Federal

Human Resources Specialist

Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System ยท Department of Justice
๐Ÿ“ Grand Prairie, Texas GS-05 $44,285 - $67,905/yr
Posted: Feb 3, 2026 Deadline: Feb 25, 2026 (Closes in 10 days days left)

About This Position

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Education: Successful completion of a 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. OR Experience: Three years of general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. General experience is progressively responsible experience gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. Experience in substantive and relevant secretarial, clerical, or other responsible work may be qualifying as long as it provided evidence of the particular qualifications necessary to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience of general clerical nature (typing, filing, routine procedural processing, maintaining records, or other non-specialized tasks) is not creditable. Some examples of this qualifying experience are: Experience in analyzing problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions. Experience planning and organizing work. Experience in communicating effectively orally and in writing. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the specific qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above. If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities. **Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Major Duties

The Human Resource Specialist performs administrative Human Resource (HR) functions in furtherance of the mission and objectives of the Consolidated Processing Unit (CPU). This position provides HR services related to personnel/payroll processing, HR record keeping and maintenance and operation of a Help Desk for all Human Resource Departments (HRD) and staff within the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Reviews and processes requests for payroll and/or personnel actions, ensuring all requests include any and all necessary supporting documentation and comply with all human resources laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures. May be called upon to provide input into HR related policies for the BOP, review proposed guidance and regulations for impact on the BOP and provide training for staff on HR information systems and payroll/personnel processing within the BOP.

Conditions of Employment

Career Transition Programs (CTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria; 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility. NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

How You Will Be Evaluated

If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If your selections are not supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application: Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile; Your responses to the eligibility questions; Your responses to the online assessment; Your supporting documentation, if required. Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position? The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required: Ability to communicate orally. Ability to communicate in writing. Ability to interpret and apply guidelines. Knowledge of payroll/personnel processing. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Additional Information

The representative rate for this position is $76,049 per annum ($36.44 per hour) for applicants eligible for law enforcement officer coverage; and $73,812 per annum ($35.37 per hour) for all other applicants.NOTE: Salary ranges for all grade levels include both LEO and non-LEO salaries. LEO salaries apply to current LEO employees. Special Conditions of Employment Section: Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks. The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application.You may be required to provide proof of residence. Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate. Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed. Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees: A prerequisite of the secondary law enforcement position is the completion of the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II". If you have not completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II", you are ineligible for secondary law enforcement position(s) and coverage but may still be considered for a non-law enforcement position. If you are not a current Bureau of Prisons employee, you must submit training records demonstrating you have completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II" to your hiring Human Resource office prior to appointment. Individuals selected who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and who have not had three years "primary" law enforcement retirement coverage, will not be covered by law enforcement retirement while in this position. To regain coverage, individuals must return to a position with "primary" coverage. THIS IS AN UPWARD MOBILITY POSITION. Permanent employees with one year of BOP service in a single increment series GS-01 through GS-08 position. Any Federal Wage System employee may also participate provided they have completed one year of BOP service. Supervisory employees may not be included in formal upward mobility programs unless they are in a single increment series position below the GS-09 level. Pay retention is mandatory for any employee receiving pay higher than the maximum rate of the grade in which he or she is placed under a formal upward mobility program if the general requirements for program participation are met. 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. Exceptions may apply. See 5 CFR part 11.

How to Apply

You must apply through the online application system at www.USAJOBS.gov. Follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions and submit all required documents. Limit your resume to 2 pages. If the only resume(s) received is/are longer than two pages, your application is ineligible for further consideration. Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described under the Required Documents section. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. USAJOBS Help Center - How to add a resume to your profile Required supporting documentation must be electronically uploaded or transferred from USAJOBS (uploaded). All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You MUST include the vacancy announcement number on your supporting documentation. Supporting documentation for announcements with an application limitation MUST be uploaded the same day you apply, as these positions may close earlier than stated in the announcement. Paper applications: If applying online is impossible, please contact the Consolidated Staffing Unit at the telephone number listed below, prior to the closing date of the announcement for the alternate application procedure. If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants. Contact for Assistance in Applying On-Line: DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons Consolidated Staffing Unit 346 Marine Forces Drive Grand Prairie, TX 75051 E-Mail: [email protected] Phone: 972-352-4200

Required Documents

Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts. Resume: Resume (includes name and contact information) limited to 2 pages showing relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, etc.) To receive credit for experience contained in an application, the experience must be documented: Reflecting start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND Include the number of hours worked per week. SF-50: Current or former Federal employees NOT employed by the Bureau of Prisons MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, and salary. If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. If you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the Bureau of Prisons, you MUST provide the SF-50 Form which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. Current federal employees NOT employed by the BOP and former federal employees MUST submit a copy of their latest yearly performance appraisal/evaluation. CTAP, Click Here, if applicable. College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable). NOTE: If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day. For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume? We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Human Resources Specialist position at Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System?
The salary range for this position is $44,285 - $67,905/yr. This is a GS-05 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Human Resources Specialist job located?
This position is located in Grand Prairie, Texas. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Education: Successful completion of a 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. OR Experience: Three years of general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. General experience is progressively resp...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 25, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-05 mean?
GS-05 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.