Supervisory HR Specialist (Recruitment & Placement)
What you'd do
This position serves as a Supervisory Human Resources (HR) Specialist (Recruitment and Placement) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Human Capital Management (HCM), Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC) Office, Human Resources Center of Expertise (HRCoE), Staffing/Policy & Policy Division, Staffing/Policy Section. The incumbent reports directly to the Director, CoE Staffing/Policy & CARDS.
Major duties
The Supervisory HR Specialist (Recruitment & Placement) functions to perform legislative development, policy development, consultative advisory services and training, oversight and compliance, in the recruitment and placement disciplines. The incumbent is responsible for guiding subordinates in identifying, advocating, and implementing VHA-wide objectives and decisions by formulating and implementing short and long-range plans and goals for the Under Secretary for Health. The incumbent anticipates VHA policy needs, analyzes the problem, advocates changes to current policy, or directs the writing of new policy and/or legislation to meet those needs. Major Duties include, but are not limited to: Advises, consults and regularly briefs senior VA, VHA, and field officials on new and/or proposed developments or initiatives in the HR arena that have the potential to significantly impact VA operations; advocates and influences acceptance and administration of sound HRM concepts, practices, and day-to-day operations. Acts as an authority and key advisor within VHA on HR practices as they are applied to a health care setting with regard to staffing policy; this includes, but is not limited to, such diverse areas as title 38 legislation and policy, Staffing; serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) with delegated authority and responsibility to assist the Director with the management and direction of the HRCoE staffing programs and policies. Develops performance standards and evaluate subordinate employees' performance; approve, reject, or recommend employee selections; promotions; status changes; awards; disciplinary actions and separations. 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. Provides a full range of supervisory responsibilities by planning, directing, and executing program goals and objectives for the Staffing Policy team staff. Utilizes project management strategies to lead diverse work groups to design and implement projects having significant impact on the VHA workforce and healthcare delivery. Responds constructively to concerns reported by employees. Takes responsible action to resolve reported concerns, including conducting administrative investigations, when appropriate; or referring allegations to appropriate offices. Ensures subordinate's commitment to efficient work execution. Models self-accountability and holds subordinates accountable for high-quality results. Recognizes, supports, and rewards excellent work from employees supervised. Timely and efficiently addresses poor and mediocre performance of employees supervised - including seeking appropriate action up to removal from the Federal service. Produces specific performance results focused on enhancing patient-driven outcomes for Veterans, from the VA and/or VHA strategic plan or other measurable outputs and outcomes clearly aligned to organizational goals and objectives. Designs and implements strategies that optimize employee performance, connects the organization horizontally and vertically, and fosters core values and high ethical standards in meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Promotes a learning organization and employee engagement by modeling and supporting servant leadership at all levels. 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#: Supervisory HR Specialist (Recruitment & Placement)/PD99241-0 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, 07/20/2026. 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 staffing laws and policies to analyze legislative or regulatory changes; review staffing guidance for accuracy; identify impacts on workforce operations; and prepare clear, detailed recommendations for leaders based on established requirements; (2) Reviewing VA, VHA, and OPM staffing policies and program data to identify gaps, inconsistencies, or compliance concerns; evaluating staffing processes to determine effectiveness; and developing practical, evidence-based solutions to resolve complex or unclear staffing issues; and (3) Providing senior-level consultative and technical support by preparing written analyses, briefings, and recommendations; coordinating with HR offices, program managers, and stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of staffing policy; monitoring commitments and deadlines; and ensuring all work products meet quality standards and support organizational goals. 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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