Branch Chief (Supervisory Human Resources Specialist)

About the role

This position is being filled under a stream-lined hiring authority, Title 21 of the United States Code (21 US Code 379d-3a) as amended by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, section 3072 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Section 3624.

The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment and be paid under the provisions of this authority. This position is being recruited based on the Title 21 Pay Table 7, Band D (GS-14).

What you will do

• Leading the branch in identifying, distributing, and balancing workload and assignments in accordance with established workflow, skill level, and occupational specialization.
• Holding accountability for the overall performance, conduct, and output of the branch, and takes appropriate action when standards are not met.
• Articulating and communicating all assignments, projects, problems to be solved, actionable events, milestones, program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion.
• Overseeing and directing outreach activities, including content management of the website, outreach tables, training sessions, and presentations in support of program activities.
• Handling the most complex, sensitive, precedent-setting, or high-visibility employee relations matters that require specific expertise and judgment, including cases with potential Agency-wide impact or significant legal or reputational risk.
• Directing the development and maintenance of case-consistency tools, penalty guidance, templates, and case analytics to ensure equitable and legally defensible personnel actions across the Agency.

Education

THERE IS NO EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT OR SUBSTITUTION FOR THIS POSITION.

How you will be evaluated

This is a Title 21 announcement. Traditional rating and ranking of applications, and veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy. You will be evaluated against the basic qualifications and if found qualified, you will be referred to the Hiring Manager for consideration.

If you are referred to the hiring manager for consideration, you may be further evaluated based on an interview; review of requested work samples, writing samples, most recent performance evaluation(s), or professional references; or results of an oral presentation or work-related test.

Failure to comply with any of the additional assessment requirements will result in removal from further consideration.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Documents you must provide

• At a minimum, your resume should list the position title, employer name, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed.
• A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
• USAJobs - What to Include USAJobs - Page Limit Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Additional Documents (if applicable): Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

What to expect next

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. You will receive application status updates via email and via USAJOBS as the process unfolds.

Additional information

Additional Conditions of Employment: Pre-employment physical required: NO Drug testing required: NO License required: NO Mobility agreement required: NO Immunization required: NO Bargaining Unit: NO Telework eligible position: YES, at the discretion of the supervisor.

Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: Please be advised that this position may be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation and may require the incumbent of this position to divest of certain financial interests. Applicants are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting this position.

Additional Information: Additional selections may be made for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability.

If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc. If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 11/10/2026) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment.

You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment.

In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. See Political Appointee FAQ - OPM for more. Applicants selected for this position will be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring.

To demonstrate commitment to the HHS goal of a drug-free workplace and to set an example for other Federal employees, employees not in a testing designated position may volunteer for unannounced random testing by notifying their Drug-free Federal Workplace Program Point of Contact upon hiring.

Before applying, applicants are encouraged to learn more about federal human resources careers by visiting the HR Career Compass website. Active-duty U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers are encouraged to apply.

If selected, officers may either (1) remain on active duty assigned to the designated billet for PHS assignment, or (2) separate or retire from the Commissioned Corps before entering a Title 21 civilian appointment. All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (11/10/2026); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered.

You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.