Benefits Specialist
About the company
This position is within Benefits & HR Help (HB), BPA Human Resources Service Center (H), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy (DOE). Empower our workforce by serving as a trusted advisor! In this role, you will guide employees through key career and retirement milestones, deliver expert counsel on comprehensive federal benefit programs, and resolve complex cases to protect their financial future.
Your tasks
Step Into an HR Career with Purpose: Power the People Who Energize the Pacific Northwest At Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), our mission is to deliver clean, reliable, and sustainable electricity across the Pacific Northwest while stewarding the region's environment and economy. Behind this critical transmission and clean-energy infrastructure stands a world-class federal workforce-and you will help support them from day one. We are seeking motivated, high-achieving candidates ready to launch or accelerate their career as a Benefits Specialist. This is a developmental position with non-competitive promotion potential to the full performance level (GS-12). Whether you bring professional experience or are qualifying based on graduate-level education alone, this career ladder offers the ideal blend of structured mentorship, technical training, and hands-on responsibility. You will grow into a subject-matter expert who directly impacts employees' financial well-being, healthcare security, and retirement readiness across the agency. Key Duties & Developmental Opportunities Grow into a Consultative Benefits Advisor: Under the guidance of senior specialists, build in-depth expertise across the full spectrum of federal benefit programs, including retirement systems, health and life insurance, and savings plans. Learn to advise employees and supervisors with clarity, empathy, and technical accuracy. Develop Advanced Problem-Solving Skills on Complex Casework: Hone your analytical abilities by researching and evaluating unique personnel situations-such as medical disability retirements, legal court orders, and historical service adjustments-delivering equitable, compliant solutions for sensitive cases. Master Personalized Retirement Modeling & Annuity Calculations: Learn to conduct comprehensive service record audits, compute nuanced retirement estimates, and assist employees and their families during pivotal career transitions, gaining hands-on mastery of federal retirement policies and financial counseling. Drive Process Improvement & Workflow Innovation: Bring a fresh perspective to our team. Review and assess existing HR operations, identify administrative bottlenecks, and recommend forward-thinking adjustments to enhance team efficiency and improve customer service delivery. Translate Policy into Real-World HR Practice: Gain foundational experience analyzing and interpreting federal employment laws, human capital directives, and government-wide regulations. Collaborate with leadership to help align internal operating procedures with emerging agency priorities. Design and Lead Engaging Training & Outreach: Strengthen your public speaking and instructional design skills by developing easy-to-understand educational workshops, digital reference guides, and webinars that demystify complex benefits and empower employees to make informed financial choices. Represent the Benefits Team on Cross-Functional Projects: Broaden your organizational acumen by participating in agency-wide working groups, HR seminars, and interdisciplinary task forces, collaborating across departments to support high-visibility human capital initiatives. Accelerate Your Professional Growth with Dedicated Mentorship: Participate in a robust quality-assurance and developmental program. Receive regular coaching, feedback, and skill validation from seasoned specialists to rapidly progress toward operating independently as a full-performance HR authority.
Requirements
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: GS-09: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: experience 1) providing procedural guidance, information, and assistance to employees regarding enrollment, eligibility, and program options for retirement, health, life insurance, and related benefit plans; 2) reviewing, auditing, and processing benefits election forms and employment history records to verify completeness, accuracy, and creditable service; and 3) gathering data, researching established policies, and performing basic calculations to resolve routine benefit inquiries and discrepancies. You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.B. or J.D. if related; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR- Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first year of full-time study may be credited). One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours the graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. If the graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study is not available, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is used. When crediting education that requires specific course work the number of hours of related courses required, as a proportion of the total education, is prorated.
GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: experience 1) providing technical advice and guidance to management and employees on the application of retirement and insurance benefit programs; 2) performing research and analysis to resolve benefit case issues; and 3) preparing formal correspondence or supporting documentation regarding benefit eligibility, entitlement determinations, and program participation. You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.M., if related; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR- Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited). One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours the graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. If the graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study is not available, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is used. When crediting education that requires specific course work the number of hours of related courses required, as a proportion of the total education, is prorated.
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.
Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.
CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
If substituting education for specialized experience you must submit proof of your qualifying education. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system. Failure to provide college transcripts may result in a rating of 'Ineligible'.
Other
Requirements In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully. Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.