Human Resources Officer (Director of HR)

Summary

This position serves as the Director of the Office of Human Resources for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The is responsible for planning, developing, implementing and administering the human resources management program for the FRA.

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Duties

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The Human Resources Officer :

• Is responsible for the successful coordination, reconciliation and implementation of human resources policies and programs that pertain to the employees of FRA.
• Interacts with agency and departmental managers and employees to participate in a variety of meetings to explain new requirements, changes in existing internal and external human resource programs and provide advice on various programs and benefits that are available to employees.
• Is the primary spokesperson for FRA's top management in negotiations with the union regarding human resources programs, plans, requirements and the reconciliation of strategic planning intiatives being introduced into the workplace, both at the Headquarters level and in the field.
• Exercises responsibility for developing long range strategic plans for the human resources program; determining the best approach to resolving program issues, competing program requirements and budgetary shortages.
• Advises management officials on a wide variety of human resource issues.

The ideal candidate for this position is someone with significant experience in all facets of federal Human Resources including recruitment, staffing, classification, employee relations, labor relations, and personnel security. They should have strong written and oral communication skills, strong project management and project tracking capabilities and be confident in their public speaking and interpersonal skills. Additionally, as a leader in a small organization, (FRA has approximately 900 employees), the Director of HR has a responsibility to seek continual improvement and an opportunity to influence policy and identify and implement new processes and practices. As such, the Director should be a curious and innovative leader.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

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 the 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.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed).
• TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the Grade 15 , you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

• Experience serving as the Bureau wide or Departmental expert or program manager with expertise in at least 3 of the following human resource functions: recruitment and placement, position management, compensation, labor-management relations, employee relations, employee benefits, performance management, employee training and development, and HR information systems.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
2. Oral commmunication- Expresses information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbals cues, and responds appropriately.
3. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

For all types of consideration, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, View email address on click.appcast.io. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Railroad Stock: Pursuant to 5 C.F.R. Parts 2635.403 and 6001.104, all FRA employees (or spouses or minor children of FRA employees) are specifically prohibited from holding railroad stock (including shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. which owns 100% of BNSF), whether held outright, in an IRA, or in a 401(k) or other plan. (Employees may hold a mutual fund which invests in railroad stocks, so long as the mutual fund does not invest more than 30% of its assets in such prohibited investments.) Employees having a prohibited financial interest must divest themselves of railroad stock within 90 days after their appointment to their positions. Neither the rule against holding railroad stock, nor the divestiture period, is in any way affected by the existence of re-employment rights which employees might have with railroad companies. Nor is there any monetary threshold for applicability of the rule against ownership of railroad stock; all dollar amounts are prohibited.

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.