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Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations/Labor Relations)
Summary
The Federal government is looking to fill Human Resources (HR) Specialist (Employee Relations/Labor Relations) positions across many different agencies through this shared job announcement. HR Specialists serve in critical roles across government to assist with labor and/or employee relations activities, performing operational HR assignments, and providing advisory services.
Learn more about this agency
This job is open to
The public
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Duties
For a Human Resources (HR) Specialist in Employee Relations and/or Labor Relations, specific duties vary by hiring agency. Examples may include:
- Provides advice to managers and employees on workplace issues such as performance, conduct, and disciplinary actions, helping ensure fair and consistent handling of cases.
- Reviews employee relations cases, gathers facts, and helps develop solutions that follow laws, policies, and agency procedures.
- Supports labor relations activities by assisting with grievances, contract interpretation, and communication between management and union representatives.
- Delivers HR guidance, training, and informational materials to managers and employees to improve understanding of HR programs and workplace responsibilities.
- Assists leadership by analyzing HR issues, recommending solutions, and helping ensure compliance with Federal regulations and agency policies.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
This is a shared cross-government announcement open to agencies throughout Federal government. If you are invited to interview or offered a job, be sure to get clarification from the particular hiring agency about the duty location and other conditions of employment. Specific requirements vary by hiring agency and include:
- 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.
- May be covered by a bargaining unit.
- May qualify for bonuses, incentives, and/or reimbursement of relocation expenses, in accordance with hiring agency policy.
- May require financial disclosure filing upon appointment and annually.
- May require a pre-employment drug test and/or random drug testing during the period of employment.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.
- Per Public Law 104-134, all Federal employees are required to have Federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Promotion potential varies by hiring agency. Some positions may have promotion potential to higher grade levels.
- Security clearance varies by hiring agency. Must be able to pass a background investigation and/or obtain and hold a security clearance, as determined by the hiring agency.
- Selective service registration is required, as applicable.
- Travel varies by hiring agency.
Qualifications
THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. This announcement will close at 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/19/2026. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement open period, based on the schedule below. Applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements by the cut-off dates listed below. Eligibility and qualification claims are subject to verification.
- First Cut-Off on May 4, 2026: To be considered in the first review, applicants must submit their application package and complete the USA Hire assessments by May 4, 2026.
- Final Cut-Off on May 19, 2026: Applicants who submit their application package and complete the USA Hire assessments after May 4, 2026 will be considered in the final review.
GS-07
Specialized Experience: Must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing at least 3 of the 4 following duties:
- Providing information on human resources (HR) policies or procedures.
- Assisting with employee relations matters such as conduct, performance, or leave.
- Gathering information to support employee or labor relations activities.
- Researching HR laws, regulations, or policies to support management decisions.
OR
Education: One full academic year (18 semester hours or the equivalent) of graduate education. The field of study must be in one or a combination of the following fields: human resources, business administration, public administration, organizational development, psychology, sociology, labor relations, industrial relations, or other directly related field that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Must submit transcripts.)
OR
Combination of Experience and Education: Have less than the amount of specialized experience and less than the full amount of graduate education described above, but have a combination such that they total 100 percent when combined. To determine the combination, first compute the experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then compute the graduate education as a percentage of the graduate education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate-level education may be combined with specialized experience. (Must be reflected in your resume, and must submit transcripts.)
OR
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree AND meet one of the following: 1) Grade point average of "B" (GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; 2) Grade point average of "B+" (GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; 3) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in your college, university, or major subdivision; or 4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. (Must submit transcripts.)
GS-09
Specialized Experience: Must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service) performing at least 3 of the 4 following duties:
- Providing guidance on human resources (HR) policies or workplace issues.
- Analyzing employee relations matters such as conduct, performance, or leave.
- Responding to employee or labor relations matters such as grievances.
- Applying HR laws, regulations, or policies to resolve workplace issues.
Your resume must include how you meet at least 3 of the 4 specialized experience statements.
OR
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or LL.B. or J.D. The field of study was in one or a combination of the following fields: human resources, business administration, public administration, organizational development, psychology, sociology, labor relations, industrial relations, or other directly related field that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Must submit transcripts.)
OR
Combination of Experience and Education: Have less than the amount of specialized experience and less than the full amount of graduate education described above, but have a combination such that they total 100 percent when combined. To determine the combination, first compute the experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then compute the graduate education as a percentage of the graduate education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate-level education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience. (Must be reflected in your resume, and must submit transcripts.)
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. If your resume does not support your application questionnaire response(s), we will not allow credit for your response(s).
A full-time year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours per week spent in such employment.
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.
Education
If you are claiming education as any part of your Minimum Qualifications for this position: You must submit a copy of your college transcript. An unofficial transcript with the degree title, list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned can be used as a substitute for official transcripts at the time of application. If you are selected for a position, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty.
For GS-07: Note about Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Applicants usually cannot claim credit based on their overall GPA if more than 10 percent of their total credit was based on pass/fail or similar systems, rather than on traditional grading systems. However, if they can document that only their freshman-year courses (25 percent or less of their total credit) were credited on a pass/fail or similar system, they can use their overall GPA to claim SAA. If 10 percent or fewer credits or only freshman-year courses were based on pass/fail or similar systems, such credits can be ignored and the GPA can be computed from the graded courses. Applicants can, however, still claim credit based on their last 2 years if 10 percent or fewer credits were based on pass/fail or similar systems. Applicants who cannot claim credit under the GPA requirements may claim credit for SAA only on the basis of class standing or honor society membership.
Note about Graduate Education: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
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; applicants' resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabus and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Provide all relevant transcripts, not just your most recent one.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the Basic Requirement or Minimum Qualifications, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Additional information
- Agencies across Federal government may hire from this cross-government announcement.
- Agencies with non-General Schedule (non-GS) pay plans or bands may hire from this announcement when the vacancy they are filling is equivalent to the GS grade(s) advertised. The hiring agency's servicing HR office must verify grade-equivalency alignment with the advertised GS grade(s). Selections from this announcement must be for GS grade(s) (or equivalent pay plan or band) included in the announcement.
- 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.
- Final duty location and pay will be determined by the hiring agency. The salary range posted in this announcement is an approximation and subject to locality adjustment.
- Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be available, depending on the hiring agency's policy.
- Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
- Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, transcripts, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
To be found minimally quali?ed, you must demonstrate pro?ciency in the critical competencies required for the position. Your quali?cations will be evaluated on the following competencies:
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Writing
Online assessments: Applicants must complete the online USA Hire Competency-Based and Writing Skills Assessments measuring critical general competencies required to perform the job. Examples used in the assessments include general scenarios addressing the underlying competencies required for this position. Applicants who complete the online assessments will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Transcripts review: HR Specialists will review your transcripts to determine your qualifications for this position based on any education substituted for experience, as described in the Qualifications and Education sections above. Applicants passing the transcripts review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Resume review: HR Specialists will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the specialized experience (at least 3 of the 4 statements). Resumes submitted for Federal positions may not exceed two pages. Be sure you address all specialized experience within the two-page resume limit. HR will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Applicants passing the resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
Ranking and preference: Qualified candidates will be ranked in score order after completing all assessments. Candidates with veterans' preference will be ranked ahead of candidates without veterans' preference with the same score.
Referral method: A pre-established set number of the highest ranked candidates will be referred to participating agencies. All candidates tied at the cut line will be referred.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/19/2026. Complete the questionnaire and include all supporting documents with your initial application. You will not be able to update your application, including you will not be able to upload additional supporting documentation, after initial application submission.
- A resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year, and indicates hours worked per week. If military or a civilian Federal employee, you must include your rank and/or grade.
- Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications, and other position requirements listed in the job announcement.
- Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.
- We recommend using a sans-serif font style such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, or Open San Source Sans Pro.
- The USAJOBS resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
- A complete application questionnaire and online USA Hire Assessments.
- If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Assessments, you can find the Reasonable Accommodation process here.
- Other supporting documents, if applicable:
- College transcript (See Qualifications and Education sections above for more detail.)
- Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP)? If so, submit all of the following:
- A copy of your reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
- A copy of your separation SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', or most recent SF-50 if pending separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location;
- A copy of your latest performance appraisal, including your rating; and
- Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential, if applicable.
- Your Federal position at the time you were displaced must be within the local commuting area for a location listed in 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.
- Are you claiming veterans' preference?
- If you are a disabled veteran, Purple Heart recipient, or parent or spouse of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
- If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge (from when you apply to this announcement), you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement date from active duty, 2) your discharge will be under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, and 6) your separation date from active duty service.
- If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of service (Member 4 copy), or other documentation of service and separation under honorable conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
- Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee employee?
- Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
- Position title;
- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, non-career SES, or Presidential appointee);
- Agency; and
- Beginning and end dates of appointment.
- Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires and assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents sections. Your 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:
- 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 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. Complete the questionnaire and include all supporting documents with your initial application. You will not be able to update your application, including you will not be able to upload additional supporting documentation, after initial application submission.
- If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
- Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
- Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
- Set aside about 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the closing date of this announcement.
- Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials. You must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Agency contact information
Positions may be located in cities listed in this announcement.
Various cities not limited to, DC 00000
US
Next steps
We will email applicants after each step of the hiring process to notify them of their outcome. Tentative timeline:
- April-May 2026: Job opportunity announcement open.
- May-June 2026: Reviewing resumes and transcripts.
- June 2026: Interviews and selections begin.
Selection process: Participating agencies will receive a list of qualified candidates. Agencies will conduct interviews, check references, and make offers directly to qualified candidates. If a candidate is considered multiple times for the same position by one agency and is not selected, the candidate may not receive further consideration.
Once a candidate accepts a tentative job offer from any agency, the candidate is removed from consideration for other agencies and will not receive another interview or offer. A candidate who declines a tentative job offer from any agency may be removed from further consideration. After making tentative job offers, agencies conduct suitability/security background investigations.
Future consideration: This is a cross-government hiring announcement open to agencies throughout the Federal government. By applying to this announcement, you are opting-in to your resume and other application materials being shared with multiple agencies. Your resume and other application materials may be shared with multiple agencies to consider you for employment, however there is no guarantee of consideration or selection. Participating agencies are responsible for making all selection or non-selection decisions. The lists of qualified candidates may be shared with Federal agencies for a year.
Overview
Varies by location - Final salary depends on duty location and hiring agency.
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- 0201 Human Resources Management
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