Employee Relations Specialist

Summary

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM) provides the infrastructure and support that enables the U.S. Department of Labor to perform its mission. OASAM provides leadership and support for information technology, human resources management, procurement, business operations, safety and health, space management, civil rights, emergency management, security, budget, and performance.

Duties

This position is located in the Division of Employee and Labor-Management Relations (DELMR), Office of Human Resources (OHR), OASAM. DELMR develops policy and provides expert advice and guidance to DOL executives, managers, and supervisors on employee and labor relations matters. This includes advice on matters regarding disciplinary and performance-based actions; the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements; and the interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements as they apply to grievances, arbitration, and unfair labor practice matters. Major duties include but are not limited to the following: Advises managers and supervisors on addressing a wide range of performance and conduct-based matters, ensuring compliance-based outcomes on personnel issues involving time and attendance, discipline, and performance management. Prepares adverse actions and related disciplinary materials consistent with regulatory and policy requirements. Conducts fact-finding activities in response to workplace concerns, obtains and evaluates relevant materials and records, and recommends legally sound strategies and methods for resolution. Assists managers and supervisors with resolving highly technical time and attendance matters involving annual leave, sick leave, leave without pay (LWOP), and leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Conducts training on employee relations topics, including discipline and adverse action processes, and briefs agency leadership on new or evolving legal requirements for resolving conduct and performance matters. Manages special employee relations projects and initiatives designed to enhance program effectiveness and achieve organizational priorities. At the GS-11/12 developmental capacity, the major duties and responsibilities are similar to those described below at the full performance level of the GS-13 position but with greater guidance from the supervisor or other specialists.

Qualifications

For GS-11, Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-09, in the Federal Service. For GS-12, Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. To qualify for GS-11, applicants must meet all of the following examples of specialized experience: Providing management with authoritative, compliance-based advice on resolving a range of employee conduct and performance matters; Researching, interpreting, and applying regulations and policies governing leave administration, discipline, and performance management; Preparing disciplinary and adverse actions consistent with legal requirements; OR Possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR Possess a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. To qualify for GS-12, applicants must meet all of the following examples of specialized experience: Providing management with authoritative, compliance-based advice on resolving a range of employee conduct and performance matters; Researching, interpreting, and applying regulations and policies governing leave administration, discipline, and performance management; Preparing disciplinary and adverse actions consistent with legal requirements; Conducting misconduct investigations and/or related workplace inquiries for purposes of developing a factual record from which sound, legally defensible decisions can be made. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience to qualify for the GS-12 level.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.