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Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Department of Energy
Department of Energy - Agency Wide
Power Marketing Agency - Human Resources Shared Service Center

Summary

This position is part of the Power Marketing Administration HR Shared Service Center.. As a Benefits Specialist will be performing work that assists the DOE in delivering employee benefits administration service to management and employees in such areas as retirement, health insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, death benefits, flexible spending accounts, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and others

*This is not a remote position. You will be required to physically report into an office

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/07/2026 to 01/14/2026
Salary
$61,722 to - $89,470 per year

Salary will be based on chosen duty location upon selection. See additional information below for link to FY 2026 tables.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Phoenix, AZ
Folsom, CA
Lakewood, CO
Montrose, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-PW-00121-12859232-IMP
Control number
853747600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is only open to current Department of Energy employees on a career or career-conditional competitive service appointment.

Duties

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As a Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits), you will:

  • Provide employee benefits support, including functional and procedural guidance on benefit matters, to managers, supervisors, and senior HR specialists.
  • Interpret rules and regulations to counsel and inform managers and employees on various federal benefits programs such as CSRS, FERS, FEGLI, TSP, LTC, FSA, and FEDVIP.
  • Determine proper retirement coverage and creditable service, calculate annuity estimates, and advise employees on all aspects of retirement planning.
  • Conduct audits of official personnel records to resolve discrepancies and determine the creditability of verified service for all Service Computation Dates using OPM regulations and DOE policies.
  • Research legal and regulatory requirements to provide recommendations and assist with responses regarding human capital operational policies and procedures related to employee benefits.
  • Assist in the planning and administration of benefits programs and processes, including providing information on enrollment, eligibility, and survivor benefits.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position.
    • Loveland and Lakewood CO - $68,819.00 - $89,470.00
    • Phoenix AZ - $ 64,564.00 - $ 83,938.00
    • Folsom CA - $ 68,419.00 - $88,949.00
    • Montrose CO, Billings MT, and Watertown SD, - $ 61,722.00 - $80,243.00

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. The experience need not have been in the federal government.

To be qualified at the GS-9: Applicants must have one (1) year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-7 grade level or equivalent pay band in Federal Service. This experience includes:

  • Provided administrative support in the coordination and delivery of employee services, including managing documentation and responding to inquiries related to benefits or similar programs.
  • Assisted with interpreting and applying established guidelines or regulations to provide information and support to individuals regarding program eligibility and processes.
  • Maintained and updated records, performed data entry, and conducted basic calculations to support financial or personnel administration functions.
OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or a LL.B. or J.D., if related

OR A combination of education and experience to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov.
  • Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • if selected, you may be required to complete a one-year supervisory probation period.
  • If selection is made at a lower grade, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.
  • Promotion Potential: This positions full performance level is a GS11
  • Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. SMEs will review ONLY the first two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume).

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the scores provided from the SME resume review to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified."

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Clerical
  • Compliance
  • Customer Service
  • Reading Comprehension

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (01/14/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12859232.

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