Program Specialist

About the role

The incumbent serves as a Program Specialist providing analytical and specialized support to Office of Human Resources by evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, productivity of human resources programs and administrative operations.

What you will do

• Coordinates and manages a wide range of administrative operations and support programs for OHR, requiring the application of administrative skills to identify and resolve problems involving interrelated administrative activities, competing priorities, and agency requirements; Conducts studies and evaluations of complex HR administrative workflows involving multiple processes and organizational requirements and independently identifies systemic bottlenecks, operational redundancies, and procedural deficiencies; Gathers, analyzes, and interprets HR operational metrics to evaluate program effectiveness and operational performance and applies analytical methods to identify significant trends, determine the causes of problems, develop conclusions, and formulate data-driven justifications and recommendations for senior management; Reviews and interprets agency guidance and regulations to determine their applicability to OHR administrative processes and recommends appropriate actions to management to maintain compliance; AND Provides advice and guidance to OHR supervisors and staff regarding administrative processes, procurement guidelines, and systemic change management protocols and serves as a technical advisor on complex administrative matters.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience for this position.

How you will be evaluated

Once the application process is complete, your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies: Planning and Evaluating Problem Solving Reasoning Decision Making Customer Service Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: *** Optional Four Essay Questions At the time of application, applicants will be provided with four short, free-response essay questions designed to ascertain their dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee) to review.

Responses are not required and will not be scored. If applicants choose to provide a response to the essay questions, they will be required to certify that they are using their own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses to each question cannot exceed 200 words per question.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. For evaluating the quality of applicants for referral to the selecting official, a multi-phased process will be used. Phase 1: Applicants' resume and supporting documents will be reviewed by Human Resources (HR) to determine whether they meet the basic qualification requirements.

Phase 2: Applicants who are minimally qualified may be advanced to a Structured Resume Review assessment conducted by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. SMEs may review applicants' resumes to evaluate technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience.

Phase 3: Applicants who successfully pass the Structured Resume Review assessment may be advanced to a Structured Interview conducted by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. SMEs may assess applicants' ability to demonstrate the required competencies for the position.

Phase 4: A final score, which may combine the results from one or more assessments, may be used to identify the top-rated applicants. Applicants meeting the established cut-off score may be referred to the selecting official for consideration and may be required to participate in one or more additional interviews as part of the hiring process.

Documents you must provide

• Please submit the supporting documents outlined below for your claimed eligibility status.
• RESUME In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length.
• The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement.
• If the two-page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met, candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.
• Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below: Contact Information: Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.
• Relevant Work Experience Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions) Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 -08/2022 or present) The number of hours you worked per week Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications.
• Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.
• OTHER DOCUMENTS (if applicable).
• For more information, please click on the applicable link.
• Most Recent Performance Appraisal.
• (Current/Former Federal Employees).
• If performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months or if you are unable to provide a performance appraisal, an explanation why must be provided.
• Please include a document in your application package explaining why the performance appraisal is not available.
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50).
• (Current/Former Federal Employees).
• Most recent SF-50 showing current grade, tenure, and highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different from your current grade.
• Performance Award, Realignment/Reassignment, Name Change and Detail SF-50s will not be accepted as proof of grade and tenure.
• If applying for a higher grade, provide a SF-50 or SF-50s which show the length of time in current/highest grade (i.e. Promotions, With-in Grade Increases, and SF-50s with dates that show proof of you holding the grade for at least a year) to support meeting time-in-grade requirements.
• As a current or previous Career or Career Conditional employee in the Competitive Service, you may determine your current status by checking block 24 on your SF-50.
• The block must reflect "1" or "2".
• Also, block 34 must reflect "1".
• A copy of your SF-50 must be provided for verification.
• Schedule A - Disability Letter Veterans - DD-214 (Member Copy 4) Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty Disabled Veterans - DD-214, SF-15, and proof of disability, Department of Veterans Affairs letter dated 1991 or later.
• Certain Military Spouses - Copy of service member's PCS order authorizing the spouse to accompany the service member AND Proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof the service member was released or discharged from active duty due to a service-connected disability AND documentation of the service member's 100% disability AND proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof of the service member's death while on active duty AND proof of marriage to the service member.
• Family Member Preference (Derived Preference) Reinstatement Former Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteers Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting the minimum requirements for the position and scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents: your most recent performance appraisal; AND the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency; AND your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
• Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
• Please review your application prior to final submission to ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.
• Uploading documents to USAJOBS does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.
• You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
• All materials must be received by 09/21/2026 to be considered for this announcement.

What to expect next

Once your application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application, and a final notice once a selection has been made.

Additional information

SUPPLEMENTARY VACANCIES Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY / REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION The National Labor Relations Board is an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for appointment without regard to race; color; religion; sex; national origin; age; disability; genetic information; pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.

Applicants with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Agency's Selective Placement Coordinator by email here. NLRB offers a wide array of reasonable accommodations and programs for individuals with disabilities.

(Note: for additional information for job seekers with disabilities, please click on the following website here.) PLACEMENT POLICY The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by appointment, reassignment, change to lower grade, or promotion.

Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. PROBATIONARY/TRIAL PERIOD As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period, or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: Your performance and conduct; and The needs and interests of the agency; and Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. ALTERNATE APPLICATION INFORMATION Applicants may contact the Office of Human Resources.

The National Labor Relations Board offers career opportunities that feature competitive starting salaries and the potential for performance-based increases, flexible hours, and the ability to achieve and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

You will enjoy a range of comprehensive and competitive employment benefits that include Work/Life Balance Programs (Alternative Work Schedules, Employee Assistance Program, and the Childcare Subsidy Program), the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, Thrift Savings Plan, and the Transit Benefit Program.