Human Resources Specialist (Employee & Labor Relations)

WHAT IS THE HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICE DIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at:

Vacancies will be filled in the following specialty areas:
Human Capital Office of Human Resource Operations Labor/Employee Relations and
Negotiations

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level.

• As a top senior expert, serves as personal advisor to and/or representative of top-level management in the most sensitive/controversial discussions and negotiations with representatives of the NTEU (National Treasury Employees Union). Receives and acts on labor organization requests for bargaining unit contract negotiations. Conducts Impact and Implementation (I & I) analysis and bargaining as appropriate. Develops strategies to incorporate Service-wide policies in negotiations with impacted NTEU chapters. Reviews existing local program guidance/management issues and develops long/short range plans for negotiations with NTEU chapters and works with management to integrate strategies developed with the local management agenda.
• Serves as the authoritative resource in the field to top-level management for all phases of the employee and labor relations programs. Provides expert employee and labor relations interpretations and decisions to senior HR supervisors and managers to resolve disputes and interpret facts, events, and/or identifying aggravating or mitigating factors relevant to cases. Explains ambiguous rules and procedures and helps support customers by understanding their rights and obligations; maintains and encourages objectivity in situations that may be charged with emotion and involve assumptions; resolves disputed facts, including those which require expert level determinations for which previous studies and established techniques are frequently inadequate. Advises management about appropriate disciplinary or other corrective techniques to respond to a full range of conduct and performance issues. Advises management officials and supervisors on the performance management program, giving specific directions as needed on procedural and complex procedural and regulatory requirements for annual and other appraisals; explains requirements for developing, modifying, and issuing performance plans; preparing performance improvement plans; and initiating performance-based actions.
• Utilizes legal research methods, information gathering techniques, and analytical skills sufficient to locate, interpret, and analyze for applicability and appropriateness, precedent and substantive decisions, and/or legal opinions that various courts and administrative bodies have rendered. Maintains expert knowledge of employee and labor relations practices and policies through extensive review of FLRA (Federal Labor Relations Authority), FSIP (Federal Service Impasses Panel), OPM (Office of Personnel Management), OGC (Office of General Counsel), and MSPB (Merit Systems Protection Board) issuances and decisions, the contract, case law, policies, and precedents. Develops and issues Service-wide program guidance relative to changes in case law, policy, and strategy.
• Receives, researches, analyzes, and coordinates allegations of Unfair Labor Practices (ULPs) and resolves when possible. Receives and reviews requests for petitions from labor organizations. Independently conducts and/or serves as project leader of a team in the study of major and highly-complex/controversial employee and labor relations' issues including grievances, misconduct, poor performance, unfair labor practice charges, MSPB appeals, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO ) complaints, Office of Special Counsel (OSC) cases, settlement agreements, adverse actions, information sharing, contract interpretation, training, and preparation and conduct of contract bargaining. Develops and recommends improvements in policy, negotiated contracts, and negotiating techniques. Analyzes top management plans and initiatives to identify issues that affect Service-wide policies and/or are precedent-setting in nature. Prepares proposed changes in program policies for agency consideration.
• Participates in high-level technical discussions with representatives from HCO, Workforce Relations Division, Embedded Human Resources, GLS (General Legal Services), Treasury, and/or other agencies concerning significant program issues, development of regulations, and the application of precedent/unique approaches and strategies to extremely difficult problems and situations. Acts as a technical advisor for the IRS at formal and informal proceedings, developing the IRS's position and, when necessary, represents the IRS along with legal staff before administrative adjudicative bodies.