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Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (Employee Relations / Labor Relations) (GS-14)

National Institutes of Health

Salt Lake City, UT · $126k–$187k a year · Posted October 26, 2026

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About the job

Summary

Are you a highly motivated professional who thrives in a fast-paced and dynamic environment? If so, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Human Resources (OHR), Workforce Relations Division (WRD), Employee and Labor Relations Branch (ELRB) is looking for two Human Resources professionals with expertise in programs and policies related to Employee Relations, Labor Relations, and Performance Management to serve as supervisors and lead teams of experienced HR professionals.

Duties

As the Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR) of Team C, you will serve as an organizational expert on employee and labor relations policies and programs. You will lead a team of LR/ER specialists who support several Institutes and Centers at the NIH, building relationships with executive leaders within those organizations. You will also provide advice and guidance to supervisors and managers on a variety of complex employee and labor relations issues. The position works closely with the Branch Chief to develop vision and goals for the Branch, and provide administrative and technical supervision to Human Resources Specialists performing employee and labor relations work. As the Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR) of Team D, you will serve as the program manager for NIH's centralized performance management and awards initiatives. You will provide administrative and technical supervision to Human Resources Specialists supporting the administration of the agency's performance management and award policies and programs, including overall compliance with government-wide OPM guidance. This role will also support Employee & Labor Relations Specialists in the Branch with performance based actions. Responsibilities Provide client managers and supervisors with interpretations of Federal and NIH employee relations procedures, practices, policies, and guidelines. Provide employee relations advice and guidance to management and employees and serves as a technical resource on performance and conduct-based actions and related employee relations program policies and practices. Advise management in analyzing and resolving conduct or performance inadequacies in the overall Human Resources employee relations, labor relations, performance management, and awards programs. Communicate agency-wide Labor Relation/Employee Relation policies and procedures to management and staff of local organization or organizational segments serviced. Interpret labor relations law, regulation, Executive Orders, and decisions of formal bodies, and serve as a point of contact on labor-management matters as applicable for program area oversight.

Qualifications

You qualify for the Supervisory Human Resources Specialist (ER/LR) at the GS-14 level, if you meet the following qualification requirements: you must demonstrate in your resume you have at least one (1) year of qualifying experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks; providing technical assistance to lower grade employee or labor relations specialists; reviewing employee or labor relations case work, recommendations and conclusions for validity; providing expert advice and guidance to senior management officials in resolving highly complex and difficult employee relations issues (e.g., employee conduct regulations, agency policies, past precedents, and other guidelines); keeping informed on major legislation, either new or proposed, having a direct impact on the employee and labor relations program; and negotiating, defending, and justifying resulting changes in HR regulations, including performance management and award, procedures and policies as well as implementation methodologies. You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings with the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer. Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13091491

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least 80 points on the assessment(s) and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete and submit all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents sections. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click Apply Online button. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. See the "Required Documents" section for any additional forms and/or supplemental materials required. Read all Eligibility questions and respond accordingly to any Eligibility you wish to claim. You will only be considered for those Eligibility questions (Veteran, Schedule A, etc.) you respond in the affirmative to, regardless of what documentation you submit. We cannot assume you intended to respond differently to a question based on other information in your application package. Complete the application questionnaire. Applicants are asked all questions regardless of their consideration preferences. We will only consider you for the grades, series, locations, specialties, and other considerations that you self-identify as being qualified for or interested in. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13091491 After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about 2 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Verify all required documentation is included in your application package, review your responses to the application questionnaire for accuracy, and then submit your application. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. In addition to the required documents, we encourage you to submit a cover letter, copy of your transcripts, and any applicable certifications or licenses. Even though this information is not required at the time of application, we may request this information later. We cannot assume responsibility or grant extensions for personal issues (e.g., troubles navigating the application process, loss of internet, not understanding a question) when applying to our announcements. For technical difficulties, contact HR Systems Support between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM ET Monday through Friday at hrss@nih.gov. If you need any other accommodation or assistance with applying please contact Chelsea Day at dayca@mail.nih.gov. Requests for reasonable accommodations must be made before the announcement closing date. Visit our site for information on NIH's EEO program, Reasonable accommodation procedures, laws, policy statements, and the operation of the EEO complaint process.

Other information

This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "nonemergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave. Military Spouses selected from this announcement will remain in their current duty location (i.e., the official duty station of the military service member). Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period. At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: telework compressed schedules, flexible schedules. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration. We may make additional selections for similar positions across the National Institutes of Health within the local commuting area(s) identified in this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at NIH. Clearance of CTAP will be applied for similar positions across NIH. The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus. Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation. Visit Help Applying for helpful information on the application process. If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation Information Veterans' Preference only applies to Schedule A (disability appointment), HHS Reemployment Priority List (RPL) Eligibles, HHS Priority Reemployment List (PRL) Eligibles, and Veterans Recruitment Appointments (if applicable).