Human Resources Specialist (ELR/Performance Management) (DIRECT HIRE)

Job Description

Summary

Serves as a Human Resources Specialist (Employee/Labor Relations) in the Office of Administration, Office of Human Resources. Delivers expert advice and counseling on complex conduct and discipline issues, grievances and appeals, adverse actions, and labor relations. Responsibilities and task complexity scale with the grade level and advancement of the position.

Duties

As a Human Resources Specialist (ELR), you will: Analyze complex Employee and Labor Relations (ER/LR) issues to identify root causes, resolve workforce challenges, and deliver strategic guidance to employees, supervisors, and management. Administer, evaluate, and maintain agency ER/LR programs, including negotiating agreements and supporting collaborative labor-management partnerships. Manage core HR program areas, including Performance Management, Performance Awards, Telework policy administration, and Leave programs. Oversee and facilitate the agency's Drug Testing Program in compliance with federal regulations and established agency guidelines. The ideal candidate is a Human Resources professional with demonstrated expertise in providing comprehensive guidance to managers on complex Employee and Labor Relations matters. They possess strong problem-solving skills to resolve intricate workplace issues and a proactive mindset for driving process improvements within HR operations.

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Key Requirements

You must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. National.

Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date

Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position

How You Will Be Evaluated

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully. Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination. You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Additional Information

PLEASE NOTE: “The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require an accommodation or other assistance to apply online, please notify the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the interview process, please notify the Office of Human Resources, Staffing and Classification Division, via email at FTAStaffing@dot.gov.” The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation

How to Apply

You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting. Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov

Required Documents

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy and provide all of the following documents: your most recent performance appraisal, the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade. Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

What to Expect Next

You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist may evaluate your application. If evaluated, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.

About the Agency

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is focused on what matters most: prioritizing the safety of our transportation systems, modernizing our aging infrastructure, unleashing American innovation, and maximizing efficiency by removing bureaucratic red tape. We are looking for mission-driven professionals ready to deliver real results with discipline, urgency, and accountability to support American families, workers, and businesses. As we usher in a Golden Age of Transportation, DOT values a results-oriented, high-performing workforce dedicated to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and a safe, collaborative environment. If you want to build big, beautiful infrastructure, scale transformative technologies, and achieve results that will serve our nation for generations to come, please consider joining the DOT family. Did You Know? The Department of Transportation is consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government!

Requirements

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify on for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09, it must include: Experience assisting with research on regulations, case law, and agency policies to draft preliminary responses or documentation for performance, conduct, discipline, grievances, or appeals, AND Experience assisting supervisors and employees with processing routine performance, leave, and telework actions in accordance with established statutory and regulatory guidelines. To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. To qualify on for the GS-12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11, it must include: Experience managing daily administration for agency Human Resources programs such as Performance Management, Telework, Leave, or Drug Testing Program, AND Experience researching, providing technical guidance, and drafting official documentation for employee performance actions, misconduct, disciplinary actions, adverse action, grievance, and appeals, AND Experience advising managers and supervisors on employee and labor relations requirements, management rights, and obligations under statutes, collective bargaining agreements, and agency practices. You cannot qualify on education at this level, you must have experience. To qualify on for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Experience establishing program priorities, evaluating agency-wide ER/LR operations, and ensuring full compliance with statutory, regulatory, and collective bargaining obligations, AND Experience conducting factual research, third-party investigations, and analysis to recommend formal decisions on contested performance actions, disciplinary/adverse actions, grievances, and administrative appeals, AND Experience serving as an advisor to senior leadership on within-grade increase denials, unsatisfactory performance ratings, third-party hearings, and labor negotiations. You cannot qualify on education at this level, you must have experience. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Employee and Labor Relations: Knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, case law, principles, and practices related to employee conduct, performance, dispute resolution, and practices related to negotiating and administering labor agreements. Performance Management and Awards: Knowledge of performance management concepts, principles, and practices related to planning, monitoring, rating, and rewarding employee performance. Knowledge of awards processing, procedures, and policies. Drug Testing and Alternative Work Program: Knowledge of executive orders and policies regarding Federal Mandated Drug Testing Programs. Ability to identify Testing Designated Positions (TDPs), and chain-of-custody protocols. Knowledge of telework legislation, federal/corporate alternative work schedule (AWS) options (e.g., flextime, compressed workweeks), FLSA regulations, and remote-work policy design. Knowledge of the federal workers' compensation laws, OSHA reporting standards, medical terminology, and case management procedures. Oral and Written Communication: Knowledge of how to effectively express facts, ideas, or opinions to groups, managers, and senior leadership. Makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. For all types of consideration, 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.