Human Resources Officer

Department of Justice

San Diego, California Full-time $121,585 – $158,062 Closes Jul 6, 2026

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys’ Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

Duties

  • If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing human resources services to the employees of the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District of California.
  • Typical work assignments will include: Planning, developing, and administering a comprehensive Human Resources (HR) Program in accordance with existing rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  • Advising Senior Management on the full range of human resources functions, analyzing issues, and devising recommendations for improvements.
  • Planning, developing, and administering an effective recruitment and retention program.
  • Providing guidance on position management and classification of positions.
  • Providing advice and assistance on performance management.
  • Overseeing employee training and development needs.
  • Serving as the technical expert on all aspects of the personnel/payroll system.
  • Serving as technical authority regarding compensation and leave administration.
  • Maintaining personnel records and processing personnel actions.
  • Administering a benefits program.
  • Administering the personnel security and background investigation program and exercising demonstrable good judgement, discretion, and tact in handling confidential matters.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions): Accountability Conflict Management Customer Service Developing Others Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Strategic Thinking To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Required Documents

  • To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: – Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). – Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages – you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages – see USAJOBS for formatting requirements.
  • Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job: Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade), Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year), Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
  • 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. – Required if you are a current or former Federal employee: a recent copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing title, series, grade, and full performance level (FPL); AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.
  • Please note your SF-50 must include your FPL in the remark section (e.g., appointment, reassignment, promotion actions), pay adjustments and awards do not include this information so they are not acceptable. – Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. – If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you must submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire – Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.
  • If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

About this role

The Human Resources Officer position with the Department of Justice is based in San Diego, California. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. The role pays $121,585 to $158,062 per year.

Day to day, the work involves if selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing human resources services to the employees of the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District of California. The full list of duties, conditions, and required documents appears in the official announcement linked on this page.

Who should apply

Review the announcement's Qualifications section closely, since it defines exactly what federal human resources experience this Human Resources Officer position requires. Match your federal resume directly to the announcement's wording so a reviewer can confirm each requirement in writing. For this Human Resources Officer position with the Department of Justice in San Diego, California, confirm you meet each requirement before applying.

How competitive it is

At $121,585 to $158,062 per year, this is a mid-to-senior role where a precisely tailored application matters most. Based in San Diego, California, it competes within that local market, which can mean lighter competition than major metropolitan postings. The announcement closes on July 6, 2026, and federal postings can close early once enough applications arrive, so applying promptly is wise.

This overview is general guidance from Job Army to help you understand the role. Always read the official announcement for exact duties, qualifications, and requirements before applying.

Job Details

Department Department of Justice
Job Type Full-time
Location San Diego, California
Salary $121,585 – $158,062
Pay Period Per Year
Closing Date Jul 6, 2026
Posted Jun 18, 2026
Source ID 26-CAS-12990510-IMP
Ready to apply? This application is hosted on the official USAJOBS site.
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