Human Resources Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Human Resources Directorate (HRD), Washington Headquarters Services (WHS). The Chief Human Resources Officer, WHS, is responsible for the development, implementation, administration, and evaluation of a progressive, responsive, and effective personnel program.

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Duties

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This is a Direct Hire Public Notice for the DoD Direct-Hire Authority for Pathways Recent Graduates.

Recent Graduates will be placed on a career or career-conditional appointment and MUST meet the definition of a recent graduate at the time of appointment OR will complete an advanced degree by June 30, 2026 in order to be appointed under this direct hire authority; OR, Uniformed Service Members who have completed at least four years of obligated service AND were awarded a bachelors or higher degree by an institution of higher education not more than four years before the employment start date.

Recent Graduates conferred transcripts must confirm a degree was obtained no more than two years prior to the date of your appointment or anticipated completion date of NLT June 30, 2026.

This Public Notice is to gather applications which may or may not result in a referral or selection.

This position is being filled under Direct Hire Authority (DHA) in accordance with Section 1116 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118-31 ), "Extension of Direct Hire Authority for the Department of Defense for Post-Secondary Students and Recent Graduates".

Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

The incumbent will perform rotational assignments across Human Resources Divisions including but not limited to Labor Management and Employee Relations (LMER) Division, Personnel Services Division (PSD), Benefits and Worklife Division (BWD), Workforce Performance and Specialized Employment Division (WP&SED), Individual and Organizational Development (l&OD) and the Technology & Data Support Division (TDSD).

Incumbents typical work assignments may include the following:

• Provides assistance, advice and guidance on staffing and position classification services to OSW/WHS and its customers.
• Provides advice, technical assistance, and policy guidance to customers on performance management and employee recognition.
• Provides a range of assistance, support, and policy guidance to customers on a variety of employee and labor relations, leave administration, and reasonable accommodations matters.
• Analyzes organizational training needs; processes training requests, and assists in developing and facilitating training programs for supervisors and employees.
• Prepares and presents briefings to a variety of audience; drafts technical reports, policy letters, and responses to Congressional inquiries.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see
• Total salary varies depending on location of position
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment
• Required to participate in the direct deposit program
• This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing
• This position may require you to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays and/or overtime
• This position may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station via military or commercial aircraft
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below.

Who May Apply:

• U.S. Citizens who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying bachelors or higher degree from a qualifying educational institution; OR will complete an advanced degree by June 30, 2026; OR, Uniformed Service Members who have completed at least four years of obligated service AND were awarded a bachelors or higher degree by an institution of higher education not more than four years before the employment start date.
• Applicants can be selected at GS-07 grade level. The target grade of this position is 11 .

You may qualify at the GS-07 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

Have one year of experience in the same or similar work equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-05) requiring application of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position being filled. Candidates for this position must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they possess specialized experience in: 1) Providing assistance and advice on staffing and position classification services and 2) Developing and coordinating a variety of basic/routine reports, staff actions, correspondence, policy letters, program briefings and other related actions.

OR

Successful completion one year of full-time graduate level education at an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and claim eligibility for superior academic achievement based on one of the following:

Class standing in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; Grade-point average (G.P.A.) Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR

Have the specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and I have at least one year of graduate education as described in B, but less than the required two years. I have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100% (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then, divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages . For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Education

ARE YOU QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION or A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE?

You must provide sufficient documentation of your education in your resume. You MUST provide a copy of official or unofficial transcripts or degrees in your application package. It may also be acceptable to document your applicable course listing in your resume (course number, credits earned, etc.). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency. If selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to appointment.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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.

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.

Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. /

Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement .

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.

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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.