Human Resources Specialist
What you'd do
For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx. Open to the first 75 applicants or until 08/17/2026 whichever comes first. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Major duties
If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing human resources management services to employees and managers within the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) in two or more functional areas of personnel, e.g., recruitment and placement, position classification, employee relations and performance management, employee benefits, employee compensation, and/or human resource development. Typical work assignments will include: Manages complex district-level human resources assignments involving diverse, hard-to-fill professional, technical, and administrative positions while developing and implementing flexible, innovative recruitment and placement strategies to meet the staffing needs of district organizations. Evaluates candidates using established assessment plans to ensure fair, merit-based selection decisions, while analyzing organizational factors that influence staffing needs. Conducts comprehensive position analysis to determine qualification requirements, assessment methods, and areas of consideration for vacancies, and apply qualification standards while recommending effective techniques to efficiently fill positions. Prepares merit promotion evaluation plans and work with supervisors to ensure assessment criteria are applied correctly, while providing expert advisory services on complex staffing issues that require extensive creative problem-solving. Identifies and recommends improvements to staffing processes to enhance efficiency, responsiveness, and alignment with personnel management principles to address staffing and organizational challenges. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
What you need to qualify
GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing comprehensive management advisory services in two or more functional HR areas, including recruitment and placement, position classification, employee benefits, human resource development, employee relations, and performance management; consulting with selecting officials to develop effective recruitment strategies that yield a sufficient pool of well-qualified applicants; providing continuing service to one or more USAO organizational segments or groups of United States Attorney's Office (USAO) positions with standardized or clearly defined ratings and ranking elements; preparing job analyses, crediting plans, vacancy announcements, selection certificates and other required documentation; conducting merit promotion reviews, which include evaluating and ranking candidates to issue selection certificates; operating in coordination with the Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) Umbrella staff or United States Attorney Executive staff by demonstrating familiarity with rating and ranking applicants; preparing delegated examining (DE) case files for review and audit, and applying DEU policies. DEU certification is not required, however, highly preferred. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., HR Management): You must have completed all coursework culminating in a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the doctoral level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 2 full years is creditable). GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must meet specialized experience as defined below: Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience researching, interpreting, and applying appropriate Federal laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines in at least one of the HR functional areas: 1) Recruitment & Staffing 2) Classification & Position Management, 3) Employee Benefits, 4) Performance Management, and/or 5) HR Development & Training. You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by the 08/14/2026 of this announcement. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 08/14/2026 to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement. Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments
Before you apply
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