Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)
About This Position
The Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Department of Administrative Services, Human Resources Office (HRO), Benefits Division. HRO provides human resource program leadership, services, and solutions to enable the U.S. courts and the AO to define, recruit, manage, compensate, reward, develop, and retain a highly skilled workforce.
Qualifications
Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position.
Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below: Providing counseling and guidance on benefits and retirement programs. Developing and delivering effective communication materials, presentations, and training on benefits and retirement programs. Processing retirement applications and death cases, including calculating annuity estimates, and service credit.
Major Duties
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Department of Administrative Services, Human Resources Office (HRO), Benefits Division is seeking a self-motivated and experienced Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) to join its team.
This position reports to the Benefits Division Chief. The Benefits Division provides a wide variety of HR services, including retirement counseling and services, federal benefits program management, and human resources advisory assistance. The Human Resources Specialist must have excellent communication, strong interpersonal, organizational, and analytical skills.
The ideal candidate must have experience in a team environment, and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Serving as a primary contact for judiciary human resources staff and employees nearing retirement, offering authoritative guidance on benefits, retirement options, and associated processes. Providing counseling and guidance on federal benefits and retirement program issues.
Developing clear, comprehensive benefits and retirement program communication materials, including guidance documents, job aids, and informational resources to support employee understanding and decision making. Developing and delivering benefits and retirement program presentations and training to a wide range of audiences using multiple delivery methods, including in-person sessions, webcasts, video, and teleconferences. Providing in-depth retirement counseling to employees nearing retirement, as well as survivors and beneficiaries, ensuring understanding of options, timelines, and post-retirement benefits.
Processing retirement applications and death cases, calculating annuity estimates and prior federal and military service deposits/redeposits, processing individual retirement records, and researching and adjudicating Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Corrections Act cases. Recommending and assisting management with implementing process improvements, setting work priorities, creating and updating standard operating procedures, and making program reconciliations. Conducting inquiries, updating contact information, initiating reconciliation corrections, and generating reports via OPM's Centralized Enrollment Clearinghouse System portal.
Researching and providing guidance on Title 5 statutes, policies, regulations, and guidance regarding federal retirement programs, including the Thrift Savings Plan. Providing program management and assistance on federal benefits programs, including Federal Employees Health Benefit Program, Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program, Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, Flexible Spending Benefit Program, and Federal Long-Term Care Program. Performing retirement estimates and benefits calculations using the Government Retirement & Benefits Platform, and ensuring accuracy and alignment with applicable rules and employee service histories.
Conditions of Employment
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO.
If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.
Education
This position does not require education to qualify.
How You Will Be Evaluated
We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification.
If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
Additional Information
The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 04/28/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12926850
Required Documents
For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required: Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications. Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.