About this role

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements prior to the closing date of this announcement, 08/31/2026. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience demonstrated in your resume, including volunteer work. Qualification claims are subject to verification. This vacancy is being announced at the FP-03. Specialized Experience at the FP-03 (GS-13) Level: To qualify for this position at the FP-03 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-04 or GS-12.

This experience must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the role. Specialized experience includes: Experience in providing comprehensive guidance to employees on federal benefits programs including FEHB, FEGLI, FSAFEDS, TSP, and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Experience in delivering one-on-one retirement counseling sessions for employees preparing for early, postponed, disability, or voluntary retirements Experience in preparing complete retirement application packages for submission to OPM, ensuring accuracy and compliance with federal regulations Experience in utilizing federal HR systems such as GovTA, NFC, and EmpowHR to process FEHB, FEGLI, and TSP transactions Experience in conducting routine audits to identify and correct enrollment errors, mismatched effective dates, and payroll deduction issues.

~AND~ Time-in-Grade Requirements: Current or former Federal employees, including Peace Corps employees, must meet applicable Time-in-Grade requirements to be eligible for this position. For positions above the FP-09 (GS-05) level, you must have completed at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the position to which you are applying. All current or former Federal employees, including internal employees, must provide a copy of their SF-50(s), "Notification of Personnel Action," to demonstrate that you meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

For more information, refer to the "Required Documents" section below. What We're Looking for in Top Candidates We are looking for an HR Specialist (Payroll & Benefits) who is detail-oriented, dependable, and highly knowledgeable in payroll processes and benefits administration. The ideal candidate will bring several of the following; however, we don't expect any one person to bring them all, we expect the ability to learn quickly: Strong communication skills Experience with Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Problem Solving Experience with retirement calculators and OPM tools Follow-up and interpersonal skill Experience with Microsoft Office skills Ability to explain complex retirement concepts clearly.

Please note: Experience that satisfies the Specialized Experience requirements must be clearly documented in your resume. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Please review the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for further information on resume requirements. Specialized experience may be gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service (e.g., National Service programs such as Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, or other organizations such as professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, or social groups).

One year of experience refers to full-time work. Part-time work will be credited on a prorated basis. For more details on qualification requirements, refer to the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions, available on the OPM web site.

Source listing: usajobs