Skip to main content
U.S. flag
 

Human Resources Specialist

Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Office of Human Resources

Summary

This position is for a Human Resources Specialist located in the Employee-Management Relations Division, Employee Relations Branch of NNSA Human Resources. You will serve as an advisor and operational consultant on a variety of federal programs such as, but not limited to, employee relations, performance management, reasonable accommodations, security, suitabilility, and drug testing.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 06/17/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 17, 2026
Location
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$52,727 - $139,684 per year

The salary listed does not include locality. Locality pay will be determined on the duty station of the selectee.

Pay scale & grade
NQ 2 - 3
Promotion potential
3
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-NA-MB-XA-00613-GOV
Control number
872460700

Duties

Help

At the full performance level, you will:

  • Provide expert strategic advice, including the interpretation and application of laws, regulations, and policies, to managers on employee relations cases.
  • Advise managers on the establishment NNSA's performance management system to include development of performance objectives and standards; aligning employee performance with organizational goals; performance requirements; evaluation, feedback and recognition techniques; and the overall adequacy of performance plans.
  • Research, interpret, and apply HR concepts, principles, practices and case laws to analyze and craft defensible solutions and define legal and factual parameters/issues of cases.
  • Develop and revise existing policies and procedures to ensure consistency in their application.
  • Design and deliver training, workshops, and briefings on strategic human capital topics to internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to applicant testing and random drug testing thereafter. Failure to test or a positive result on random drug tests conducted after appointment may result in removal from Federal employment.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
  • If selected, your appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • This position has been designated as Critical Sensitive/High Risk and requires a security clearance at Q Access. The selectee is required to obtain and maintain this clearance; failure to do so may result in separation from federal service.
  • The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.gov.
  • You may be required to successfully complete a one (1) year probationary or two (2) year trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time; or reinstated employees who return to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period will need to complete the requirement. Trial periods are required for all excepted service employees. Trial periods served in the same position and agency with no break in service will satisfy the requirement.

Qualifications

NQ-2:
To qualify for the NQ-2 level, you must possess:

  • A Master's or equivalent graduate degree; Two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B or J.D., if related. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.
OR
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service (i.e. NQ-1 or GS-7). Specialized experience is experience providing advice and guidance to managers on managers on routine misconduct and performance matters; drafting employee relations related administrative actions and memos; conducting case law research to provide input to employee relations cases; and maintaining employee relations case files;
OR
  • A combination of education and experience that when combined meet 100% of the requirements. Note: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.
NQ-3:
To qualify for the NQ-3 level, you must possess
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service (i.e. NQ-2 or GS-12). Specialized experience is experience providing expert advice and guidance to senior leadership officials, managers, and managers on a wide variety of employee relations matters such as performance issues, conduct actions, grievances, investigations, etc.; researching, interpreting, and applying federal civilian employee relations practices, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Enforcement Guidance, Department or Agency policies and procedures, and current case law; and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to deliver effective HR solutions.


Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

**If you are selected, official transcripts will be required.**

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Applicants who have completed part or all their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

Failure to provide all the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

  • More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
  • A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified applicant in accordance with agency policy and applicable regulations.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Salary: The salary range listed in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for the selected duty location. Below are the salary ranges for each duty location.
    • Washington, DC/Germantown, MD:
      • NQ-2: $70,623-$133,142 NQ-3: $121,785-$187,093
    • Albuquerque, NM; Los Alamos, NM:
      • NQ-2: $62,392-$117,625 NQ-3: $107,592-$165,288
    • Livermore, CA
      • NQ-2: $77,161-$145,468 NQ-3: $133,060-$197,200
    • Kansas City, MO:
      • NQ-2: $62,729-$118,261 NQ-3: $108,173-$166,182
    • Las Vegas, NV:
      • NQ-2: $63,046-$118,857 NQ-3: $108,719-$167,020
    • Amarillo, TX; Aiken, SC; Oak Ridge, TN:
      • NQ-2: 61,722-$116,362 NQ-3: $106,437-$163,514

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 APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS WILL BE IN TWO STAGES:

Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications:
Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.

Structured Resume Review: After it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the first two pages of your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered. You will be assessed on the following competencies:

  • Technical Competence
  • Problem Solving
  • Communication

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12978953

National Nuclear Security Administration

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a separately organized agency of the Department of Energy. We manage highly visible U.S. National Security Programs, enhance U.S. national security through research, development, production, assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, promote international nuclear non-proliferation and safety, reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction, provide the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion, and oversee national laboratories and other production facilities to maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology.

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) oversees and administers human capital programs and initiatives for the NNSA's critical and complex nuclear security and support services enterprise both across the nation and internationally. The mission of the OHR is to serve as a customer-focused strategic partner to drive mission success by providing timely and innovative human capital services using data-driven tools to the NNSA enterprise.

Please view the following links for additional information:
Explore a world of opportunities at NNSA
Working at NNSA

Agency contact information

Jennifer Chandler
Phone
240-597-6173
Email
jennifer.chandler@nnsa.doe.gov
Address
Associate Administrator for Management and Budget
24600 20th St SE
Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5507
US

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.