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Lead Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VISN 20 Human Resources Network
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the HR Modernization and Shared Services Implementation, which is a new model of organizing and consolidating essential Human Resource (HR) functions and services to the VISN level. This streamlined and focused approach moves VHA forward in its continuum of providing comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care to Veterans.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/14/2022 to 01/19/2022
Salary
$94,373 to - $122,683 per year

Salary range is for RUS GS 13 Step 1 to Step 10. Actual salary will be adjusted based on location of selected applicant.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
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
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CAZK-11349429-22-AMR
Control number
631337200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

AREA OF CONSIDERATION:  Status Eligible Candidates. However, first area of consideration will be given to permanent VISN20 Employees.  Second area of consideration will be given to permanent VA employees.  Third area of consideration will be given to status eligible candidates.

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Duties

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The Lead Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR) position is located within the VISN 20 Human Resources Network. Incumbent performs a full range of lead duties relating to ER/LR Shared Services staff. Incumbent is responsible for Employee Relations/Labor Relations, Reasonable Accommodation, Performance Management, and Drug-free Workplace for the Network.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Plans and directs work, assigns tasks, evaluates work, advises employees, handles complaints, and grievances;
  • Provides advice and direction regarding production and quality requirements;
  • Evaluates unit productivity, quality, regulatory compliance, and technical competence;
  • Makes changes in work assignments and balances workload among positions to increase effectiveness of operations;
  • Reports to supervisor on team and individual accomplishments, progress in mastering tasks and work processes, and the training needs of team members.
  • Coaches the team in the selection and application of appropriate methods and techniques, providing guidance on work methods, practices and procedures;
  • Continuously monitors, evaluates, and adjusts plans, considering organizational needs and viewpoints, regulatory and legal limits, and organizational changes;
  • Provides guidance in especially unresolved, complex cases, referring to the supervisor only those problems which exceed the scope of the organizations serviced;
  • Ensures actions are appropriately coordinated with other HR functions, as required;
  • Develops new operating procedures as necessary to deal with emerging human resource management issues within the serviced area;
  • Technical guidance, information and assistance provided includes subject matter, such as actions of a disciplinary or adverse nature, grievances, demands to bargain, impasse proceedings, local bargaining, performance management and recognition, employee counseling, appeals, complaints, drug testing, and other related functions;
  • Researches and interprets legal and regulatory program guidance, including case law, collective bargaining agreements, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, and VA Handbooks and Directives;
  • Responds to inquiries about disciplinary actions, grievances, and appeals concerning timeliness, documentation, and other requirements;
  • Serves as subject matter expert regarding policies and procedures pertaining to Disciplinary Appeals Boards (DAB), Office of Whistleblower and Accountability Protection (OWAP), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), among others;
  • Analyzes changes to regulations, policies, etc. for impact on the labor relations program;
  • Determines need for impact and implementation or full bargaining at the appropriate level (for example, local, network or national bargaining). Ensures subordinates' actions satisfy the agency's obligations to bargain in good faith, performs thorough analysis of policies and practices, and develops policies and practices to prevent unfair labor practices;
  • Reviews third-party involvement in negotiations and represents the network in complex cases, serves as a point of contact on third-party proceedings arising from the labor management programs, such as unfair labor practice charges;
  • Represent management at arbitrations and in situations involving proceedings before other third parties, as appropriate;
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0730-1600 Pacific Standard Time
Compressed/Flexible: A Compressed Schedule may be available for highly qualified candidates.
Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This position is eligible for Remote Work.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR)/PD99969S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/19/2022.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

Preferred Experience Statement: 3-5 years Federal Employee and Labor Relations Experience with policies and procedures pertaining to Disciplinary Appeals Boards (DAB), Office of Whistleblower and Accountability Protection(OWAP), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), among others.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Analyzes, interprets and develops new operating procedures as necessary to deal with emerging human resource management issues within employee and labor relations; identifies, distributes and balances workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established work flow, skill level and specialization; provides training and coaching on appropriate work methods, practices and procedures; serves as subject matter expert regarding policies and procedures; applies laws, executive orders, regulations, collective bargaining agreements concepts, principles and guidelines in support an employee and labor relations program; represents management at arbitrations and in situations involving proceedings before other third parties; responds to inquiries about disciplinary actions, grievances, and appeals in especially unresolved, complex cases.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Conflict Management
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Employee Relations
  • Planning and Evaluating


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.

Note: 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.

Physical Requirements: The incumbent's work is usually accomplished while seated at a desk or table. Some walking and standing may occur in connection with travel to and attendance of meetings and conferences away from the workplace.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via this posted announcement

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exception from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

VA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

If applicants are interviewed for the position, performance-based interview questions will be used. For additional information regarding performance-based interviews, please review the following website on the internet: http://www.va.gov/pbi. In addition, candidates may be interviewed by a panel.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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