HR Specialist (Recruitment and Staffing)

Office of the Secretary of Transportation; Washington (District of Columbia); Remote; USD 102,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

Office of the Secretary of Transportation in Washington, DC, seeks an HR Specialist (Recruitment and Staffing) to provide staffing and placement services, manage internal solicitations, and coordinate pay and entry on-duty dates. The role emphasizes end-to-end recruitment, advisory support on HR policy, and collaboration with managers and stakeholders.

The incumbent will apply federal HR policies, manage diverse compensation actions, and ensure accurate, timely service while handling multiple

Qualifications

• Experience in recruitment and staffing processes.

Responsibilities

• Provides staffing and placement services to managers for standard recruitment strategies and applicable flexibilities.
• Manages internal talent acquisition including postings for internal solicitations and details on the DOT internal website.
• Coordinates rating panels and provides instructions to managers on candidate evaluation criteria.
• Manages the lifecycle of the selection process including pay calculations, job offers, and entry on-duty dates.
• Assists in implementing pay schedule adjustments and locality pay updates and determines eligibility for special salary rates and allowances.
• Reviews and codes personnel actions (promotions, reassignments, pay adjustments) to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Performs end-to-end recruitment activities including job analyses, assessments, eligibility reviews, issuing certificates, setting pay, offers, and processing personnel actions.
• Provides HR advisory and compliance support across multiple areas, including classification, restructuring, and consolidation, while handling high-priority tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Job description

HR Specialist (Recruitment and Staffing)

• Hiring Agency: Office of the Secretary of Transportation
• Department: Department of Transportation
• Location: Washington, District of Columbia

This position is located in the Human Resources Operations (HRO) Talent Acquisition Team, Office of the Secretary (OST). This position is established to provide comprehensive human resource management services to assigned organizations in the areas of recruitment and staffing, pay, leave and position management.

Key Responsibilities

As a HR Specialist (Recruitment and Staffing), you will: Provides staffing and placement services to managers regarding standard recruitment strategies and the application of common program flexibilities. The incumbent identifies appropriate hiring flexibilities to support workforce planning, including Schedule A, Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA), and Military Spouse Authority.

Manages internal talent acquisition by posting announcements for internal solicitations and details on the DOT internal website. Assists managers in conducting job analyses by identifying required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) utilizing established question libraries. Coordinates rating panels and provides instructions to managers on candidate evaluation criteria.

Manages the lifecycle of the selection process, including calculating initial pay, extending job offers, and coordinating entry on-duty dates. Assists in the implementation of pay schedule adjustments and administrative rulings regarding federal compensation. Coordinates General Schedule and locality pay updates. Determines eligibility for special salary rates and common allowances. Manages routine pay issues including work schedules and premium pay.

Administers programs for grade and pay retention and severance pay under closer review. Provides advice on the use of standard recruitment and relocation incentives (3Rs), ensuring justifications meet regulatory requirements. Reviews and codes a variety of personnel actions—including promotions, reassignments, and pay adjustments—to ensure technical and legal accuracy. Maintains knowledge of Nature of Action (NOA) coding procedures and legal authorities.

Researches personnel and pay laws to provide basic advice to managers and ensures compliance with standard organizational policies. Independently performing the full range of recruitment and placement functions to include developing job analyses, advising on assessments, drafting job opportunity announcements, reviewing applications for eligibility and qualifications, issuing certificates, setting pay, extending job offers, and processing personnel actions.

The ideal candidate for the Human Resources Specialist position will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and committed to delivering accurate, timely, and high-quality customer service.

This candidate will have proven experience providing HR advisory and compliance support across multiple functional areas, including classification, restructuring, and consolidation, while specifically demonstrating the ability to execute End-to-End Recruitment, apply Federal HR Policy, leverage excellent written and verbal communication skills to advise leadership, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, and present complex information clearly and professionally, and independently manage and execute multiple high-priority tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Department of Transportation.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $102415 – $158322/yr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-10-19.

What is the work schedule?

This is a Full Time position.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Competitive' hiring path.