Clarification from the agency

Your application will be considered if you are a: • GSA employee • GSA surplus or displaced employees in the local commuting area who qualify for the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) You must be serving on a career or career-conditional appointment, or under a noncompetitive Special Appointing Authority which provides for conversion to a permanent position in the Competitive Service.

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****THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO CLOSE ON 1/3/2024****

As a Human Resources Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

• Conducts recruitment conversations with hiring managers. Works with hiring managers on refining and/or developing recruitment/placement criteria in order to recruit for hard-to-fill highly technical, professional and/or specialized positions in areas where a shortage of qualified personnel exists. Researches and considers a wide range of hiring authorities in both the competitive and excepted service (merit promotion, delegated examining, Pathways, noncompetitive hiring authorities, etc.) in order to devise an effective recruitment strategy designed to attract a diverse and qualified applicant pool. Develops job analyses; identifies and writes effective assessment questions/tools. Consults with hiring managers and applies weight calculator to assign weights to vacancy assessment questions and responses.  Develops vacancy announcements.  Reviews applicant resumes and supporting documentation for completeness, eligibility and possession of required qualifications; reviews for score inflation, making score adjustments as warranted.  Issues referrals in accordance with applicable guidelines; responds to applicant inquiries concerning application procedures and qualification/eligibility determinations. As part of the post-selection phase, extends job offers, sets pay in accordance to Title V and agency pay policy and advises hiring managers and supervisors on pay incentives and flexibilities such as Superior Qualifications Appointments, advanced annual leave accrual, and recruitment and relocation incentives.  Creates and sends job offer letters; initiates the background investigation and onboarding process. Codes and submits new hire Requests for Personnel Actions (RPAs) for processing including appropriate nature of action codes, appointment authorities, and required remarks. Updates workload trackers with relevant staffing and recruitment data; closes out vacancy case files to ensure completeness/reconstruction.
• Manages and/or accomplishes the most complex work assignments in the area of recruitment and placement, which involves extremely difficult or complicated projects, which regularly require the identification and resolution of precedent setting and/or highly controversial operational problems. Analyzes specific recruitment problems, diagnoses the cause of conditions found and recommends appropriate short and/or long range course of action. Provides input, advice or direction in the development or implementation of new program responsibilities. Keeps abreast of proposed HR laws, policies, regulations and with Standard Operating Procedures.  Based on customer knowledge, identifies potential impact of such proposals on GSA policies and programs; recommends adjustments and alternatives to enhance program delivery and customer service. Establishes and maintains close cooperative working relationships with program officials to ensure employment programs and HR services are responsive to operating needs and goals of management, and are consistent with GSA policy and OPM regulations.
• Develops or significantly contributes to the development of agency-wide policy on diverse and highly complex recruitment and placement issues; uses staffing expertise to develop innovative solutions to unique human resources problems within the GSA. Advises and explains to hiring managers about Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and the corresponding hiring metrics in order to keep the hiring process on track and completed timely. Engages in a number of additional staffing related and consulting work, including: researching and responding to requests for information (e.g., requests related to EEO investigations, union inquiries, FOIAs, program reviews) and delivering supervisory training on a wide range of recruitment and placement topics.

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
• Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).    

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

For a brief video on creating a Federal resume, click here. 

The GS-13 salary range starts at $98,496.00 per year.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience independently interpreting and applying human resources staffing and recruitment principles, practices, laws, and regulations in order to provide consultative management advisory services across organizations on recruitment and retention strategies, pay/ compensation; researching and analyzing complex data to solve human resources problems and improve staffing and recruitment programs; Using a variety of internal/external recruitment strategies to advise management on principles, laws and regulations of recruitment, hiring and placement; developing solutions for a wide range of regular/recurring to unique/difficult staffing activities; and establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with customers and all levels of management. Experience must include, reviewing position descriptions, developing job analysis, and vacancy announcements; validating qualifications; setting pay; and making offers of employment to hire a qualified workforce.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated on the questions you answer during the application process, which will measure your overall possession of the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Your responses to these questions must be supported by your resume or your score may be lowered. 

1. Skill in applying, a wide range of advanced staffing and placement concepts and practices, as well as seasoned consultative skills sufficient to design and plan a future workforce that is responsive to dynamic changes in mission and business practices brought on by completing factors such as
   downsizing, technological advances, and competition in the labor market; analyze trends and forecast changes in workforce requirements that will meet future mission demands; and implement agency-wide policy on workforce downsizing and reshaping.
2. Knowledge of pay administration policies and regulations to make determinations for pay setting pay actions (change to lower grade, previous rate, etc.). retained grade/pay, promotions, highest
3. Skill in written communication in order to draft job analyses, crediting plans, evaluation reports, decision papers, memoranda, etc., as well as to clearly communicate highly technical information to audiences with varying levels of technical expertise.
4. Knowledge of the various federal appointment authorities, including its governing laws, regulations, methodologies and/or policies, in order to provide expert and authoritative management guidance and/or technical advice on all issues related to recruitment and placement.
5. Skill in the researching, interpreting and applying federal HR rules, regulations, policies and directives to a variety of recruitment and placement issues.
6. Skill in communicating orally in order to clearly communicate highly technical information, deliver supervisory training and management briefings, and to perform management advisory services of considerable scope and complexity, as well as to present sensitive recommendations to all levels of management; to ascertain the needs of customer organizations; to obtain compliance with established policies and requirements; and/or otherwise articulate technically complex policies and requirements.

Additional hurdle assessments, such as narrative responses or other assessments, may be administered to applicants who meet the requirements of the first hurdle, e.g., the minimum qualification requirements. If additional assessments are used, you will be provided with further instructions.

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process.  If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If you are eligible under GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of 85 or higher to receive priority.