Human Resources Liaison

Open & closing dates

11/17/2025 to 12/15/2025

Salary

$87,133 to – $135,773 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 11 – 12

Location

New York, NY

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

Yes—Ad hoc telework only.

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent – Federal

Work schedule

Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent

View full job description here.

Duties

The Human Resources Liaison develops, implements and manages personnel functions for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

In this position, you will:

• Act as liaison to the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Human Resources (OHR) regarding classification; staffing, recruitment, and appointment; human resource development (HRD); and pay administration.

• Manage personnel recordkeeping, awards, training, performance appraisals, personnel action processing, personnel records and data, promotions, and peer review processes.

• Analyze various sources of information (e.g., budget (Trust and Federal), hiring restrictions, workload) and provide guidance on administrative functions including staffing options, guidelines, and program operations.

• Serve as the unit’s expert on the human resources management system, and use Office 365, timekeeping systems, and personnel management systems to accomplish the unit’s work.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positionson OPM website.

Qualifications

GS-11:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing technical support to an organization on a variety of staffing and recruitment services; coding and processing a variety of personnel actions; reviewing position descriptions; and providing guidance on human resources programs and functions.

or

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related

or

A combination of Ph.D. level education and specialized experience as described above.

GS-12:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing technical support in the development and updating of staffing plans, organizational charts, staff reporting and other functions underpinning an HR program; and experience maintaining personnel related records such as performance ratings, position descriptions and performance rewards.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Recruitment Incentive:Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note:This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing in order to establish and maintain effective relationships with operating and management officials.
• Knowledge of major personnel functions in order to guide managers on all aspects of personnel management and the development of personnel procedures for the unit.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, executive orders, court decisions and issues related to personnel management, in order to complete a variety of difficult and complex work assignments.
• Skill in database management, analytical research, budget and personnel functions, word processing, spreadsheet development, document management, and employee development.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans’ preference points or apply the “rule of three”, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

You may preview questionsfor this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume – Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center – How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• Proof of Veteran’s Preference – DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

How to Apply

Click on the “Apply Online” button on the upper right side of this page.Please Note:

• You must apply for this position online through the ‘Apply Online’ button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
• Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages.
• You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
• The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
• If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

Next Steps

At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab “My USAJOBS;” e-mailing [email protected]; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:

• Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
• The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
• The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).