Summary

This vacancy is for a Human Resources Specialist in the Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel ("OGC"), Deputy General Counsel for Administration, Office of Accountability within the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C..

Duties

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As a Human Resources Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

• Serves as the Department's senior workforce accountability subject matter expert in support of administrative litigation, adjudicatory proceedings, and related accountability.
• Exercises broad independent judgment in evaluating highly complex factual records, investigative findings, legal and policy considerations, organizational equities, and operational impacts to develop defensible accountability strategies and executive recommendations.
• Provides expert leadership on the Department's most difficult and sensitive workforce accountability matters, including conduct, misconduct, performance deficiencies, executive accountability concerns, major disciplinary actions, complex adverse actions, and matters involving significant organizational risk or visibility.
• Develops, designs, and delivers Department-wide executive briefings, management training, advisory programs, and workforce accountability outreach initiatives intended to strengthen leadership understanding of accountability responsibilities, employee relations requirements, conduct expectations, performance management obligations, and legally defensible personnel decision-making.
• Leads or supports special studies, strategic initiatives, enterprise reviews, policy modernization efforts, and Department-wide projects related to workforce accountability, organizational effectiveness, and employee relations governance.
• Authors or directs preparation of executive decision memoranda, accountability analyses, risk assessments, options papers, disciplinary recommendations, performance management strategies, and other high-level technical products.
• Serves as the Department's principal Human Resources technical authority and senior advisor on highly sensitive, complex, high-risk, and precedent-setting workforce accountability, employee conduct, performance management, and employee relations matters.
• Provides authoritative strategic advice and recommendations to senior Department leadership, including OGC leadership, bureau executives, senior human capital officials, and other management officials regarding complex personnel accountability matters involving significant legal, operational, organizational, reputational, or policy implications.
• Collaborates with legal counsel and senior leadership to support defense of complex personnel actions and ensure organizational accountability decisions are legally sustainable and operationally sound.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Human Resources Specialist GS-0201-15, FPL GS-15 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• This position requires a SECRET CLEARANCE: Any required investigations and clearances must be completed before the selectee can be placed in the position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• A probationary or trial period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid
• License required: No
• Drug Test Required: Yes, This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the GS-15 level: You must meet the specialized experience as described below.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Providing authoritative, strategic guidance and recommendations to senior leadership, bureau executives, senior human capital officials, and other management officials, on personnel accountability matters with significant legal, operational, organizational, reputational, or policy implications;
• Analyzing documents and advising supervisors and managers on a wide range of employee relations issues;
• Applying expert judgment to resolve complex cases, ensuring compliance, and supporting high-quality human capital decisions; AND
• Experience with employee relations, discipline, appeal, telework, and other personnel management concepts, laws, rules, principles, and practices to research, interpret, develop, and advocate personnel policies, programs, and initiatives that affect the agency.

Education can not be substituted for experience at this grade level.

Education

There is no positive education requirement for this position.

Additional information

The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.

1. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
2. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
3. Military Spouse Non-Competitive Hiring Authority
4. Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA)
5. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)
6. 30% or more disabled veterans
7. Persons with disabilities

ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

Military Spouse: The spouse of a member of the armed forces seeking eligibility under the non-competitive hiring authority of certain military spouse MUST submit various required documentation by the closing date of the announcement in accordance with one of the three below eligibilities:

• Spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty,
• Spouse of service member who incurred a 100% disability, or
• Un-remarried widow or widower of a service member killed while performing active duty.

Please review the "Required Documents" Section for specific documents pertaining to each of the above eligibilities that MUST be included with your application, if you are applying as a Military Spouse.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Reasonable Accommodations (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. 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.

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.