Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations)

Initiates and develops ER operating procedures, guidelines, quick reference checklists, desk guides, visual aids, and presentations in the HR area of employee relations.

Conducts analysis, research and fact finding into requested management direct inquires of employee relations matters in order to discover facts and develop action plans to assist and guide managers and supervisors to sound conclusions.

Prepares briefing materials as directed, researching applicable subject matter to ensure complete and accurate information is provided.

Reviews ER policy and procedures to ensure consistency in their application and recommends modifications.

Develops agency methods of measurement that provide a valid measurement of the success of the employee relations program and provides accurate assessments of the program.

Represents SSA OIG on various agency-wide groups, meetings, etc., to resolve problems, plan activities of agency-wide concern, or present SSA OIG's position.

Understands, analyzes and interprets Federal legislation and regulations related to Federal ER matters

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Reading Comprehension Reasoning Applicants will be assessed using the rating criteria listed in the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12901774 The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies.

You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered.

You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

NONCOMPETITIVE CONSIDERATION Applications for noncompetitive consideration will be accepted from SSA employees in the area of consideration who are currently serving under the following types of appointments: Schedule A, Reg. 213.3102 (U) appointments for individuals with disabilities; Veterans Recruitment Appointments and time limited appointments for veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Applicants serving under these provisions do not need to submit copies of your disability or Veteran's documentation. However, you must submit a current SF-50 that provides information on the appointment authority under which you were hired.

Otherwise, you will not receive non-competitive consideration. Position to be filled under the provisions of the Management Officials Promotion Plan. The best-qualified list for this vacancy may be used to fill the same or similar positions in a component(s) within the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General and the Inspector General community.

Additional selections may be made within 6 months of the date the best qualified list is issued. LOCALITY PAY: Salary will be set in accordance with locality pay provisions. Candidates currently receiving a higher locality pay than the office applied for are advised that should they be selected, they will lose entitlement to the higher locality pay.

OTHER NOTES: This is a non-bargaining unit position. Telework:in accordance with the Agency's Telework Policy. Relocation expenses will not be paid. This is a moderate risk public trust position. The selected employee will be required to complete a Standard Form 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions, in order to have the appropriate investigation conducted, unless the employee has been previously certified eligible to occupy a position at this level.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exception from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.

If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments.

You may check Computer System Requirements here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements.

Note: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date.

The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Careers at SSA at [email protected] Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

The complete Application Package must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. (EST) on 03/20/2026. Failure to upload any required documents will disqualify your application from consideration. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account.

RESUME You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must: Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position Include your contact information We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement.

Your resume must provide all of the information necessary to make qualifications and eligibility determinations (e.g., experience related to your qualifications for this position, grade levels and dates of your current and prior positions, etc.).

Your resume must specifically demonstrate, in your own words, the possession of the required experience related to the minimum qualifications, selective placement factors and/or evaluation criteria. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement, rating criteria, KSAs and/or position description will not be considered. If this occurs, you may lose consideration for one or more grade levels or found ineligible.

SF-50 If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) that that reflects your grade/step, possession of time-in-grade (e.g. a Within-Grade Increase or Promotion/Reassignment dated more than one year ago), and career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service. Current SSA employees are not required to submit an SF-50. If you are a former Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility, you must also submit your separation SF-50 showing your separation was not for performance or conduct reasons.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL If you are a current Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. If you are a new Federal employee who has not yet received a performance rating, you must upload an explanation. Current SSA employees and VEOA applicants are not required to submit performance appraisals.

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT (VEOA) If you are applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), you must submit your DD-214 (member 4 copy) and any other documentation demonstrating your preference eligibility, such as a disability letter.

NOTE: If you are a current Federal employee eligible under VEOA, you are subject to the time-in-grade requirement and must submit an SF-50 as required above. INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

Candidates must also provide: proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent. For more information visit http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.