JobSummary

This position is in the Retirement & Benefits Branch responsible for providing a full range of retirement & benefits support to full time & intermittent employees. The ideal candidate provides expert advice and counseling in all aspects of benefits, directly to managers, supervisors and employees and is responsible for reviewing and making decisions on highly complex retirement, death, disability, creditable service and benefits cases.

LowGrade

13

HighGrade

13

PromotionPotential

None

SubAgencyName

Mission Support, Office of Chief HC Officer, Office of HR Operation, Retirement & Benefits Branch

OrganizationCodes

HS/HSCB

Relocation

False

HiringPath

• fed-internal-search

TotalOpenings

1

AgencyMarketingStatement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS. FEMA is calling all problem-solvers, relationship builders, and humanitarians! FEMA is a mission-driven, people-focused Agency. Our mission is to help people before, during, and after disasters. We coordinate with other federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters. At FEMA we strive to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. We are looking for citizens capable of bringing diverse perspective of thought, experience, or culture to help us achieve our mission. Everyday FEMA employees are inspired by that mission and are working tirelessly to make a difference. Come join us in a rewarding career where you can help make our nation safer, stronger, and more prepared! Visit www.careers.fema.gov for more information.

TravelCode

1

ApplyOnlineUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/Apply

DetailStatusUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/ApplicationStatus

MajorDuties

• What will I do in this position if hired? In this Human Resources Specialist (Retirement & Benefits) position, you will serve as an agency expert with responsibility for planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring program areas related to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS); Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS); Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI). Typical assignments include: Counseling employees, their survivors, and management officials to provide them with accurate and timely information concerning retirement eligibility and benefits. Preparing estimates of benefits available under the various retirement systems and combinations (offsets). Acting as liaison to health benefits carriers in resolving issues, problems, disputes and discrepancies in coverage. Providing expert technical advice and assistance to agency employees on a wide variety of benefits questions including communicating billing information when employees are in non-pay status/ LWOP. Reviewing complex cases, making decisions and counseling employees on the outcome. Responding to inquiries in a timely manner. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. This announcement is for a position as a CORE (Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee). CORE employees are full-time employees hired to directly support the response and recovery efforts related to disasters. Employees are hired under the Robert T. Stafford Act and are excluded from the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing jobs in the competitive service. They can be hired under a streamlined process instead of a competitive process. After three years of continuous service, Stafford Act employees may be granted competitive eligibility to apply for permanent full-time positions at FEMA. This position will be hired into a temporary 2-year, excepted service appointment. Appointments may be renewed based on workload, funding, and supervisory approval. FEMA is committed to ensuring that its workforce reflects the diversity of the nation. At FEMA, our workforce includes the many identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, ages, cultures, and beliefs of the people we serve. To learn about FEMA's ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts, reasonable accommodation process, and the FEMA Core Values, please visit www.fema.gov.

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the "requirements" section of this announcement.

Requirements

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo, successfully pass, and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust/ Moderate Risk as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues, such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs, please visit OPM Investigations. Conditions of Employment: You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. Selective Service registration required. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card. You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time. Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.

Evaluations

We will review your resume, supporting documentation, and your responses to the occupational questionnaire to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements listed in the announcement. If you are qualified, you may be referred to a hiring manager for consideration. Interview Requirement. Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration. We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. To preview, please review: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12536223.

HowToApply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above by 11:59pm (EST) on 10/01/2024. Please note that this announcement may close sooner than the published close date if the application limit is reached. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting. Follow the directions to register or login if you have an existing account. Submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. Upon completion of your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. If you have questions about this announcement or the application process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in the Agency Contact Information prior to the close of the announcement. An employee, job applicant, or an individual acting on behalf of the employee, may request a Reasonable Accommodation by emailing fema-ocr-ra@fema.dhs.gov with "time sensitive" in the subject line. To review the common definitions of terms found in this announcement, please visit the DHS Common Definitions page. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Review your job status on your Application Dashboard. Your application dashboard is where you can view your application status and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application

WhatToExpectNext

If you are found qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The hiring manager will review the list of qualified candidates and may conduct interviews of some candidates. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from consideration. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer. If you fail to respond, fail to meet the conditions of employment, or fail any other pre-employment requirements (such as the background investigation), we may rescind a tentative job offer. For information on the Federal employment application process, please visit the USA Jobs Help Center. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. The 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

RequiredDocuments

Do not include photos, personally identifying information (PII) (including birthday and social security numbers), or personal information such as age, gender, medical history, etc. Resumes that include any of this information will be ineligible for further review. Your resume. Please limit your resume to five pages. If more than five pages are submitted, only the first five pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. For resume writing guidance, please review the requirements section of this announcement or visit the USAJobs Resource Center. Your responses to the job questionnaire. You will be directed to the online job questionnaire once you begin the application process for this position. Are you a current or former federal employee? This position does not have any competitive eligibility requirements. However, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF)-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which demonstrates your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions. Award SF-50's will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, Human Resources will not be able to view it in your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-careers/benefits

OtherInformation

STAFFORD ACT EXCEPTED SERVICE APPOINTMENTS: Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee (CORE) is an appointment type granted under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Section 306 (b), which authorizes FEMA to appoint such temporary employees as necessary to accomplish work authorized under the Act. Appointments under this authority within FEMA are made to the excepted service and are nonpermanent in nature. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code * 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R * 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to FEMA-Misconduct@fema.dhs.gov. DHS uses E-verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. A one-year probationary period is required for new Federal competitive service employees and new supervisors and managers. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages. Please note: first time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. Deployment travel may be required, based upon agency needs. Deployment expectations can vary and will be discussed with candidates during the selection process.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

0

ServiceType

02

AnnouncementClosingType

03

AnnouncementClosingTypeOption

100

AgencyContactEmail

lizette.gauthier@fema.dhs.gov

AgencyContactPhone

202-000-0000

SecurityClearance

Not Required

DrugTestRequired

False

PositionSensitivitiy

Moderate Risk (MR)

AdjudicationType

• Suitability/Fitness

PDN-9d0832df-d9f4-4791-ad20-4406eb1a9cb6