Summary

Are you seeking a rewarding and challenging career? Join the SBA Office of Inspector General as a Senior Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations), where you will advise leaders on complex conduct and performance matters, manage disciplinary and adverse actions, and support fair, consistent, and legally supportable personnel decisions.

Duties

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This position will serve as a Senior Human Resources Specialist (ER) and, as such will:

• Serve under the direction and oversight of the Human Resources Officer, providing senior-level employee relations advice and support to OIG executives, managers, and supervisors on complex and sensitive matters involving conduct, performance, leave, attendance, and workplace issues.
• Manage complex employee relations casers from initial review through final resolution, including disciplinary and adverse actions, performance-based actions, grievances, and probationary or trial-period actions.
• Conduct comprehensive case analyses by evaluating evidence, applicable laws and regulations, due process requirements, penalty considerations, procedural compliance, and organizational risk, and recommends appropriate courses of action to the Human Resources Officer and management officials.
• Draft and review proposed and final action notices, performance improvement plans, reprimands, grievance decisions, settlement agreements, case analyses, and other employee relations documents for completeness, consistency, and procedural compliance.
• Coordinate with OIG Counsel regarding employee relations cases, administrative investigations, third-party proceedings, and the defensibility of proposed personnel actions.
• Assist the Human Resources Officer in developing and evaluating OIG-wide employee relations policies, procedures, templates, guidance, training, internal controls, and program improvements that promote accountability and consistent application of federal requirements.

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 probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Providing authoritative advice to senior leaders, managers, and supervisors on complex employee relations matters involving employee conduct, performance, leave, attendance, grievances, or workplace issues;
• Managing complex disciplinary, adverse, or performance-based actions, including analyzing evidence and applicable requirements, evaluating procedural and organizational risks, and recommending appropriate courses of action;
• Interpreting and applying federal employee relations laws, regulations, case law, policies, and precedents; and
• Drafting or reviewing legally and procedurally supportable employee relations documents, such as proposed and final action notices, performance improvement plans, grievance decisions, settlement agreements, case analyses, or agency responses for third-party proceedings.

These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.

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 08/21/2026.

Education

For this position you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone no substitution of education for experience is permited.

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: Are programs that applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

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)..

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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.

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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.