Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Summary

Join the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared Service Center! We're looking for talented professionals to help deliver solutions that support federal agencies nationwide. As an HR Specialist (Employee Benefits) at the GS-0201-11/12 you will be part of Employee Services and Records Management (ESRM), responsible for evaluating trends, reporting on the analysis of agency-wide benefit programs to enhance their efficiency, and providing technical expertise to lower-graded HR Specialists.

Duties

• Oversees agency benefit programs under various titles include retirement, health and life insurance, flexible benefits, and retirement savings, for one or more customer agencies. Manages the serviced agency's retirement application process from submission through transmittal of complete packages to OPM Retirement Services for final adjudication. Leads benefit program learning initiatives, including employee training sessions, coaching, and mentoring lower-graded HR Specialists. Oversees the implementation of business processes, improvements, and strategies designed to enhance customer service, evaluate trends and report on potential problems. Responsible for making benefit administration decisions by analyzing documentation and evidence to determine eligibility. Counsel individual employees on, and manages, benefit elections/changes related to health and life insurance, flexible spending or health savings accounts, and retirement savings accounts due to qualifying life events or changes in eligibility. Serves as a senior claim's administrator on behalf of the customer agency, providing comprehensive support to injured employees and their managers throughout the life cycle of the claims process.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications for the GS-11 Grade Level: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service, obtained in either the public or private sectors, performing ALL the following duties: 1.Assisting with routine Federal employee benefits and retirement actions including FEHB, FEGLI, FERS/CSRS, LEO, TSP, FSAFEDS, leave, and work-life programs using established guidelines and agency procedures; AND 2. Supporting retirement and pension application processing by collecting service history, compiling records, verifying package completeness, and preparing preliminary benefit estimates; AND 3. Participating in employee benefits counseling by explaining eligibility requirements, benefit elections, qualifying life events, leave options, military service credit, or required documentation; AND 4. Supporting workers' compensation administration by assisting with claim preparation, gathering supporting documentation, monitoring case status, tracking salary continuation periods, and coordinating with payroll and timekeeping staff.. OR Have completed the requirements for a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or completed at least 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or LL.M, if related, (for example, human resources, business, public administration, management or other directly related field of study) that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to do the work of this position. OR Have a combination of education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate your percentage of education, divide the number of graduate semester hours earned, in excess of 36 semester hours, by 18. If your education is in quarter hours, convert to semester hours by multiplying the number of quarter hours earned by 2/3rds. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide the number of months of full-time experience by 12. If your experience was part-time, convert to full-time by dividing the number of hours worked per week by 40 then multiply by number of months worked. Add the percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) to support your claim.) Minimum Qualifications for the GS-12 Grade Level: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level or pay band in the Federal service, obtained in either the public or private sectors, performing ALL the following duties: 1. Reviewing and adjudicating Federal employee benefits and retirement cases including FEHB, FEGLI, FERS/CSRS, TSP, FSAFEDS, leave, and work-life programs to determine employee eligibility and required actions; AND 2. Analyzing retirement and pension applications by verifying service history, identifying missing or conflicting records, preparing benefit estimates, and recommending corrective actions; AND 3.Evaluating complex benefits and workers' compensation issues involving voluntary separation, unpaid leave, salary continuation, leave adjustments, cost reporting, or return-to-work determinations; AND 4.Identifying recurring benefits processing errors, recommending process improvements, updating procedures, supporting program audits, and providing guidance to junior HR staff. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. All Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: Accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by OPM accordingly. 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.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation May be required to successfully complete a probationary period Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required You will be required to report to an OPM assigned office. This position is not eligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. 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: 1. Click the Apply Online button. 2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. 3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 4. 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. 5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 6. 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. 7. Set aside at least 3 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. 8. 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. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/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. You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13061417