Summary This position serves as a Human Resources Specialist in the Office of Executive Resources and Staffing (ERS), Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). ERS recruits VHA executive level positions in the field and Central Office, including all Senior Executive Service (SES), SES Equivalent, and other VHA Senior-Level positions. Responsibilities Major Duties include but are not limited to: Plans strategies and completes actions related to executive recruiting, examining, selecting, and placing employees; completion of job analyses and workforce planning activities; and providing advice for identifying, attracting, and retaining a high-quality and diverse workforce. Advises management on legal or regulatory requirements or entitlements related to performance management matters. Provides advisory services to managers and employees on performance management policies, procedures, and guidelines. Provides program management functions relating to Senior Executives, Senior Level, Experts and Consultants, and Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignments. Coordinates executive resources evaluation and interview panels, personnel actions; noncompetitive actions in accordance with applicable rules and regulations; and ensuring that management and employees are kept informed of new changes in Human Resources policies, procedures, and programs. Advises VHA leadership in developing accurate position descriptions and assuming responsibility for their technical adequacy for classification purposes; and consulting with management on proposed reorganizations and advising on potential effects on positions, career progression, and maximum utilization of skills. Establishes partnerships with serviced organizations and field office units to develop strategic long-range recruitment and retention plans. Works with the Executive Resources Manager and other staff members in integrating human capital planning into the overall strategic objectives for VHA/VA. Reviews and develops new or proposed recruitment and placement policies, procedures, and guidelines for agency-wide use. Works with hiring officials in developing recruitment and placement component of VHA/VA strategies and plans to deal with significant staffing initiatives, such as reorganizations, downsizing, reductions-in-force, and transfers of function. Provides advisory services on recruitment and placement issues. Identifies and addresses difficult recruitment issues surrounding workforce planning and analysis, applicant recruitment, candidate referrals, qualification dispute resolution, and/or use of various placement options. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 08:00-04:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for ADHOC telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Human Resources Specialist/PD028500 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2026. 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. 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-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: Demonstrated mastery of advanced staffing and placement concepts and practices, serving as a senior consultant on workforce planning and organizational design for major agency components. Applied expert consultative skills to advise executive leadership on designing a responsive workforce to address dynamic mission and business needs, including adaptation to downsizing, technological innovations, and shifts in the labor market. Analyzed workforce trends and forecasted future requirements to ensure alignment with evolving agency mission and strategic goals. Developed and implemented comprehensive VHA-wide policies regarding workforce downsizing and realignment. Possessed comprehensive knowledge of VA/VHA and government-wide human resources principles and policies, with emphasis on their application and potential impact on WMC and ERS human resources practices. Served as the principal advisor to the Deputy Director and Director on complex technical management and human resources administration matters for SES, SES Equivalent, SL, and QUAD positions. Utilized in-depth understanding of program objectives and long-range goals to analyze and address critical issues in recruitment, staffing, and retention for high-level and mission-critical positions. ~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: Demonstrated mastery of advanced staffing and placement concepts and practices, serving as a senior consultant on workforce planning and organizational design for major agency components. Applied expert consultative skills to advise executive leadership on designing a responsive workforce to address dynamic mission and business needs, including adaptation to downsizing, technological innovations, and shifts in the labor market. Analyzed workforce trends and forecasted future requirements to ensure alignment with evolving agency mission and strategic goals. Developed and implemented comprehensive VHA-wide policies regarding workforce downsizing and realignment. Possessed comprehensive knowledge of VA/VHA and government-wide human resources principles and policies, with emphasis on their application and potential impact on WMC and ERS human resources practices. Served as the principal advisor to the Deputy Director and Director on complex technical management and human resources administration matters for SES, SES Equivalent, SL, and QUAD positions. Utilized in-depth understanding of program objectives and long-range goals to analyze and address critical issues in recruitment, staffing, and retention for high-level and mission-critical positions. 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 Qualifying education for the GS-0201 series includes courses and programs in HR, HR development, HR management, business, business management/administration, industrial relations, labor relations, industrial psychology, organizational psychology, organizational development, management, organizational behavior, pre-law/law, legal studies, health care management/administration, public administration, public policy, human services, leadership and/or humanities. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 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/.
