Human Resources Specialist

Summary

This announcement is open to current or former federal employees and specific hiring authorities. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-TXE-13040103-Delegated Examining (DE). As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This announcement has been extended until September 15, 2026.

Duties

• If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team at the United States Attorney's Office. The selected Human Resources Specialist will be responsible for various HR functions within the Eastern District of Texas. Typical work assignments will include, but are not limited to: Providing advice and assistance to management and employees on human resources related matters. Providing assistance to employees and management in the areas of employee benefits, such as health insurance, retirement, life insurance, etc. Providing advice on compensation, including but not limited to, pay, premium pay, and the administration of leave. Preparing, reviewing and providing advice on performance work plans, including performance elements and standards. Running payroll reports and assisting with payroll transactions such as time and attendance, leave errors, accounting code information, etc. Determining recruitment strategies and posting job announcements. Reviewing applications and applying qualification standards. Advising on issues involving employee relations. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Human Resources Specialist, at GS-0201-9/11, you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below. GS-9: To be eligible for the GS-9, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions: Specialized experience, education, OR a combination of education and experience. Specialized Experience: To be qualified at the GS-09 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as advising managers on Human Resources matters; resolving moderately complex, recurring Human Resources issues; and interpreting regulatory material to present findings, training, or recommendations; providing assistance to managers and employees on Human Resources laws and regulations related to one of the following functional areas: recruitment and placement, position classification, employee relations and performance management, employee benefits, and pay/compensation. Examples of specialized experience include providing technical assistance to employees and management in a variety of staffing and recruitment services; reviewing position descriptions; coding and processing a variety of personnel actions; assisting in administering guidance on pay and leave; employee benefits; retirement and other human resources functional areas. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Human Resources): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Combining Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience as described in A and graduate-level education as described in B which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100% (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation.). GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions: Specialized experience, education, OR a combination of education and experience. Specialized Experience: To be qualified at the GS-11 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as providing comprehensive management advisory and technical services on Human Resources laws and regulations; applying problem solving methods and techniques in a variety of Human Resources issues; interpreting regulatory material to present findings, training or recommendations related to one or more of the following functional areas: recruitment and placement, position classification, employee relations and performance management, employee benefits, and pay/compensation. Examples of specialized experience include: advising management on recruitment methods and strategies; generating vacancy announcements; issuing certificates/lists of qualified candidates; issuing referral lists, applying classification principles to review position descriptions; coding and processing a variety of personnel action; reviewing award justifications for appropriateness and compliance with applicable guidelines; administering guidance on pay and leave; providing advice regarding employee benefits and retirement and conducting research to solve complex human resources situations. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Human Resources): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (such as an LL.M, if related); OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Combining Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience as described in A and graduate education as described in B which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. Only graduate education in excess of 2 full years is creditable. To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of hours that exceed 36 semester hours or your school's definition of two full years of study. Then divide the total number of your excess semester hours by 18 or your school's definition of one year of study. To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. For example, if you have 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9, then you would have 75% of the required experience. If you also have 45 semester hours of creditable graduate level education, then 45-36=9 semester hours. 9 divided by 18 is 50% of the required education, and therefore, 75% + 50% = 125%. You would qualify for this position. You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by 09/15/2026 of this announcement. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 09/15/2026 to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) - VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a Member 4 Copy of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement. Special Employment Consideration - People with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below. You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility. Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments.

Education

Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

How to apply

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/15/2026 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 09/15/2026. 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 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. Click here for Computer System Requirements (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 on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. Need Help? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc. Reasonable Accommodation: To request reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Kelly Holland at [email protected], or 903-510-9352 for assistance.