Human Resources Specialist

Summary

For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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. Qualifications

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: Experience providing comprehensive district-wide human resources management support to complex organizations with diverse, hard-to-fill professional, technical, and administrative positions, delivering expert services in recruitment and placement, position classification, employee relations, performance management, compensation, benefits administration, training, and personnel records management; applying advanced staffing and recruitment strategies, conducted position analyses, developed merit promotion evaluation plans, and advised management on workforce planning and staffing solutions to meet mission-critical organizational requirements; conducted classification reviews and position management studies, interpreting and applying OPM classification standards and guidance to evaluate positions, supporting organizational effectiveness, and recommend workforce structure improvements; providing authoritative guidance to managers and employees on employee relations matters, performance management, conduct and performance issues, leave administration, employee benefits, compensation, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies; performing merit promotion reviews, including evaluating and ranking candidates, issuing selection certificates, preparing delegated examining case files for audit and review, and applying Delegated Examining Unit (DEU) policies and procedures in coordination with DEU Umbrella staff and United States Attorney Executive Office personnel; and planned and administered HR programs, maintained personnel records systems, ensured regulatory compliance, analyzed workforce trends, resolved complex personnel management issues, and implemented innovative solutions that enhanced organizational effectiveness, workforce utilization, and mission accomplishment. You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by 11/13/2026 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 11/13/2026 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/.

Education

Qualified based on specialized experience. Education not applicable. How You Will Be Evaluated

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. You must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments. Your USAHIRE assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments. Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the application questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible. Additionally, you must meet the area of consideration (see above). Applicants who do not meet this are ineligible for consideration. BASIS OF FINAL RATING: DOJ's Merit Promotion Procedures will be used to evaluate candidates. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics): Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13110246 Other Information

Additional selections may be made from this announcement. Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline. DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.