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Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment/Placement)

Small Business Administration

Summary

This position is located in the Small Business Administration, Office of Human Resource Solutions - OHRS. The purpose of this position is to provide the full range of recruitment and placement and Delegated Examining services, advice, and guidance on all aspects of human resources services for agency headquarters and field employees.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply in 3 days
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 23, 2026
Location
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$99,800 - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Promotion potential
13
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
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
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
26-122-CR-MP
Control number
873422800

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Duties

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As a/an Human Resources Specialist (Recruitment/Placement) at theGS- 0201-12/13, some of your typical work assignments may include:

  • Performs staffing, recruitment, and placement activities for a variety of positions in the competitive service and excepted service.
  • Ensures appointments are within the scope of Human Resources laws and regulations.
  • Assesses the eligibility and qualifications of applicants and determines the grade level(s) and occupations(s) for which they are qualified.
  • Determines veterans' preference eligibility and final adjudication.
  • Issues certificates of eligibles following delegated examining procedures and merit promotion procedures.
  • Engages in strategic conversations and provides advisory services to customers on a variety of staffing, recruitment and placement issues.
Note: The duties listed above are for both grade levels. At the lower grade level, closer oversight from the Team Lead or supervisor may be provided.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen
  • You must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • You may be required to serve a one year supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

GS-12: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: working in a human resources operation environment, interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, and applying federal human resources management principles, concepts, regulations and policies in order to advise managers on a variety of legal, regulatory and procedural issues related to recruitment and staffing.

  • Experience developing job analyses for vacancy announcements.
  • Experience using automated staffing systems to create vacancy announcements, rate and rank applications, and issue applicant referral lists for a variety of positions.
  • Processing a variety of personnel actions from start to finish (e.g., new hires, reassignments, or other employee placement actions) in an HR staffing/payroll system.
  • Experience in applying Merit Promotion and/or Delegated Examining policies, and non-competitive hiring authorities.
These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.
At the GS-12 level, must be able to obtain and maintain Delegated Examining certification and other HR professional credentials as required.

GS-13: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector: working in a human resources operation environment, applying advanced Federal human resources management principles, concepts, regulations, and policies in order to provide expert advisory service and/or authoritative policy interpretations on complex, controversial, or precedent human resources management issues.
  • Experience independently developing job analyses and/or assessment tools or methods.
  • Experience using automated staffing systems to create vacancy announcements, rate and rank applications, and issue applicant referral lists for a variety of positions.
  • Processing a variety of personnel actions from start to finish (e.g., new hires, reassignments, or other employee placement actions) in an HR staffing/payroll system.
  • Experience in applying Merit Promotion and/or Delegated Examining policies, and non-competitive hiring authorities to communicating effectively, both verbally and inwriting, to advise customers on controversial or sensitive, complex, and difficult recruitment and placement issues.
These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume. Applicant must be able to obtain and maintain Delegated Examining certification and other HR professional credentials as required.

TIME IN GRADE: If you are a current career or career-conditional federal employee applying for promotion under Merit Promotion you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in positions at the next level lower than the position being filled.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications web site:

Human Resources Management Series - 0201

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.

Generally, time in Non-Pay status as a federal employee is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed above.

All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 06/23/2026.

Education

Education may not be substituted for experience for this position.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments

Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs:
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).

Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency).

You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if:
1. You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF).
2. Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce.
3. The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced.
4. You meet the qualifications and other requirements of the job for which you are applying. This includes being rated as well-qualified for the position (score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment).

Selective Service: 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. For additional information visit www.sss.gov.

Consistent with work requirements and current SBA Policy, and all applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE the SBA offers employees opportunities to perform work at an alternative location (e.g. home).

Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: http://www.telework.gov/

Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement if additional vacancies occur within 180 days of the date the certificates were issued.

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.

Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on additional assessments. As part of the evaluation process, applicants will be required to provide written responses to job-related questions. These responses will be used to assess your ability to communicate effectively in writing, demonstrate critical thinking, and convey relevant knowledge, skill and abilities for the position. Your answers should be clear, concise, and supported by specific examples from your experience. The quality, relevance, and completeness of your responses will be considered in determining your qualifications and ranking among candidates.

The assessments relate to the following Competencies required to do the work of this position:

  • Recruitment/Placement


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

Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the federal government's leading advocate for small businesses, we empower job creators with the essential resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. Our services reach communities nationwide through a robust network of SBA field offices and partnerships with both public and private organizations.

If you're seeking more than just a job - if you desire purpose, impact, and the chance to contribute to something truly meaningful - this is your opportunity. Small businesses are our nation's backbone, driving innovation, creating jobs, and fueling prosperity. At the SBA, you'll directly help empower these vital businesses and ignite economic growth under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Administrator Kelly Loeffler.

For over 70 years, the SBA has fueled America's small business success by providing crucial access to capital, federal contracts, and expert guidance. Beyond our critical disaster recovery efforts, where we deploy aid and expertise to help communities rebuild, your role will directly contribute to the start, growth, and expansion of businesses nationwide, creating jobs and strengthening the economic fabric of our communities.

Agency contact information

Conor Ryan
Email
conor.ryan@sba.gov
Address
Office of Human Resource Solutions - OHRS
409 3rd Street, SW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20416
US

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