Employee Relations Specialist

Summary

As a Employee Relations Specialist, you will be responsible for providing advice and guidance to management and employees regarding the full range of employee relations issues. Location of position: GSA, OHRM, Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, Fort Worth, TX, Lakewood, CO, Tacoma, WA, Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA, New York, NY, Boston, MA, San Francisco, CA, Philadelphia, PA, or Chicago, IL. We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

Duties

As a Human Resources Specialist, you will perform the following duties: Provide advice and guidance regarding the full range of employee and labor relations issues pertaining to performance and conduct including: discipline, adverse actions, leave administration, performance management, awards management/recognition, medical and reasonable accommodation issues. Perform analytical research, fact-finding, interviewing, recommending solutions and innovative changes in procedures, and resolve complex, controversial and sensitive employee relations issues with a high degree of independence. Review and recommend appropriate action on complex and controversial employee relations issues. Research past agency practices for similar actions and uses this knowledge to frame disciplinary charges that will withstand third-party scrutiny. Determine methods for fact-finding; interpret a variety of guidelines; resolve conflicts in the facts or the guidelines as necessary; and, determine the best method to present findings and recommendations to management. Advise managers and supervisors on the appropriateness of a disciplinary based action given the severity of the action, the type of offense in question, past practices of the organization, the potential implications/ramifications of the proposed action, unforeseen issues (i.e., medical issues), mitigating factors pertinent to the pending disciplinary case and alternative options (such as proposing alternative dispute resolution). Present findings and recommendations to management when providing advice and assistance. Provide advice and guidance to managers/supervisors related to all phases of the performance management process. Provide technical advice to supervisors regarding the intent and procedures of the awards and recognition program. May participate as an agency representative during alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings. Recommend, prepare and conduct supervisory training and training materials to address employee relations issues (i.e., documenting conduct issues, framing charges, deciphering between formal/informal conduct related matters, leave abuse, and similar matters). Address complex issues and questions pertaining to hours of work, and the leave administration program, including flexible and compressed work schedules, telework, hours of work/provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, leave without pay (LWOP), military leave, annual leave, sick leave, court leave, administrative leave, the leave transfer program, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)/Family Friendly Leave Act (FFL), etc. Advise managers/supervisors on procedures for requesting medical documentation to determine appropriate work arrangements or reasonable accommodations. May be required to engage in or assist the Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator in the interactive reasonable accommodation process. Advise managers/supervisors on appropriate steps when an employee's performance diminishes or falls below the fully successful level. Work with the manager/supervisor to effectively place the employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Review the employee's performance plan, assisting the manager/supervisor in developing the components of a PIP to ensure the manager/supervisor is performing his/her part during the process with the employee, and advise the manager/supervisor as to the appropriate options if the employee fails to improve performance under the PIP. Requirements

If selected, you must meet the following conditions: Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Serve a one year probationary period, if required. Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 2 investigation level). Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security's e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment. Qualifications

To evaluate your qualifications, your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience described below. Your resume must not exceed two pages. To ensure your qualifications can be fully evaluated, we recommend including the following information: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement. Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts. Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet experience requirements for each grade level you are applying to. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible. If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume. The GS-12 salary range starts at $90,968 per year. If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected. To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience serving as an independent Employee Relations (ER) Specialist, providing authoritative advice, technical services, and regulatory guidance to senior managers and employees on highly sensitive ER matters. Experience includes: ● Interpreting and applying statutes, regulations and an organization's policies to manage discipline, adverse and performance based actions; ● Managing medical and reasonable accommodation issues to ensure compliance; and ● Conducting workplace investigations to recommend legally defensible, policy-compliant resolutions

How You Will Be Evaluated

A panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the application of qualified candidates and assign a score for each of the five required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) based on the experience documented in the resume and narrative responses. Skill in performing legal and regulatory research, synthesizing complex statutes and case law to deliver authoritative, strategic counsel to managers/supervisors on critical employee relations matters to successfully navigate and defend disciplinary or performance-based actions in any third-party review. Skill in conducting fact-finding inquiries, interpreting regulatory guidelines, and resolving conflicting information to provide counsel to managers and supervisors on appropriate disciplinary and performance-based actions, considering organizational precedents and potential outcomes. Skill in oral communication required to articulate technically complex positions and policies, negotiate sensitive recommendations with managers and supervisors in highly emotionally charged situations, and ensure compliance with organizational policies. Ability to provide high-level technical guidance, along with actionable solutions, to managers and supervisors on intricate employee relations issues such as medical concerns, leave management, telework, work schedules, and reasonable accommodations by applying relevant regulations, principles, and laws. Ability to apply performance management principles and practices to effectively coach managers and supervisors in enhancing employee performance and productivity and the strategic implementation of follow-up actions to resolve personnel performance issues. Demonstration of these KSAs must be supported by your application. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process. Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. If you are eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or GSA's Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), your resume must clearly demonstrate experience in at least 3 of the 5 required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to receive priority consideration. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Benefits

You will have access to many benefits including: Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans) Life insurance coverage with several options Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan) Transit and child care subsidies Flexible spending accounts Long-term care insurance Training and development Other Information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches. If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage. If you are selected at a grade lower than the full performance level, you may be promoted up to that grade level without having to re-apply or compete against other applicants. Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility. On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved: · Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.