledge of methods, principles, and practices used in the ER/LR process; advise on the requirements of the ER/LR process; develop plans of actions; use standardized strategies to aid in advisement on labor, performance or correction actions. . ~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: Working knowledge of, and skill in applying, laws, Executive orders, regulations, policies, collective bargaining agreements, concepts, and various HR policies, practices, procedures, and management controls of the labor and employee relations functions in a regionalized operation sufficient to: provide comprehensive employee and labor relations services onsite; coordinate with and advise supervisors and managers on technical issues involving disciplinary, adverse and all other relevant corrective actions.. ~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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria:
Criteria 1- Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. 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: General knowledge of methods, principles, and practices used in the ER/LR process; advise on the requirements of the ER/LR process; develop plans of actions; use standardized strategies to aid in advisement on labor, performance or correction actions. ~OR~
Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 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: Evaluating, publicizing and establishing operating procedures for employee relations programs that are typically complex or controversial, and/or potentially impact large numbers of employees; Informing management of regulatory requirements to be considered in effecting disciplinary actions and grievances and appeals related to disciplinary actions taken; Providing interpretations, advice, and guidance on Federal laws, executive orders, OPM directives/decisions as they relate to employee and labor relations issues.

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:

• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Employee Relations
• Interpersonal Effectiveness
• Labor Relations
• Technical Competence

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.