Clarification from the agency

Title 5 Excepted Service, Non-uniformed Position with the Minnesota National Guard,

Major Duties: This is not an all-inclusive list

A HR SPEC (EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/COMPENSATION), GS-0201-9/11,
GS09: 1. Provides counseling to management, employees, annuitants, and family members of deceased employees by interpreting, applying, and explaining retirement and insurance laws, regulations, and policies on available retirement insurance benefits, death benefits, entitlements/options. Researches and interprets appropriate regulations to provide advice to employees concerning reinstatement of insurance, conversion of life insurance and features of the programs and options associated with retirement. Assist employees in the preparation of retirement applications and related documents and forwards to the Army Benefits Center Civilian.
2. Assists in administering programs such as the Mass Transit, Reasonable Accommodations (RA), Telework, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, military, or civilian deposits for CSRS/FERS, disability benefits, Light Duty Program, and Workers Compensation Program. Develop and process termination memorandums. Compose termination memorandums (30-day notice) in compliance with formats contained in the correspondence regulation for non-retention, mandatory removal date (MRD), mandatory separation date (MSD), medical disqualification, age 60, etc. Monitors and ensures the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) program is properly publicized and supervisors are provided the appropriate guidelines for use of the program.
3. Provides technical advice on flexibilities and appropriate use of leave issues such as Sick Leave for Family Care and Bereavement, Disabled Veterans Leave, Advanced Leave, Compensatory Time, Leave Without Pay, Absence Without Leave, Presidential Leave, Court Leave, and Military Leave. Provides technical advice on the use of the Family and Medical Leave Act, Paid Parental Leave, and Voluntary Leave Transfer Program. Interprets guidance and regulations to provide advice to management and employees on pay schedule adjustments, severance pay, back pay, debts, and compensation.

Performs other duties as assigned.

GS11: 1. Advises and counsels management, employees, annuitants, and family members of deceased employees by interpreting, applying, and explaining retirement and insurance laws, regulations, and policies on available retirement insurance benefits, death benefits, entitlements/options. Researches and interprets appropriate regulations to provide advice to employees concerning reinstatement of insurance, conversion of life insurance and features of the programs and options associated with retirement. Assist employees in the preparation of retirement applications and related documents and forwards to the Army Benefits Center Civilian (ABC-C).
2. Provides technical advice to personnel on programs such as the Mass Transit, Reasonable Accommodations (RA), Telework, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, military, or civilian deposits for CSRS/FERS, disability benefits, Light Duty Program, and Workers Compensation Program. Develop and process termination memorandums. Compose termination memorandums (30-day notice) in compliance with formats contained in the correspondence regulation for non-retention, mandatory removal date (MRD), mandatory separation date (MSD), medical disqualification, age 60, etc. Monitors and ensures the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) program is properly publicized and supervisors are provided the appropriate guidelines for use of the program.
3. Provides technical advice on flexibilities and appropriate use of leave issues such as Sick Leave for Family Care and Bereavement, Disabled Veterans Leave, Advanced Leave, Compensatory Time, Leave Without Pay, Absence Without Leave, Presidential Leave, Court Leave, and Military Leave. Provides technical advice on the use of the Family and Medical Leave Act, Paid Parental Leave, and Voluntary Leave Transfer Program. Interprets guidance and regulations to provide advice to management and employees on pay schedule adjustments, severance pay, back pay, debts, and compensation.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Prior to appointment, an applicant must have a current completed/clear drug test
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Irregular and overtime hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies.
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. This designation will not exceed 14 calendar days per year unless otherwise approved in advance by the TAG.
• The employee may be required to travel in military and/or commercial vehicles to perform temporary duty assignments.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate clearance designated at the State through the use of the Position Designation Tool.
• Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; over/comp time may be required.
• May require travel in military and/or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments
• The work may require the incumbent to drive a motor vehicle; if so, and an appropriate valid driver's license is mandatory.

***Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation*** Upon selection, individuals will undergo a background check to validate suitability for employment with the federal government as permitted by law, regulation, Presidential order or other authority. Suitability is dependent upon the particular requirements for security clearance, sensitivity level, and DOD IT network access. Items checked include, but are not limited to all criminal history record information, employment history, education and fiscal accountability/responsibility.**

The duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. You must maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

GENERAL AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS:
GS09: . For all positions, 1-year specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade. Specialized experience is experience that prepared the applicant to perform the duties of the position. The applicant's educational-degree study program or military or civilian academic courses may substitute for some specialized experience. An applicant must demonstrate the specialized experience competencies (skills, knowledge, abilities and behaviors) to qualify for a position identified by its position grade and career level. Specialized experience factors encompass human resources program's business competencies, familiarity with the subject matter or processes used in human resources programs associated with DoD, U.S. Army, or U.S. Air Force
GS11: 1 year equivalent to at least GS-9

How you will be evaluated

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

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of the following areas of consideration (AOC) based on the Minnesota National Guard Merit Placement Plan:

• Area 1: Current On-board Title 5 Employees (Tenure: 1-Career, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite or 4-Term ) - Only those current Minnesota National Guard employees who are in permanent, indefinite, or term technician status as result of being competitively hired by the Minnesota National Guard or Office of Personnel Management agency. This does not apply to Temporary Technicians or Temporary Employees
• Area 2: Current On-board Excepted Title 32 Technicians (Tenure: 1-Career, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite) - Only those Minnesota National Guard employees who are in permanent technician status as result of being competitively hired within the Minnesota National Guard agency.
• Area 3: Current On-board Federal Employees (Tenure: 1-Career, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite?) from another Federal Agency nationwide who are in permanent technician status as result of being competitively hired within that agency. I.e. Title 5 employed outside of the MNNG, Title 5 USAFR.
• Area 4: All federal re-employable eligible employees. (used as a way to attract federal experience without considering all U.S. Citizens - can reach retirees)
• Area 5: U.S. Citizens (to include current ARNG and ANG members.)

Basis for Rating Area 5: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligible are listed ahead of non-preference eligible within each quality category.

• Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Well Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
• Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.

Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of appropriate education, experience, training, self-development activities, and special awards. Candidates are considered on the basis of available information on their current application and supporting information that has been provided to this office. To ensure full consideration, applicants are urged to submit information about their training, self-development, outside experience, activities and awards. National Guard military (Part-time) service is considered as full-time experience when evaluated against the qualification requirements for a technician position.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.