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Wage and Hour Specialist

Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division
National Office

Summary

This position is located within the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Office of Policy (OP), Division of Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation (DRLI). WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/12/2026 to 03/18/2026
Salary
$125,776 to - $163,514 per year

Salary is based off the Rest of the United States (RUS) pay table.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection
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
Temporary - 1 year, may be extended for an additional year.
Work schedule
Intermittent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
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
IC-26-BOS-WHD-12901127-SC
Control number
860691400

Duties

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DRLI develops national policies, regulations, interpretations, and provides direction for administering Departmental programs that promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the nation's workforce under the Acts administered and enforced by WHD. As a Wage and Hour Specialist, you will perform the following duties which are not all-inclusive:

  • Formulate, develop, coordinate, clear, issue, and disseminate official agency interpretations through regulatory rulemakings as well as sub-regulatory vehicles, such as opinion letters.
  • Assist in the development of testimony and background material for hearings on WHD regulatory and sub-regulatory matters.
  • Assist in the drafting and review of WHD's regulatory agenda.
  • Conduct or lead developmental and exploratory special studies on selected interpretative issues and program information, analyze public comments in rulemaking dockets on proposed WHD regulations.
  • Analyze proposed Federal legislation and legislative needs associated with WHD's comprehensive employment standards programs.
  • Monitor and report on relevant Congressional activities and legislation.
  • Assist in the review of new or revised legislative proposals.
  • Assist in the development and review of information collection requests subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
  • Serve as a recognized authority and senior advisor to the DRLI Director as well as WHD senior management officials.
  • Explain highly complex, potentially controversial, and important nationwide policies followed by WHD under its statutory and regulatory requirements.
  • Coordinate with the Office of the Solicitor staff to obtain advice on legal matters.


Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years old.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

You must meet all requirements listed below to qualify for Wage and Hour Specialist.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). In addition to meeting the Specialized Experience below, the applicant must also meet the IOR in order to be found qualified.

Must Possess at least TWO of the following THREE specialized criteria requirements:

  • General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
  • Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
  • Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.

In addition to the criteria specified above applicants must have knowledge of and ability to apply the provisions of Federal wage and hour labor laws pertaining to wages, hours of work, or related conditions of employment.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

  • Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards in determining compliance for an organization or government-based program.
  • Conducting interviews and providing information about laws and/or regulations.
  • Industrial personnel or salary and wage administration or responsible work in a certified public accounting firm.
  • Analyzing or applying labor legislation.
  • Reviewing and evaluating operations and procedures through analysis, audits, or surveillance inspections.
  • Federal, State, or self-regulatory agency work involving obtaining compliance with appropriate program requirements.
In addition to the criteria specified above applicants must have have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service.

For GS-14 :

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Qualifying specialized experience for GS-14 includes:
1) Experience working with Wage and Hour compliance practices, procedures and techniques to prepare, revise, or interpret opinion letters, regulations, and other policy documents.
2) Experience using research, fact-finding, and analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret, prepare, and revise Wage and Hour regulatory and sub-regulatory documents.
3) Experience working with and understanding top management thinking and philosophy on Wage and Hour programs to prepare, revise, or interpret opinion letters and other Wage and Hour policy documents.
4) Experience presenting briefings to senior management officials and for providing technical guidance and assistance to staff at all levels.
5) Experience with project management techniques to successfully plan and implement regulatory and sub-regulatory projects.
6) Experience formulating policy and conducting long-range planning in connection with prospective changes in functions and programs.
7) Experience introducing and providing training on regulatory impact analysis, automated processes and methods improvements.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-In%E2%80%A6).

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.

Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated through your resume and supporting documentation.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12901127

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Organizational Performance Analysis
  • Technical Competence


SME Resume Panel Review

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to assess your technical qualifications based on the competencies listed below. Applicants who meet the required qualifications will advance to the next stage of the hiring process.

For each below competency, SME(s) will provide a rating of 0-Not Applicable, 1-Awareness, 2-Basic, 3-Intermediate, 4-Advanced, or 5-Expert based on the content of your resume.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Organizational Performance Analysis
  • Technical Competence


Clickhere for Evaluation details.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) will be considered well-qualified if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

When Wage and Hour Division completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional sub-agencies in the Department. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional sub-agencies at DOL. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

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