Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current permanent VHA Employees and those CTAP Eligible. First area of consideration is current, permanent federal employees of the VA Mid-Atlantic Healthcare Network - VISN 6. Final area of consideration is current, permanent federal employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VHA).

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This is a Temporary Promotion/Detail Not to Exceed One Year- May be extended to additional periods with the possibility of permanent placement as determined by agency policy or may end prior to one year.

This is not a remote position; the candidate selected will be required to report onsite, and the pay will be determined/adjusted based on the employee's location.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: HR Specialist Total Rewards

The Assistant Human Resources Officer / Senior Human Resources Strategic Business Partner (SSBP), reports directly to the VISN 6 Human Resources Officer.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as a key member in various VISN committees and activities working directly with leadership to develop HR strategies.
• Produce comprehensive workforce analyses and strategies that drive a cohesive and focused HR organization.
• Set a strategic direction and coordinate the delivery of Human Capital Management (HCM) services in the areas of talent sustainment, talent development, and performance enhancement to specific needs.
• Performs talent acquisition for assigned client base. Actively participates in recruitment campaigns; job fairs; college relations programs; general networking; etc. to ensure robust candidate pipeline.
• Leads the succession planning process and coordinates expert services in performing analyses of the workforce to identify succession plan priorities.
• Lead and manage the HR Employee Relations section of the HR Strategic Business unit. Establishes trust and credibility with leaders and acts as a valuable sounding board on organizational and talent issues.
• Act as a key driver in the organization's high-performance culture, ensures managers and employees understand and participate in the performance management and development programs.
• Collaboratively drives complex employee relations issues for field-based employees such as employee complaints, harassment allegations, and work performance issues while ensuring legal compliance, leveraging employee abilities and managing risks.
• Addresses and resolves difficult and complex problems that have a direct impact on the Department mission. Works with leadership, staff and operational officials, employee groups, etc., to develop and explore labor relations alternatives to improve policies, techniques, and procedures.
• Serves as a consultant, technical advisor, and negotiating team member on issues not previously negotiated and where particularly controversial matters are at stake.
• Advises leadership in the resolution of administrative grievances, post separation reviews, Congressional, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Equal Opportunity Employment (EEO), Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) or department level complaints.
• Represents executive leadership as the authoritative spokesperson in dealing with individuals, groups, unions, and supervisors for the purpose of explaining and securing acceptance of leadership's reviews on matters that may range from individual case decisions to those of a precedent setting nature.
• Works collaboratively with the all levels of leadership and the Compensation Center of Excellence (CCoE), by establishing strategy for the utilization of Special Salary Rates, Nurse Pay Schedules, Physician, Dentist, and Podiatrist Pay, Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP), Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), Recruitment, Relocation, and Retention (3Rs) incentives, and any associated facility-wide advisory boards.
• Serve as the VISN advisor to the facility executive leadership team for the Human Capital Program.
• Provide expert management consultative service involving the full spectrum of HR functions (e.g., recruitment and placement, employee performance, and conduct issues) on highly complex VISN-wide or equivalent issues.
• Review completed work of the staff and provides feedback.
• Plan training and development with subordinate employees to assure they acquire and maintain both technical competencies in their fields and cross training in related fields.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible: May be available at the discretion of the Service Chief.
Telework: ADHOC-May be authorized (Employees who Telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement).
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Assistant HRO (Senior HR Strategic Business Partner) (Temp Prom / Detail - NTE 1 yr)/PD99991S.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary or 2-year trial 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/19/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.


The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above.

To qualify for this position at the GS-14 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria:

Criteria 1- Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Providing expert level human resources advice and guidance to the Medical Center's management and staff; Providing continuing advice and guidance in areas which include, but are not limited to, basic employment policy, appointment authorities, recruitment and staffing, employee and labor relations, benefits, etc; Collaboratively evaluating trends in missions, technology, manpower, fiscal resources, and other factors influencing future needs; Coordinating with advisory staff to obtain management information; Advising staff on difficult and unusual recruitment, placement and pay issues or problems; and Troubleshooting and resolving difficult and controversial internal and external staffing and placement problems.

~OR~

Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Progressively responsible managerial/administrative experience planning, directing, coordinating, and providing internal evaluation of a health care system's Human Resources Management Program; serving as advisor and consultant to executive leadership; formulating and implementing human resources polices involving recruitment, staffing and placement, position management and classification, pay administration, employee and labor relations, employee training and development, employee recognition programs, employee health programs; and providing advice/guidance to management/supervisors on human resource management principles, techniques and acceptable practices, as well as technical advice on propriety of statutory, regulatory and procedural requirements.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communications
• Personnel and Human Resources
• Planning and Evaluating
• Strategic Thinking

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current, Permanent federal employees of the VA Mid-Atlantic Healthcare Network - VISN 6.
2. Current, Permanent federal employees of the Department of Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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; religions; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.