Federal Staffing Specialist

Emerson Zane; Germantown (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Emerson Zane is seeking a Senior Human Resources Staffing Specialist to provide comprehensive federal staffing, recruitment, and personnel management support. The role focuses on Title 5 regulations, DE, merit promotion, and other federal hiring authorities, advising stakeholders, and ensuring compliance.

The candidate will use USA Staffing and Workday to manage workflows, assess applicants, and maintain audit-ready records while collaborating with HR leadership on staffing strategies.

Qualifications

• 5–7+ years of professional federal HR experience.
• Active OPM Delegated Examining Certification preferred.
• Extensive federal staffing, recruitment, and placement experience.
• Experience advising managers on staffing matters and regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with Title 5 regulations and merit system principles.

Responsibilities

• Manage full-cycle federal staffing and recruitment actions.
• Apply delegated examining, merit promotion, direct hire authorities.
• Advise hiring managers on regulatory compliance and strategies.
• Develop job announcements, assessments, and eligible certificates.
• Use USA Staffing to manage workflows and documentation.
• Ensure audit readiness and timeliness of staffing actions.

Skills

Federal HR experience

OPM DE Certification

USA Staffing

Workday

Title 5 regulations

Regulatory compliance

Staffing strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

USA Staffing

Workday

Job description

Senior Human Resources Staffing Specialist

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Human Resources Staffing Specialist to provide comprehensive federal staffing, recruitment, and personnel management support. This individual will serve as a subject matter expert in federal hiring practices, ensuring staffing actions are executed efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with applicable federal regulations and merit system principles.

The ideal candidate brings extensive experience with Title 5 regulations, delegated examining, merit promotion, and federal hiring authorities, along with the ability to independently manage complex staffing actions and advise key stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage full-cycle federal staffing and recruitment actions, including vacancy announcements, qualification reviews, applicant assessments, referral certificates, and selection processes.
• Execute staffing actions under delegated examining (DE), merit promotion, direct hire, and other applicable federal hiring authorities.
• Interpret and apply federal personnel laws, regulations, and policies, including Title 5, OPM qualification standards, veterans' preference, and merit system principles.
• Develop and review job announcements, assessment questionnaires, applicant eligibility determinations, and certificates of eligible candidates.
• Serve as a technical advisor to hiring managers and HR leadership on federal staffing policies, recruitment strategies, and regulatory compliance.
• Utilize USA Staffing to manage recruitment workflows, applicant evaluations, and hiring documentation.
• Conduct quality reviews of staffing actions to ensure regulatory compliance, accuracy, and audit readiness.
• Research and resolve complex staffing issues, recommend process improvements, and support workforce planning initiatives.
• Maintain accurate staffing records, monitor recruitment timelines, and ensure adherence to established federal hiring procedures.

Required Qualifications

• 5-7+ years of professional experience in federal human resources
• Active OPM Delegated Examining (DE) Certification highly preferred.
• Extensive experience in federal HR staffing, recruitment, and placement, preferably within a federal agency or federal contracting environment.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing full-cycle federal staffing actions.
• Hands-on experience with USA Staffing, Workday, and similar Federal HR & Benefits Suites including vacancy announcements, applicant qualification reviews, assessments, and referral certificates.
• Strong understanding of qualification standards, veterans' preference, and federal applicant eligibility requirements.
• Advanced knowledge of staffing regulations, delegated examining procedures, merit promotion, and federal hiring authorities.
• Experience advising hiring managers and stakeholders on complex staffing matters and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting complex federal HR operations or government-wide human capital initiatives.
• Familiarity with federal position classification, occupational series, and General Schedule grade structures.
• Experience conducting staffing compliance reviews, audits, or quality assurance assessments.
• Knowledge of competitive service, excepted service, and specialized federal hiring authorities.
• Experience developing staffing procedures, training materials, or process improvements.