About this role
Job SummaryAs an HR Specialist or early-career professional in a similar role, you may contribute to HR work that helps agencies recruit, support, manage, and develop their workforce. Your work may include HR operations, managing personnel data, providing support to employees or supervisors, handling documentation and reporting, ensuring compliance, offering advisory assistance, and implementing process improvements.
QualificationsWho we are looking for Strong candidates may bring experience through school, internships, work, military service, volunteer service, apprenticeships, community activities, or other relevant settings. Applicants do not need a linear background or a single type of experience. Relevant experience may be paid or unpaid and may come from academic, community, technical, service, or professional settings. Strong candidates may demonstrate: Clear written and verbal communication. Sound judgment, reliability, and attention to detail. Comfort learning new systems, tools, and processes. Interest in public service and improving how government works. Ability to work with data, documents, collaboration tools, and digital systems. Responsible use of modern digital tools, including approved AI-enabled tools where appropriate to the role. Where supported by the position, evaluation may also consider the ability to use modern digital tools and approved AI-enabled tools responsibly to support assigned work. This may include organizing information, summarizing materials, improving workflows, verifying outputs, protecting sensitive information, and applying human judgment before incorporating tool-assisted work into official products. Grade-specific requirements Applicants must meet Minimum Qualifications for the grade level(s) for which they are applying. GS-7 Applicants may qualify at the GS-7 level based on one of the following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 level that demonstrates at least three of the following: Using HR systems to enter, verify, or review employee data. Answering questions from employees, supervisors, or HR staff about ongoing HR actions or requests. Helping prepare HR documents or forms for processing. Keeping personnel records current and aligned with organizational policies; OR One full year of graduate education; OR Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree, AND meet one of the following: Grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for all undergraduate coursework or courses completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Class standing in the upper one-third of your graduating class, college, university, or major subdivision. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies; OR A combination of qualifying education and experience. If you have some qualifying education and some qualifying experience, but don't fully meet either requirement on its own, you may be able to combine them. Only graduate education can be used in this calculation. Experience must be reflected in your resume, and transcripts are required. Divide your qualifying graduate semester hours by 18. That gives you your education percentage. Divide your months of qualifying experience by 12. That gives you your experience percentage. Add the two together. If the total is 100% or more, you qualify. GS-9 Applicants may qualify at the GS-9 level based on one of the following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level that demonstrates at least three of the following: Using HR systems to process personnel actions or support HR functions. Advising employees, supervisors, or HR staff on the status or progress of HR activities. Preparing HR documents or forms accurately and in compliance with applicable rules. Pulling reports from HR systems to support decision-making or planning; OR Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or a master's, LL.B., or J.D.; OR A combination of qualifying education and experience. If you have some qualifying education and some qualifying experience, but don't fully meet either requirement on its own, you may be able to combine them. Only graduate education in excess of one year (18 semester hours or equivalent) can be used in this calculation. Experience must be reflected in your resume, and transcripts are required. Divide your qualifying graduate semester hours beyond the first 18 by 18. That gives you your education percentage. Divide your months of qualifying experience by 12. That gives you your experience percentage. Add the two together. If the total is 100% or more, you qualify. GS-11 Applicants may qualify at the GS-11 level based on one of the following: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level that demonstrates at least three of the following: Applying human resources principles, laws, regulations, policies, or procedures to support HR advisory or operational work. Using HR systems or workforce data to analyze issues, prepare reports, or support decision-making. Preparing or reviewing HR documents, personnel actions, or workforce materials for accuracy and compliance. Coordinating HR service delivery with employees, supervisors, HR staff, or program offices to resolve issues or move work forward; OR Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or a Ph.D., LL.M., or equivalent doctoral degree; OR A combination of qualifying education and experience. If you have some qualifying education and some qualifying experience, but don't fully meet either requirement on its own, you may be able to combine them. Only graduate education in excess of two years (36 semester hours or equivalent) can be used in this calculation. Experience must be reflected in your resume, and transcripts are required. Divide your qualifying graduate semester hours beyond the first 36 by 18. That gives you your education percentage. Divide your months of qualifying experience by 12. That gives you your experience percentage. Add the two together. If the total is 100% or more, you qualify. Experience may include paid or unpaid work, including internships, volunteer service, student leadership, military service, apprenticeships, or other relevant activities. Resumes must clearly describe duties, dates, and hours worked per week. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP)? Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location that a hiring agency plans to fill from this announcement. The definition of local commuting area varies based on duty location and hiring agency policy. To receive priority consideration, you must also be found well-qualified, which means you score 85 or higher based on this announcement's assessment rating criteria.
Major DutiesRepresentative duties may include: Support delivery of human resources services to employees, supervisors, HR staff, and program offices. Analyze HR issues, gather information, and support recommendations consistent with applicable rules, policies, and guidance. Prepare or update HR documentation related to personnel actions, organizational changes, policy updates, or workforce activities. Collect, verify, enter, and maintain personnel data in HR systems to support accuracy and reliability. Run reports from HR systems to support decision-making, compliance, and planning. Answer questions and coordinate with stakeholders to move HR actions and requests forward. Use spreadsheets, collaboration platforms, dashboards, automation, or approved AI-enabled tools, where authorized, to support research, drafting, summarization, data organization, reporting, and workflow improvement. Review digital or AI-assisted outputs for accuracy, completeness, relevance, and appropriate use before incorporating them into official work. Depending on the hiring agency, you may also use digital tools, dashboards, automation, and approved AI-enabled tools to summarize HR policy or guidance, support workforce data analysis, draft employee-facing materials, and prepare recruiting, training, or advisory materials for review. Applicants do not need to be AI experts, but should be comfortable learning new tools, using technology responsibly, and adapting to a changing work environment.RequirementsThis is a pooled hiring action. Specific duty locations are not known at the time of this announcement. Positions may be located anywhere in the United States where federal agencies are located. Duty location will be determined at the time of selection based on the needs of the agency and the interests of the candidate. Applicants will indicate geographic preferences in the application questionnaire. These preferences may help participating agencies understand candidate location interests and potential future workforce needs, but they do not guarantee consideration, selection, or assignment to any specific location. After appointment, the employing agency may reassign employees to another federal duty location based on mission needs and applicable law, regulation, and agency policy. Any reassignment decision is made by the employing agency after appointment and is not guaranteed. Applicants must meet all conditions of employment listed in this announcement and any agency-specific requirements. Depending on the position, these may include: U.S. citizenship or nationality. Completion of the E-Verify employment verification process. Selective Service registration, if applicable. Background investigation and suitability determination. Security clearance, if required by the hiring agency. Drug testing, financial disclosure, or bargaining unit coverage, depending on the position. May require a pre-employment drug test and/or random drug testing during the period of employment. Direct deposit of salary payments. Current civil service employees selected will be given new appointments to the civil service and subject to a new probationary period; however, benefits, time served, and other Federal entitlements may remain the same. Specific conditions of employment may vary by hiring agency. Applicants should clarify duty location, telework eligibility, travel, security clearance, and other position-specific requirements with the hiring agency, if contacted for interview or selection.