Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Full Job Description

Protect your homeland and defend your culture. Join USCIS, America's frontline defense against illegal foreign infiltration and fraud.

As a Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits), you will evaluate employee benefit plans, manage varying eligibility requirements, conduct retirement counseling, process retirement applications, lead presentations, and inform employees regarding available benefits.

The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 03/09/2026.

Time in Grade does not apply to Delegated Examining Announcements, any reference to Time in Grade in the questionnaire will not apply to the rating and ranking of applicants.

GS-07: You qualify at the GS-07 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have experience performing the following duties: Reviewing transfer employees files to ensure they are coded into the correct retirement system; Counseling management, employees, and beneficiaries on program coverage, options, variances in coverage, and advantages and disadvantages of available benefits; Reviewing official personnel records to resolve any discrepancies in service computation dates for retirement.

OR You may substitute successful completion of one year of fulltime graduate education for the experience required at the GS-07 level.

This education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the skills necessary to do the work of the position.

Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise a year of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 18 semester or 27 quarter hours.

OR You may also substitute superior academic achievement for the experience required at the GS-07 level.

You must have completed the requirements for a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with either: (1) class standing in the upper third of a graduating class or major subdivision; or, (2) a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on four (4) years of education or the final two (2) years; or, (3) a grade point average of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two (2) years of the curriculum; or, (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society.

GS-09: You qualify at the GS-09 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have experience performing the following duties: Counseling management, employees, and beneficiaries on program coverage options, variances in coverage, and advantages and disadvantages of available benefits; Completing annuity estimates and reviewing service history completions for deposits, redeposits, and military service deposits; Researching policy, regulations, and laws relating to employee benefits programs.

OR You may substitute a Master's degree or two (2) full years of graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or a J.D. or L.L.B.

degree for experience required at the GS-09 grade level.

Such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise two years of graduate education. If that information is not available, use 36 semester or 54 quarter hours.

GS-11: You qualify at the GS-11 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have experience performing the following duties: Counseling employees, managers, supervisors, and field personnel representatives on regulations, procedures, and technical provisions of retirement systems; Processing retirement applications within established time-frames; Researching policy, regulations, and laws relating to employee benefits programs.

OR You may substitute a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent degree) or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field, or L.L.M.

if related for experience at the GS-11 grade level or such education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Check with your school to determine how many credit hours comprise three years of graduate study. If that information is not available, use 54 semester or 81 quarter hours.

GS-12: You qualify at the GS-12 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

You must have experience performing the following duties: Processing retirement applications within established time-frames; Coordinating with payroll, external officials, and other offices as necessary to process complex and sensitive cases; Identifying, evaluating and advising various levels of management on appropriate HR interventions to resolve issues.

Please read the following important information to ensure you submit everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to 03/09/2026.

Your resume will be used to determine your qualifications for the position advertised in this announcement.

Therefore, your resume must highlight your most relevant, significant experience related to the requirements found in the qualification section of this announcement, as well as any applicable education.

Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.

To help ensure your resume remains clear and easy to read, we recommend using margins of at least 0.8 inches and a font size of at least 11 point.

Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer's name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g.

June 18 2007 to April 05 2008) Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position.

Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Salary Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible.

Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history.

This information will be further validated if selected for this position. Major Duties:

• Organizational Location: This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, within the Human Resources Operations Center and are assigned based on the need of the agency.
• The responsibilities described are for the full performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope performed with less independence, and limited complexity.
• Provide support, counsel, and advise employees and managers regarding employee benefits.
• Conduct audits of electronic official personnel records, resolve discrepancies, and determine creditability of verified service for service computation dates (Retirement and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
• Research and stay current on policy, regulations, and law relating to employee benefits programs.
• Conduct in-house retirement planning programs, one-on-one retirement counseling including estimate/calculations, and evaluate employee retirement options and advise accordingly.
• Process Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) applications.
• Analyze the operational effectiveness of new or existing regulations on benefits programs and develop or revise internal policy and procedures as necessary.