Summary This vacancy will close at 11:59 p.m. ET. on the posted closing date OR on the day that 100 applications have been received, whichever comes first. This position is located in the VACO Human Resources Service Center (HRSC) that focuses on the establishment and transition of human capital services for VACO staff offices. The incumbent serves as a HR Specialist responsible for providing consultative and advisory services in the field of classification and position management. Responsibilities Major Duties Include: Providing technical advice and assistance to personnel and customers in the resolution of difficult classification and position management related issues. Providing authoritative advice and assistance on a broad spectrum of classification and position management matters. Providing technically sound classification determinations and final classification decisions. Applying expert knowledge of classification and position management principles and concepts and a sound, working knowledge of other HR fields and broad personnel management knowledge to identify, analyze, and resolve issues. Serving as the position management expert for assigned customer base, making sound position management recommendations. Reviewing and analyzing new or proposed HR policies, procedures, and guidelines related to classification and position management. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: HR Specialist Total Rewards Special Salary Rate: HR Specialists in the VA are on a Special Salary Rate Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: May be available Telework: This position is eligible for telework. Details to be discussed with hiring manager during interview. Virtual: This may be a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PD41341A and PD41342A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not require. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/20/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria: Criteria 1 - Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: providing classification support to HR offices; researching and analyzing documentation to support classification actions; writing position descriptions and evaluation reports; conducting desk audits, and responding to requests for explanation or clarification of decisions. OR Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: experience that has provided you with knowledge of standardized principles and practices of Federal Human Resources (HR) position classification standards; consulting with management and explaining classification determinations; providing advice on the development of position descriptions; reviewing position descriptions and organizational charts for compliance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and agency guidelines; developing position management recommendations. To qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria: Criteria 1- Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: experience that has provided you with knowledge of standardized principles and practices of Federal Human Resources (HR) position classification standards; consulting with management and explaining classification determinations; providing advice on the development of position descriptions; reviewing position descriptions and organizational charts for compliance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and agency guidelines; developing position management recommendations. OR Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: serving as an expert level consultant in classification and position management; reviewing position descriptions and classifying positions using the applicable classification standards; analyzing classification appeals and writing decisions; reviewing classification advisory/appeal packages for major program implications; conducting position management assessments and making recommendations on position and organizational design. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Classification Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Oral Communication Technical Competence 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: Work is primarily sedentary and there are no special physical demands. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO), VA Qualifications Standards website at VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO). Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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 Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources & Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. VA supports the use of telework 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. 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 employees 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 the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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 documentation (a copy of the agency notice, most recent performance rating, and most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. 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. This job announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this announcement.