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Human Resources Specialist

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Office of Human Capital Services (OHCS), Consulting Services Division (CSD)

Summary

This position is located in NOAA's Office of Human Capital Services (OHCS) with three vacancies that could be filled in one of the listed locations. As NOAA's operating HR office, the OHCS team powers the people behind the science. We are seeking forward-thinking HR professionals to provide the essential leadership and consultation needed to ensure NOAA has the talent and skills to meet its mission-now and in the future.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/11/2026 to 02/17/2026
Salary
$75,788 to - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZA 3 - 4
Locations
3 vacancies in the following locations:
Boulder, CO
Silver Spring, MD
Kansas City, MO
Newport, RI
Remote job
No
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
4 - If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you may be non-competitively promoted if you perform successfully and if recommended by management.
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
OHCS CSD-26-12884037-ST
Control number
857344400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current or former Federal employees w/permanent competitive status; OR those eligible under a non-competitive appointing authority (e.g. Individuals w/Disabilities, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are eligible for conversion, etc.); OR current or former employees who are serving, or previously served on temp or term appmt in land mgmt agency; OR veterans w/preference or those separated from armed forces under honorable conditions after 3+ yrs of continuous service.

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Duties

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

  • Provide management consultative service involving the full spectrum of Human Resource (HR) functions to include recruitment and placement, position management and classification, pay and compensation, employee performance, benefits, and employee and labor relations issues. Conduct review of Job Opportunity Announcements to ensure compliance with rules, regulations, Departmental Policy and Procedures, and management consultations. Review qualifications of applicants and make determinations.
  • Hear organizational personnel issues, concerns, operational issues, and long-term planning. Analyze and evaluate the organizations current staffing situation including turnover, vacancies, and current recruitment strategies. Provide general recommendations, strategy and planning to offer effective and efficient solutions.
  • Collaborate with and lead management in employing change management process concepts and techniques such as strategic planning and workforce development. Utilizes familiarity with assigned organization, mission, business strategy, and drivers in order to consult with customers on their workforce strategy, including assisting in workforce planning, succession planning, and analytics efforts.
  • Work internally and externally with staff carrying out personnel support services including recruitment and placement, onboarding, compensation and data management, and labor relations. Facilitate communication, fact and data gathering and assist in the completion of assignments to support assigned customers. Assist customers in the completion of paperwork, document filing, personnel research, and data entry into HR information systems as required to complete assignments.
NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZA-4; the ZA-3 is developmental leading to such performance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZA-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.
The ZA-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14. The ZA-4 is the full performance level of the position.

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. This position requires a Moderate Risk Security Clearance.
  3. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information.
  5. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  6. Qualification requirements must be met by closing date of the announcement.

Additional Considerations:

  • One year probationary period may be required.*
  • Payment of relocation expenses (PCS) is not authorized.
  • Background investigation will be required. Continued employment is subject to applicant's successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period, we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

  • Your performance and conduct;
  • Needs and interests of the agency;
  • Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of then Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

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-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year 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 competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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). 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.

To qualify at the ZA-3 or GS-11 level:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Guiding management on complex human resources management issues, including position classification, employee relations, recruitment and staffing, or organizational design;
  • Conducting workforce planning activities by evaluating organizational data, such as turnover rates and vacancy trends, and identifying staffing and compensations solutions to drive outcomes and address competency gaps within an assigned program area; and
  • Communicating and explaining a wide range of Federal HR laws, regulations, and procedures to managers and employees, ensuring complex information is translated into clear and actionable guidance.
OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above.

To qualify at the ZA-4 or GS-13 level:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
  • Applying authoritative mastery of Federal HR laws, concepts, and policy to resolve highly sensitive or complex human resources or personnel issues;
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of HR programs and operational strategies within an assigned area to identify systemic trends, such as high turnover or competency gaps, and recommending corrective actions or process improvements; and
  • Translating highly technical Federal HR laws, internal guidance, and complex variables into clear, persuasive oral and written guidance tailored to customers, ensuring consistent application of personnel management functions across a large and complex organization.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.

Additional information

ICTAP and CTAP Candidates: Eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. Copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. Copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. Copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. Copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. Copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. Copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
Non-Competitive Reinstatement to a Higher Grade/Band than Previously Held MUST submit the following documents:
  1. SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action": You must provide the most current Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) that verifies career/career-conditional status, title, series, and highest grade level held on a permanent basis for your previous position, AND the SF-50 that verifies your separation date; AND
  2. Performance Appraisal: Most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.

NOAA participates in e-Verify, an Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

The Federal Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Customer Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Technical Competence

A Job Knowledge Test will be used in order to assess technical and professional expertise directly relevant to the requirements of this announcement. This assessment measures the specialized knowledge and skills accumulated over time, which are critical for successful performance in this position.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12884037

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