Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Office of Human Resources, Compensation and Benefits Division, Benefits and Work-Life Branch. The purpose of the position is to perform a range of difficult work related to the administration of a variety of employee benefits programs including retirement, insurance, health benefits, and the Thrift Savings Plan.

Duties

• The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year. This role is the ideal next career step for you if: You enjoy advising on policy, directives, and guidelines on a full range of matters. You are eager to interpreting regulations and provides regulatory interpretation to managers, employees and other staff within the Office of Human Resources. You are committed to providing presentations and prepares written products that foster understanding of various aspects of the employee benefits program. You thrive at performing a wide variety of employee benefits assignments requiring the application of a range of retirement, benefits entitlements, health and life insurance, and Thrift Savings Plan concepts, practices, laws, regulations, policies, and legislative changes, and counseling techniques to explain and discuss entitlements.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Administrative and Management Positions. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes: GS-9: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-7. Experience applying fundamental principles, concepts, regulations, and procedures related to employee benefits and retirement programs; Experience assisting employees with routine questions concerning programs such as FEHB, FEGLI, TSP, retirement, and other employee benefits programs; Experience reviewing and processing benefits forms and supporting documentation for completeness and accuracy; Experience researching benefits policies, regulations, procedures, or guidance to assist in responding to employee inquiries; AND Experience entering, reviewing, or updating benefits-related information using automated human resources systems. OR A master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR Equivalent combination of qualifying graduate education and experience. GS-11: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-9. Experience independently researching, analyzing, and resolving complex or escalated employee benefits and retirement issues; Experience counseling and providing technical guidance to employees, managers, HR staff, or other stakeholders on federal benefits programs, such as FEHB, FEGLI, TSP, retirement, and related benefit programs; Experience reviewing, processing, and auditing benefits and retirement forms and supporting documentation for accuracy, eligibility, and regulatory compliance; Experience identifying and coding personnel and benefits actions, such as changes in Service Computation Dates (SCD), FEHB, FEGLI, retirement coverage, and other benefits-related actions, using automated human resources systems; AND Experience researching, analyzing, and interpreting Federal benefits laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to provide guidance and resolve employee cases. OR Education: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR an LL.M., if related such as human resources, organizational psychology, public administration, or other administrative and management fields. OR Equivalent combination of qualifying graduate education. 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

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level. If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualification Policies for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration. NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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: 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. 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 at least 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. 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 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: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/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.