Summary

This position serves as the Director of the Employee Relations & Performance Management Service (ER&PMS), Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO). The portfolio includes disciplinary/adverse actions, grievances, appeals (Merit Systems Protections Board), Disciplinary Appeals Boards), Drug Free Workplace Program, Performance Management, and Incentive Awards. Incumbent supervises a team responsible for the development, dissemination, and maintenance of Department-wide ER&PMS policies.

Duties

Help

• Serves as an advisor and consultant to the Executive Director, Human Capital Programs, OCHCO on customer service projects and programs related to the Employee Relations and Performance Management Service (ER&PMS).
• Provides leadership to staff assigned to ER&PMS in delivering the full range of title 5 and title 38 expert advice and assistance to customers on disciplinary/adverse actions, grievances, appeals, performance management, awards, and Drug Free Workplace Program.
• Develops, reviews, and revises broad and far-reaching department-wide HR policy and guidance that enhances and impacts the capability of OCHCO's customers to provide quality care and services to veterans.
• Develops short range and strategic plans to effectively meet and exceed customer needs and expectations. Determines program objectives and measures progress in attaining those objectives. Evaluates program accomplishments and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations.
• Supervises and directs subordinate staff by assigning and reviewing work, establishing work schedules, selecting/recommending selection of employees for vacancies, evaluating performance, rewarding and disciplining employees, resolving complaints, and identifying training needs and scheduling employees for training.
• Leads or participates on ad hoc project teams developing major new policies/programs/products that are strategically aligned with the direction of VA's business needs and are expected to contribute to the effective operation of VA's line organizations.
• Contributes to the attainment of mission, vision, goals, and objectives andto continuous improvement of the organization's processes through accomplishment of service goals and objectives. Participates in assignments and efforts, including review of decisions, recommendations, policy, correspondence, and other work products which result in the production and
  delivery of work products and services to the organization's customers.
• Advises and consults with management at all levels throughout the agency's headquarters and field activities on HR matters relating to policy, advice, and guidance. Keeps higher level personnel officials informed of problems, potential problems, and precedent setting matters.
• Represents VA on agency committees and work groups and develops responses to related Office of Personnel Management, Merit Systems Protection Board, and Government Accountability Office inquiries.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#:PD30930-0

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Help

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
• 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
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two 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 one year probationary period or two year trial 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, 07/07/2026.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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 some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above.You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Criteria 1: Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience; graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level.

AND/OR

Criteria 2: Specialized Experience; One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-14.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to:

• Overseeing a staff of senior HR professionals responsible for developing HR policies, guidance and proposed legislation in supporting employee relations and performance management programs.
• Advising senior executives and leaders on the laws, regulations and policies regarding employee relations and performance management issues to include disciplinary and adverse actions, grievances, appeals, awards and drug free workplace program.
• Lead and/or participate on ad hoc project teams in developing HR policies, and programs.

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: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 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 employee works primarily in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts.

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

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 found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: At least one year of experience supervising and performing work directly related to the Employee Relations and Performance Management Service portfolio.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420 .

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office.

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 (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the