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Human Resources Specialist - Employee Relations (Employee Relations Specialist)

Department of Justice
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/25/2026 to 03/18/2026
Salary
$74,678 to - $116,362 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Phoenix, AZ
Stockton, CA
Washington, DC
Atlanta, GA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CO-2026-0159
Control number
858838400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• BOP Employees nationwide • DOJ Surplus and Displaced (CTAP) Employees in the local commuting area. • Division: Office of General Counsel, Employment Law and Ethics Branch, Central Office, Washington, D.C. • Duty Location: TO BE DETERMINED DURING SELECTION - Central Office, North Central Regional Office, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Phoenix RRM, Southeast Regional Office, South Central Regional Office, and Western Regional Office.

Duties

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Provides technical advice to management, and supervisors on employee relations issues.

Maintains regular communication with Human Resource Managers to monitor and coordinate the activities of disciplinary actions.

He/she assists in developing, designing, modifying, and/or overseeing the training materials for presentations and conducts training and orientation regarding disciplinary actions.

Provide management officials with advice in the area of correcting employees' poor performance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is Required.
  • See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

Career Transition Programs (CTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

  • 1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
  • 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
  • 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements:

EDUCATION:

GS-11: A 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.

Graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

GS-12 There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at this grade level.

OR

Experience:

GS-11 and GS-12: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and this is typically in or related to the work of the position.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GS-11:

  • Experience that demonstrates knowledge of and the ability to apply employee relations principles, practices, and regulatory requirements.
  • Experience assisting with the interpretation of federal employment statutes, implementing regulations, and applicable labor contract provisions.
  • Experience in explaining personnel policies and procedures to labor unions and managers related to employee relations issues.
  • Experience in providing training and orientation regarding disciplinary actions, the grievance process, and Office of Personnel Management directives.

GS-12:

  • Experience in researching case law, collecting and analyzing information to provide recommendations/resolve complex/technical employee relations issues.
  • Experience in providing technical advice to management and supervisors on employee relations issues and grievance issues, disciplinary actions and other related situations.
  • Experience responding to grievances, unfair labor practice complaints, disciplinary decision appeals and making presentations in third-party arbitration hearings.
  • Experience in providing training in labor law issues, disciplinary and adverse actions, the grievance process, employee performance and conduct, Office of Personnel directives and the Master Agreement.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

GS-11 only: Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

The representative rate for this position is $98,459 per annum ($47.18 per hour).

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks.

The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application. You may be required to provide proof of residence.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed.

DUTY LOCATION: TO BE DETERMINED DURING SELECTION - Central Office, North Central Regional Office, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Phoenix RRM, Southeast Regional Office, South Central Regional Office, and Western Regional Office.

Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees:

A prerequisite of the secondary law enforcement position is the completion of the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II".  If you have not completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II", you are ineligible for secondary law enforcement position(s) and coverage but may still be considered for a non-law enforcement position.

If you are not a current Bureau of Prisons employee, you must submit training records demonstrating you have completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II" to your hiring Human Resource office prior to appointment. 

Individuals selected who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and who have not had three years "primary" law enforcement retirement coverage, will not be covered by law enforcement retirement while in this position. To regain coverage, individuals must return to a position with "primary" coverage.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which 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;
  • the 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 the 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. Exceptions may apply. See 5 CFR part 11.

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.

If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement.  If your selections are not supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application:

  • Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile;
  • Your responses to the eligibility questions;
  • Your responses to the online assessment;
  • Your supporting documentation, if required.

Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

If you applied to more than one grade level, BE ADVISED that you may be selected at ANY grade level for which you applied and are found qualified (i.e., if the job is announced at the 9/11 grade levels and you apply for the GS/GL-9 and the GS-11,and you are found qualified at BOTH grade levels, you may be selected at either grade level).

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

GS-11 and GS-12:

  • Ability to communicate orally.
  • Ability to collect, develop, analyze information, draw conclusions and make recommendations.
  • Ability to effectively communicate in writing, interpret written material, proofread, and edit written documentation.
  • Knowledge of Human Resource policies and procedures.

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