Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations)

• Provides expert advice and guidance to management on complex, novel, and sensitive issues in the employee relations arena, including informal administrative actions; verbal and written counseling; leave options; and notices of performance deficiency.
• Serves as Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator, guiding policies and procedures, processing accommodation requests per regulations, and communicating decisions to employees and stakeholders.
• Conducts administrative fact findings inquiries on allegations of misconduct and harassment.
• Drafts well-researched and legally sufficient conduct and performance-based actions, and processes administrative grievances.
• Serves as the Agency's Telework Coordinator, providing guidance and training; ensuring policy compliance with statutory and regulatory changes; maintaining telework agreements and records; and compiling telework data for reporting and recordkeeping.

Conditions of employment

U.S. citizenship is required.

All qualification requirements must be met by 02/09/2026. Your application package will not be considered if it is missing any of the required documents listed under the "Required Documents" tab. Failure to submit required documentation will impact your eligibility for this position. If you have any concerns or questions regarding required documents, please contact FRTIB Operations (contact information is noted below in this announcement) prior to the closing date of this announcement.

One-year probationary period may be required.

Selective Service. If you are a male applicant born 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.

Background Suitability Investigation. Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a federal suitability or security clearance. If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.

Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must meet the Time-in-Grade Requirement, which is 52 weeks of federal service at the next lower grade, GS-13.

All employees of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) are subject to random drug testing in accordance with the agency's Drug-Free Workplace Policy. Participation in this testing program is a condition of employment and helps ensure a safe, productive, and compliant work environment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Specialized Experience as described below.

Applicants must have at least one year of full-time specialized work experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the next lower level (equivalent to the GS-13) in the federal government.

Specialized experience is defined as:

• Adjudicating complex reasonable accommodation requests, including leading the interactive process, evaluating medical documentation, and determining adequate accommodations or denials, to deliver timely decisions that balance mission needs and undue hardship standards.
• Drafting proposals and decision letters for disciplinary, adverse, and performance-based actions (e.g., removals, suspensions, demotions, WGI denials, and PIPs) to ensure due process and resolve conduct and performance deficiencies efficiently.
• Applying telework statutes, agency policy, and official worksite/locality pay rules to review and process telework requests to maintain compliance, mitigate pay/records risk, and align flexible work arrangements with operational requirements.
• Conducting supervisory consultations that include crisis intervention, structured fact-finding interviews, harassment investigations, and coaching on ER options to address and stabilize sensitive, challenging conflicts, build management capability, and implement corrective or restorative actions.

*Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Specialized experience must meet 52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade level. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.