Summary

The Supervisory Human Resources Specialist for Employee Relations/Labor Relations works under the general supervision of the Chief, ER/LR who reports directly to the Deputy Human Resources Officer. The incumbent directs the Employee and Labor Relations, and Performance Management of network shared services with a multifaceted union presence.

This announcement is open to VISN 15 Human Resources Management employees ONLY.

Duties

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This position is being filled as a temporary promotion at the GS-13 level, Not To Exceed (NTE) 1 Year. The temporary promotion may be terminated earlier or extended, consistent with applicable regulations and agency policy, and may be curtailed at any time based on organizational needs or the employee's performance.

Applicant selected may be may be extended beyond one year. Selectee may be converted to the position permanently without further competition.

The selectee can work from their current duty location, and there is no requirement to relocate or change their assigned duty station as a result of this temporary promotion.

This position serves as the Shared Service Unit (SSU) Supervisory Human Specialist for ER/LR responsible for providing employee relations, labor relations, performance management, work life, reasonable accommodations, suitability, worker's compensation, training and development and/or special programs to a large, highly customized and innovative, complex, multi-mission VISN and it's subordinate facilities.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Planning work and carrying out activities to manage employee and labor relations for an integrated healthcare network
• Serves as subject matter expert regarding polices and procedures pertaining to various federal authority boards and commissions
• Performing Performance Management duties and processes
• Providing guidance for unresolved, complex cases
• Providing advice and assistance with management needs
• Delivering training courses and opportunities
• Providing technical guidance information and assistant
• Researching federal regulations and laws
• Responding to inquiries for disciplinary actions and grievances
• Represents management at arbitrations
• Recognizing and accomplishing management objectives
• Plans, assigns, distributes and evaluates work of subordinate employees
• Performing a full range of supervisory duties
• Evaluating unit production, quality, compliance and technical competence
• Other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR)/PD99980S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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, 08/12/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your education and experience and/or specialized experience as described below:

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: Knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, case law, principles and practices related to negotiating and administering labor agreements and providing guidance and consultation on a variety of labor relations matters. Knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, case law, principles and practices related to employee conduct, performance and dispute resolution and other areas such as reasonable accommodation.

~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: Planning and managing employee/labor relations for an integrated healthcare network, Performance Management, Providing guidance and assistance in unresolved complex cases, coordination with other HR functions, providing training and technical guidance on ER/LR related issues, responding to inquiries while researching regulations and guidance, information and assistance as subject matter expert, full range of Supervisory duties.

GRANDFATHERING PROVISION.HR Specialists, GS-0201, employed in VA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

a. HR Specialists who are grandfathered into the GS-0201 occupational series maybe reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder, promoted to a higher grade or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.

b. HR Specialists who are grandfathered into the GS-0201 occupational series can be placed in a lead, supervisory or managerial position through an appropriate position change without meeting the basic requirements required in this standard but must meet the grade level requirements.

c. HR Specialists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard.

d. HR Specialists serving on an appointment that leads to non competitive conversion to the competitive service may be extended on that appointment or converted to the competitive service without meeting the basic requirements of this standard, but they must meet the grade level requirements.

e. HR Specialists who are grandfathered under this provision that leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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

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 Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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 ICTAP and 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/.

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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.