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Human Resources Specialist (Compliance)

Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
Human Resources Division, Oversight & Advisory Services Section

Summary

This position is located in the Human Resources Division Oversight and Advisory Services Section (HRQ). HRQ is responsible for the development of HR program management accountability policy and interpretations; compliance audits, HR programs evaluations, consistency reviews and reporting; program improvement assessments, metrics reporting and analysis; and serves as an advisor and consultant to HR leadership and stakeholders on DEA program accountability, oversight, and evaluation activities.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/11/2026 to 05/20/2026
Salary
$90,925 - $118,204 per year

Salary listed is base pay only; total pay will be adjusted to include locality pay for appropriate duty location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
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
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
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
H-DEA-26-12902982-MP-LK
Control number
868415500

Duties

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As a Human Resources Specialist (Compliance), your typical work assignments may include:

  • Serving as an authoritative source, and principal advisor and consultant in support to the DEA-wide program accountability, oversight and evaluation activities.
  • Supporting the program accountability functions such as policy development and planning, compliance audits, special audits and reviews, program evaluations, improvement initiatives, metrics, reporting and analysis.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of HR programs (i.e., classification, staffing, performance management, training, awards, and employee relations) through a comprehensive evaluation system.
  • Participating in the planning and development of policy and guidance concerning the evaluations of the HR programs.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
  • Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
  • Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period (OR 1-year OR 2-year trial period, as appropriate) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing 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-13 must meet one of the following requirements:

Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-12 grade level. Specialized 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; religious; 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.

Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Providing technical advice and assistance in Human Capital matters; Formulating policies, guidance, reports, plans and procedures to implement effective and integrated HR programs; 2) Facilitating quality and process improvement activities across agency HR operations; 3) Participation in or responding to human capital accountability reviews or third party audits of HR functions; and 4) Supporting total quality control and management of Human Resources activities in multiple HR areas which may include staffing/recruitment, compensation/pay, employee benefits/retirement, personnel/payroll processing, performance and talent management, organizational development, awards and recognition, employee relations, or Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).

Office of Personnel Management, Delegated Examining Certification is preferred, but not required.

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Recruitment and/or Relocation Incentives may be considered and approved under conditions specified provided the agency has determined that the position is likely to be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive and funding for such an incentive is available.

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

If eligible, a telework agreement may be permitted with supervisory approval.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and assessment questionnaire.

If you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements for this position, a panel of subject-matter-experts (SMEs) will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics)

  • Compliance
  • Organizational Performance Analysis
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Program Management

The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application.

All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Candidates may be required to complete a written assessment to evaluate written communication skills. The assessment will be used as part of the overall evaluation process.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You may preview the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12902982.

Drug Enforcement Administration

TOUGH WORK. VITAL MISSION. Challenge yourself! You have the power to help combat drug trafficking. Be a part of DEA! It's tough work, but a vital mission. Whatever your background or expertise, your work at DEA will be tremendously rewarding because it will have a daily impact on national security and the quality of life of all Americans.

The DEA is our country's leading organization in charge of enforcing the controlled substance laws of the United States. The DEA provides employees with an exciting career whether supporting missions at home or abroad. Our employees make a difference by working together as a team to keep Americans safe from dangerous drugs and those who traffic them.

Please visit www.dea.gov to learn more about who we are and career opportunities that our organization offers.

Agency contact information

LaNesha Kearse
Email
LaNesha.E.Kearse@dea.gov
Address
Drug Enforcement Administration
Do Not Send Postal Mail
Springfield, VA 21310
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Drug Enforcement Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.dea.gov/careers

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