Emerson Zane
Federal Staffing Specialist
Germantown, District of Columbia, US
Role snapshot
Emerson Zane is hiring a Federal Staffing Specialist on a full-time basis. This is a role based in Germantown, District of Columbia, US.
- Company
- Emerson Zane
- Location
- Germantown, District of Columbia, US
- Job type
- Full-time
- Experience
- 5–7 years
- Posted
- Nov 6, 2026
Who this role suits
Practitioners with a few years behind them who can work independently, make trade-offs and help newer teammates.
How to prepare your application
- Prepare examples of decisions you drove, how you measured the result, and how you worked with other teams.
- Be ready to discuss trade-offs and scope, not only the tools you have used.
- Read what Emerson Zane publishes about its product or team, so you can say clearly why this role and this company.
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About the role
Senior Human Resources Staffing Specialist
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Human Resources Staffing Specialist to provide comprehensive federal staffing, recruitment, and personnel management support. This individual will serve as a subject matter expert in federal hiring practices, ensuring staffing actions are executed efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with applicable federal regulations and merit system principles.
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience with Title 5 regulations, delegated examining, merit promotion, and federal hiring authorities, along with the ability to independently manage complex staffing actions and advise key stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage full-cycle federal staffing and recruitment actions, including vacancy announcements, qualification reviews, applicant assessments, referral certificates, and selection processes.
- Execute staffing actions under delegated examining (DE), merit promotion, direct hire, and other applicable federal hiring authorities.
- Interpret and apply federal personnel laws, regulations, and policies, including Title 5, OPM qualification standards, veterans' preference, and merit system principles.
- Develop and review job announcements, assessment questionnaires, applicant eligibility determinations, and certificates of eligible candidates.
- Serve as a technical advisor to hiring managers and HR leadership on federal staffing policies, recruitment strategies, and regulatory compliance.
- Utilize USA Staffing to manage recruitment workflows, applicant evaluations, and hiring documentation.
- Conduct quality reviews of staffing actions to ensure regulatory compliance, accuracy, and audit readiness.
- Research and resolve complex staffing issues, recommend process improvements, and support workforce planning initiatives.
- Maintain accurate staffing records, monitor recruitment timelines, and ensure adherence to established federal hiring procedures.
Required Qualifications
- 5-7+ years of professional experience in federal human resources
- Active OPM Delegated Examining (DE) Certification highly preferred.
- Extensive experience in federal HR staffing, recruitment, and placement, preferably within a federal agency or federal contracting environment.
- Demonstrated experience independently managing full-cycle federal staffing actions.
- Hands-on experience with USA Staffing, Workday, and similar Federal HR & Benefits Suites including vacancy announcements, applicant qualification reviews, assessments, and referral certificates.
- Strong understanding of qualification standards, veterans' preference, and federal applicant eligibility requirements.
- Advanced knowledge of staffing regulations, delegated examining procedures, merit promotion, and federal hiring authorities.
- Experience advising hiring managers and stakeholders on complex staffing matters and regulatory requirements.
- Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting complex federal HR operations or government-wide human capital initiatives.
- Familiarity with federal position classification, occupational series, and General Schedule grade structures.
- Experience conducting staffing compliance reviews, audits, or quality assurance assessments.
- Knowledge of competitive service, excepted service, and specialized federal hiring authorities.
- Experience developing staffing procedures, training materials, or process improvements.