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Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment & Placement)

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Talent Services, Recruitment and Staffing Branch (HR/TS/CLI/RS). The Office of Talent Services administers the position classification, staffing, and pay administration programs. The Recruitment and Staffing Branch is responsible for all hiring and processing of assigned actions for client bureaus and assigned Department-wide program(s).

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/22/2026 to 04/29/2026
Salary
$40,736 - $65,599 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 07
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Charleston, SC
Many vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
09
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Announcement number
M/HR-DEU-2026-0001
Control number
866248300

Duties

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  • Initiates and codes personnel actions in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Guide to Processing Personnel Actions (GPPA) and Department guidance.
  • Reviews requests for recruitment or personnel action, ensuring all required documents have been submitted.
  • Utilizes automated HR systems to track requests for personnel actions. Ensures electronic case files are up-to-date and contain all key documents. Official Personnel Folders (OPFs) to identify any needed corrections.
  • Provides customer support and HR advisory services to established client portfolio(s).
  • At the GS-05 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receives closer supervision than the GS-07 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 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. 

Applicants applying for the GS-05 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited college or university;

OR B. Have at least 3 full years of general experience, one of which is equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal Service which demonstrates the ability to analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing;

OR C. Have a combination of post-high school education and experience, which is equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together must meet 100% of the qualification requirements.

Combination of Experience and Education: First determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for this grade level. Then determine your total number of successfully completed post-high school semester hours as a percentage of education required for this grade level. Then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify under this provision. For example, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 full year of undergraduate education. 

Applicants applying for the GS-07 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 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 analyzing HR policies, procedures, and guidance to support recruitment efforts.
  • Experience coding and/or processing personnel actions in HR automated systems.

OR B. Completed 1 full year of graduate level education at an accredited college or university which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position;

OR C. Have a combination of graduate education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal Service;

OR D. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited college or university and have a grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;

OR E. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited college or university and have a grade-point average of "B+" (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study;

OR F. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited college or university and ranked in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision;

OR G. Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited college or university and are a member of a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

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: If you are qualifying based on education, you 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.

Education

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

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

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 (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%.

Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. You must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND meet one of the following provisions of the superior academic achievement:

  1. A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
  2. A grade-point average of "B+" (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.

NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at OAA@state.gov.  
  • OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement.  RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only.  Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an adjudication decision. Applicants will have 48 hours after their RA request is adjudicated to complete the assessment battery.  Scores generated after the allotted timeframe will not be admissible and the applicant will not be considered further for the vacancy.  If a different type of RA is needed, please contact OAA directly at 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. 
  • Veterans: Veterans’ preference points are added to the passing score of candidates eligible for either 10-point or 5-point preference. Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% or more are listed at the top of a certificate regardless of score. Other 10-point and 5-point preference eligible veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed in score order. View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website. 
  • Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP):  View OPM’s  CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position.

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.

The evaluation process consists of the Monster Competency Based Assessments and a crediting plan for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. A resume review will be conducted for minimum qualification (MQ) requirements, per the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, of the top qualified candidates based on combined total score. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by your resume may result in a rating adjustment.  

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

Non-Supervisory: Oral Communication, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management. 

Your score from the external assessment Non-Supervisory will remain on file for 180 days, allowing you to apply for multiple DOS-announced positions without needing to retake the assessments.

Top applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: 

  • Knowledge of HR laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Knowledge of various HR operational functions.
  • Skill in using automated HR systems.
  • Ability to research, compile, and analyze data.
  • Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing.
  • Ability to independently plan and organize work.

This announcement uses the cut-off score based on assessment method under 5 CFR §332.402 to refer candidates to the selecting official for further consideration and possible interview. We will provide the selecting official a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least three candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, we may expand the referral in accordance with the pre-determined agency and OPM policy. 

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 may result in your removal from consideration.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Department of State - Agency Wide

The U.S. Department of State, our country’s lead foreign policy agency, provides employees with a dynamic international career whether at home or abroad and unique professional development opportunities.  Each day, our employees make a difference as they advance the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity, through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance.  We embrace our talented workforce which reflects the personal, professional, and educational strengths of our country. 

Named one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes, we offer a workplace that values and rewards leadership, collaboration, innovation, and personal and professional development. Visit careers.state.gov to learn more about what it's like to work at the U.S. Department of State, what the agency does, the wide range of careers this agency offers, and the benefits available to employees.

Agency contact information

Brianna D. Skinner
Phone
000-000-0000
Email
SkinnerBD@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
We Do NOT accept Mailed Applications
Charleston, South Carolina 29405
United States

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