HR Specialist (Compensation)
What you'd do
The HR Specialist (Compensation) is aligned under Veterans Health Administration, Workforce Management and Consulting Office (WMC 10A2), HR Center of Expertise (HRCoE), Compensation. This position functions to perform legislative development, policy development, consultative advisory services and training, oversight and compliance, in the compensation disciplines.
Major duties
The HR Specialist (Compensation) provides expert level guidance concerning complex advisory services essential to enable the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, Under Secretary for Health, Senior Executive Service (SES) level executives and other senior leadership officials, human resources specialists and line managers in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in both VHA Central Office (VHACO), VISN and field facilities to properly plan, develop, organize, manage, and evaluate employee compensation and hours of duty and leave concerns. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Advises key VHA officials as an authority on all matters related to compensation particularly on complex matters related to application of legislation, policy, and flexibilities within VHA's healthcare setting. Exercises authority and responsibility for VHA Compensation policies and programs Supports key VHA officials in analysis and development of solutions to significant, complex HR challenges in situations in which existing policy and/or precedents are often not applicable and require significant innovation and application of sound judgment. Stays abreast of new developments in healthcare delivery to anticipate evolving needs and opportunities to support through changes in HR policy, partnering with VA OCHCO's office, OPM, OMB, GAO, etc. to accomplish. Develops and provides a wide variety of written and oral briefings to VA and VHA stakeholders and decision makers to inform, make recommendations, advocate, and influence acceptance and administration of sound HR concepts, principles, and operations. Serves as a subject matter expert, participates in or leads HR activities related to the nurse/physician assistant locality pay system, pay for VHA physicians, dentists, podiatrists and optometrists, special rates, premium pay and all other pay available pay flexibilities. Conducts studies, data analysis, healthcare business sector studies to identify pay related deficiencies; initiates solutions. Has ability to adjust to changing situations, and implement innovative solutions to make organizational improvements, ranging from incremental improvements to major shifts in direction or approach, as appropriate. Explains, advocates, and expresses facts and ideas in a convincing manner and negotiates with individuals and groups internally and externally, as appropriate. Develops a professional network with other organizations and identifies the internal and external politics that affect the work of the organization. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to the in-person work mandate in their current position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer. Position Description/PD#: HR Specialist (Compensation)/PD02808A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/16/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: BASIC REQUIREMENT: To qualify for the HR Specialist position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements as described in one of the following methods: a. Merit-Based Method, b. Education-Based Method or c. Training-Based Method: Method 1: Merit-Based Method The candidate must possess one year of specialized experience requiring knowledge of and/or skill in applying basic HR concepts, laws, principles, policies, methods, practices and/or HR systems. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-4 level of the Federal Government. Method 2: Education-Based Method Successful completion of bachelor's degree (or higher). Method 3: Training-Based Method Training 1: Successful completion of at least 12 credit hours of college-level (associate degree or higher level) course work in any of the following types of fields, majors or programs or those closely related as evidenced by the course or programs: HR (general), HR development, HR management, business, business management/administration, industrial relations, labor relations, industrial psychology, organizational psychology, organizational development, management, organizational behavior, pre-law/law, legal studies, health care management/administration, public administration, public policy, human services, leadership and humanities. Training 2: Successful completion of at least four formal training courses in HR. The focus of these HR courses will be in areas or those closely related to general HR, Federal HR, private sector/corporate HR or HR management. These courses must be offered through VA (i.e., Talent Management System courses), Federal agencies/departments (i.e., OPM Federal Human Resources Institute) or through external organizations (i.e., HR Certification Institute (HRCI®) Learning, HR University or Management Concepts). For the purpose of this standard, formal means interactive (online or in-person) training that includes communication between the participants and/or the instructor. Successful completion is evidenced by documentation of successful completion by the training organization. Training 3: Successful completion of a formal certificate program in any of the areas (or related areas) listed in Training 1 (above) or those closely related as evidenced by the course or programs. A formal certificate program for the purposes of this standard means a series or set of courses that provide a foundational or advanced knowledge. The courses must have been provided by an accredited college, university, organization or company and must have required assignments and/or other course work. Examples of providers include, but are not limited to, Purdue University, Global Cornell University (i.e., eCornell) or Wharton School. Successful completion is evidenced by documentation of completion by the training organization. Training 4: Current professional HR certification through the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), HRCI®, International Public Management Association (IPMA) (or Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA)), American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) or an organization or company that has a formal structure and is nationally recognized by the profession. GRADE LEVEL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: In addition to meeting the basic requirement of this standard, an applicant's background must demonstrate that the applicant can successfully perform the duties of the position. For the GS-14 grade level, candidates must possess either Criteria 1 - graduate degree and specialized experience or Criteria 2 - specialized experience to qualify for the specific grade level as described below: Criteria 1: Graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level; OR Criteria 2: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-13 Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (1) Applying advanced knowledge of Title 5, Title 38, and Hybrid Title 38 compensation authorities to interpret statutory and regulatory changes; evaluate impacts on pay programs such as special salary rates, Physician, Dentist, Podiatrist & Optometrist market pay, and nurse and physician assistant locality pay system; and prepare clear, accurate recommendations for senior leadership; (2) Reviewing VA, VHA, and OPM compensation policies and pay data to identify inconsistencies or compliance concerns; conducting labor market and wage analyses to assess pay deficiencies; and developing practical, evidence-based solutions to resolve complex compensation issues; and (3) Providing senior-level consultative and technical support by preparing written analyses, briefings, and policy interpretations; coordinating with HR offices, program managers, and national stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of compensation requirements. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the VA Qualifications Standards at https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/
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