Overview
Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) Jobs in Washington DC-Baltimore Area at U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Title: Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)
Company: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Location: Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Summary
Join the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared Service Center! We're looking for talented professionals to help deliver solutions that support federal agencies nationwide. As an HR Specialist (Employee Benefits) at the GS-0201-11/12 you will be part of Employee Services and Records Management (ESRM), responsible for evaluating trends, reporting on the analysis of agency-wide benefit programs to enhance their efficiency, and providing technical expertise to lower-graded HR Specialists.
Duties
Oversees agency benefit programs under various titles include retirement, health and life insurance, flexible benefits, and retirement savings, for one or more customer agencies. Manages the serviced agency's retirement application process from submission through transmittal of complete packages to OPM Retirement Services for final adjudication. Leads benefit program learning initiatives, including employee training sessions, coaching, and mentoring lower-graded HR Specialists. Oversees the implementation of business processes, improvements, and strategies designed to enhance customer service, evaluate trends and report on potential problems. Responsible for making benefit administration decisions by analyzing documentation and evidence to determine eligibility. Counsel individual employees on, and manages, benefit elections/changes related to health and life insurance, flexible spending or health savings accounts, and retirement savings accounts due to qualifying life events or changes in eligibility. Serves as a senior claim's administrator on behalf of the customer agency, providing comprehensive support to injured employees and their managers throughout the life cycle of the claims process.
Requiremennts
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation May be required to successfully complete a probationary period Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required You will be required to report to an OPM assigned office. This position is not eligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications for the GS-11 Grade Level: You qualify for the GS-11 grade level if you possess one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service, obtained in either the public or private sectors, performing ALL the following duties: 1. Assisting with routine retirement, health, life insurance, savings plan, FSA/HSA, leave, and work-life benefits actions using established guidance; AND 2. Supporting retirement or pension application processing by gathering service history, compiling missing records, checking package completeness, and preparing basic estimate information; AND 3. Participating in employee benefits counseling by explaining eligibility, benefit elections, qualifying life events, unpaid leave, military service, leave options, or required documentation; AND 4. Supporting workers' compensation administration by helping complete claim forms, gathering claim documents, monitoring case information, tracking salary continuation periods, and coordinating with payroll or timekeepers. OR Have completed the requirements for a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or completed at least 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or LL.M, if related, (for example, human resources, business, public administration, management or other directly related field of study) that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to do the work of this position. OR Have a combination of education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate your percentage of education, divide the number of graduate semester hours earned, in excess of 36 semester hours, by 18. If your education is in quarter hours, convert to semester hours by multiplying the number of quarter hours earned by 2/3rds. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide the number of months of full-time experience by 12. If your experience was part-time, convert to full-time by dividing the number of hours worked per week by 40 then multiply by number of months worked. Add the percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) to support your claim.) Minimum Qualifications for the GS-12 Grade Level: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level or pay band in the Federal service, obtained in either the public or private sectors, performing ALL the following duties: 1. Reviewing retirement, health, life insurance, savings plan, FSA/HSA, leave, and work-life benefits cases to determine employee eligibility and required actions; AND 2. Analyzing retirement or pension applications by verifying service history, identifying missing or conflicting records, preparing benefit estimates, and recommending corrections; AND 3. Evaluating moderately complex benefits and workers' compensation issues involving voluntary separation, unpaid leave, salary continuation, leave adjustments, cost reports, or return-to-work actions; AND 4. Recommending process improvements by identifying recurring benefits errors, updating procedures, supporting audits, briefing customers, and assisting junior HR staff. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. All Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants may verify accreditation at the following website: Accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by OPM accordingly. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.
At OPM, we are champions of talent for the Federal Government. We lead Federal agencies in workforce policies, programs, and benefits in service to the American people. We will create a new vision of work, together, positioning the Federal Government as a model employer for past and present employees through innovation and leadership. We will build a rewarding culture that empowers the workforce to solve some of our nation's toughest challenges. Federal Talent Management Center The Federal Talent Management Center (FTMC) operationalizes staffing and talent management policy and best practices to drive accountability and results in alignment with merit principles and Administration requirements. FTMC products and services span the full talent management lifecycle-from recruitment and development to evaluation-informed and supported by strategic planning, organizational design, workforce management, classification, performance management, training, assessments, and employee services/records management. FTMC includes the following programs: Assessment and Evaluation; Strategic Consulting; Classification, Strategy, and Operations; Staff Acquisition; Training and Development; and Employee Services and Records Management.
