HR Specialist (Employee Relations/Labor Relations)

HR Specialist (Employee Relations/Labor Relations)

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $143913 - $187093 Per Year

Job Summary: Announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days of the closing date. About this agency

Major Duties:

• The incumbent is responsible for establishing and maintaining an effective Labor Management Relations (LMR) program for the agency. Provides expert advice and assistance in the most complex areas of negotiating and administering labor agreements to include bargaining unit determinations, consolidation of bargaining-units, mediation, arbitration, questions of negotiability, and unfair labor practices. Under the direction of the Assistant Director of HR (Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer), drafts agency policy and guidance that are designed to provide optimum emphasis, leadership, and staff guidance that ensures continuous improvement in personnel management throughout the agency. Duties include, but are not limited to: Plans and develops programs for labor relations negotiation. Provides comprehensive and direct advice and guidance to agency personnel in person and/or by telephone or written correspondence on all facets of the labor relations program. Provides continuing advice on all aspects of labor relations. Provides research, analysis and application of law, regulations, standard procedures, case law and guidance from EXIM, OPM, MSPB, Department of Labor, courts, and other competent authorities to determine applicable requirements and best methods or techniques to be practiced in labor employee relations functions. On matters of dealing with the exclusive representative of the various bargaining unit, directly represents the Agency in negotiating substantive personnel policy and other matters affecting working conditions Under tight time constraints, the incumbent prepares responses to sensitive correspondence including, Congressional and union inquiries by obtaining information from the various sources. Evaluates, conducts, or participates in staff studies on programs to determine trends, problems, and corrective action. Counsels, advises, and assists on actions concerning employee/management communications, grievances and appeals, disciplinary actions, and performance-based actions for both management and employees. Works with managers, supervisors, and employees in resolving highly controversial and politically sensitive problems. Advisory services, technical support, and policy guidance responsibilities include, but are not limited to suitability determinations, disciplinary and adverse actions, performance management, performance-based actions, grievances (administrative), appeals, special inquiries, and leave administration. Decides and/or develops consensus as to what actions will be taken in response to union demands for specific contract provisions, and for developing provisions to be proposed to the union for the purpose of resolving problems that have been experienced or to achieve more effective operations. Maintains a sensitivity to the roles, authorities, prerogatives, and responsibilities to all parties, both union and management, and strives to maintain a rapport where often divisive influences are involved.

Qualifications: Specialized Experience (Credit for Specialized Experience on resume must reflect 40 hours/Full-time per week for each period of work): GS-14: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Government or other equivalent pay systems. Specialized experience includes: Experience of advanced employee relations, discipline, appeal, telework, and other personnel management concepts, laws, rules, principles, and practices to research, interpret, develop, and advocate personnel policies, programs, and initiatives that affect the agency; Experience in applying broad labor relations concepts, principles, and practices, including non-traditional collaborative approaches to labor relations, labor-management partnership, alternative dispute resolution, interest-based bargaining, and facilitation, to provide staff advisory services on agency-wide issues pertaining to the potential impact of negotiations and third-party decisions concerning management rights as defined in statute; Experience and skill to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to clearly communicate instructions, guidance, and related information to various internal and external stakeholders; and Experience in third party decisions effecting employee relations programs and negotiation strategies. Education cannot be substituted for experience at the GS-14 grade level. For qualification determinations, your resume must contain the following for each work experience listed: Organization/Agency's Name Title Salary (series and grade, if applicable) Start and end dates (including the month and year) Number of hours you worked per week Relevant experience that supports your response to the specialized experience that is stated in the job announcement If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position. NOTE: Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications and your application may be marked as incomplete/ineligible and you will not receive consideration for this position. 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. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week. Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. Please visit the following links for more information: http://www.naces.org http://www.fceatlanta.com Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined here. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by 04/02/2026, the closing date of the announcement.

How to Apply: Effective September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in accordance with the Merit Hiring Plan. If you have not already done so, please update your resume under your profile before applying for any federal job. For additional details, visit click the following link. Applications will only be accepted online; however if you are unable to apply online, please contact the Agency Contact Person listed below. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The following is a link to preview the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12906631 The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/02/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account here, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Application Deadline: 2026-04-02