Labor Relations Specialist

SECRET clearance · Full-time, on-site at SA-17, 600 19th Street NW, Washington, DC · Contingent on contract award

About the program

XSI supports the Department of State's Passport Services Directorate (CA/PPT) with about 200 professionals across nine headquarters offices, including Personnel and Training (PERT). Passport Services runs 29 agencies and centers and about 8,000 acceptance facilities, and issues some 20 million passports a year.

Position summary

The Labor Relations Specialist supports CA/PPT management on federal employee relations and labor relations work. You help design and run programs that support employee accountability, and help manage the agency's relationship with its unions, employee representatives and management associations. As a contractor, you advise and prepare work products; federal managers and HR officials make the final decisions.

Key responsibilities

Employee relations

• Advise managers on conduct and performance issues, and on the options and procedures available under federal rules.
• Research precedent and help prepare case files, proposal and decision letters, and supporting documents for management review.
• Help develop and run programs that support employee accountability, such as progressive discipline guidance and manager toolkits.
• Track employee relations cases and deadlines, and report on case status and trends.

Labor relations

• Help manage the day-to-day relationship between the agency and its unions, employee representatives and management associations.
• Prepare management for bargaining: research proposals, draft counterproposals, and analyze the impact of planned changes in working conditions.
• Help track and meet notice and bargaining obligations before changes are put in place.
• Help prepare for grievances, arbitrations and unfair labor practice matters, including research, timelines and document assembly.
• Interpret collective bargaining agreement provisions for managers.

Program design and improvement

• Design, develop and implement employee and labor relations programs, processes and systems.
• Build and maintain case tracking tools, templates and standard operating procedures.
• Develop and deliver manager training on employee and labor relations topics.
• Analyze case data to spot trends and recommend preventive actions.

 Required qualifications

• At least 5 years of employee relations or labor relations experience.
• Bachelor's degree, or 9 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• Working knowledge of federal employee or labor relations, with experience designing and implementing programs, processes and systems.
• Active SECRET clearance.
• Ability to work on-site full-time in Washington, DC.

Preferred qualifications

• Department of State or other federal civilian agency experience.
• Knowledge of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (5 U.S.C. Chapter 71) and FLRA case law.
• Knowledge of adverse and performance-based actions under 5 CFR Parts 752 and 432, and of MSPB processes.
• Experience supporting collective bargaining or mid-term negotiations.
• A professional HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP or PHR.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Precise legal and policy research and writing.
• Sound judgment, neutrality and discretion with sensitive personnel matters.
• Ability to explain complex rules plainly to managers.
• Careful handling of PII under the Privacy Act.

How success is measured

Performance is judged on timely deliverables, quality of analysis, adherence to CA/PPT standards, and stakeholder feedback.

Work environment

Professional federal office setting with business dress. Government-furnished laptop and equipment. Telework only where the program approves it case by case.