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Human Resources Specialist (Classification)

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Personnel and Training (PERT), Office of Talent Services (TS), Classification Branch (C). HR Classification is charged with providing the full range of position classification, position management, organizational design and program development and improvement services for the Department of State.

Overview

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Open & closing dates
03/04/2026 to 03/10/2026
Salary
$74,678 to - $138,370 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Charleston, SC
Few vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Announcement number
M/PERT-MPE-2026-0002
Control number
859619300

Duties

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  • Serves as a technical expert and provides authoritative advisory services throughout the department pertaining to position classification and position management to Civil Service and Domestic Foreign Service managers, supervisors, and employees.
  • Provides position classification determinations and advisory services to client bureaus and offices where there are significant differences in guidance between the General Schedule series and Foreign Service skills and/or pay plan.
  • Determines adequacy of Personnel Documents, conducts employee or supervisory audits to determine accuracy of the documents; determines title, pay plan, series, grade level, Fair Labor Standards Act coverage, and prepares evaluation statements.
  • Provides advice and guidance to high-level managers, supervisors, and specialists concerning extensive reorganizational proposals and major changes to administrative systems, such as pay banding, restructuring, data administration and re-engineering.
  • At the GS-11 and GS-12 levels, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receive closer supervision than at the GS-13 level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.  

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

GS-11

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience assisting with developing federal position descriptions that accurately reflect the duties of the position, using the proper factor levels, and allocating grade levels.
• Experience communicating and explaining grade distinctions to managers, providing supporting criteria and justification.
• Experience utilizing automated systems for classification, coding, FLSA, and vacancy actions processed.

OR B. Have 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. from an accredited college or university.

OR C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%. Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position.

GS-12

Applicants applying for the GS-12 must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience analyzing and interpreting complex (difficult/unique) issues related to position management and classification.
• Experience evaluating systemic classification problems, identifying classification inconsistencies, misallocations of series/grades and related classification issues to make correction recommendations to leadership.
• Experience classifying a variety of federal occupations (e.g., professional, technical, administrative) and preparing detailed written evaluations and justifications for classification decisions.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.

GS-13

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience assessing and advising management on the impact of proposed reorganizations and recommending alternate position management structures.
• Experience providing consultative management advisory services, which includes researching, analyzing, and evaluating issues, determining applicable precedents, and recommending innovative methods and strategies to resolve complex (difficult/unique) human resources problems.
• Experience independently classifying a wide variety of federal occupations (e.g., professional, technical, administrative) and preparing detailed written evaluations and justifications for classification decisions.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. 
  • If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

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.

A review of your resume  will be conducted and compared against your responses to the crediting plan questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert resume review of applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates based on the crediting plan assessment. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.  

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: 

  • Knowledge of, and skill in providing, the full range of position classification, position management, organizational design, and program development/ improvement services. 
  • Knowledge of evaluative and analytical techniques and principles to conduct studies of employee/organizational efficiency and productivity and recommend changes or improvements in organization, staffing, work methods, and procedures.
  • Ability to research, interpret and apply human resources laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Ability to analyze classification and position management issues or problems.
  • Ability to communicate both orally and in writing, modifying style based on audience.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration. 

Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.  Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. 

Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).  If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. 

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be considered well-qualified for the position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. To be considered well-qualified, in addition to earning a score of 85 or above and meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.


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