Human Resources Operations

General Information

The Department of the Interior’s National Business Center (NBC) provides human resources operational support through its Human Resources Operations Division (NBC). Human Resources services and support can be provided in one of two ways: day-to-day operational support or project support. Services can be customized to meet your agency's needs.  Please click on the following services to learn more:

• Organization and Position Management
• Staff Acquisition
• Performance Management
• Compensation Management
• Benefits Management
• Employee Relations
• Labor Relations
• Personnel Action Processing and Recordkeeping
• Personnel Security

For further  information, contact Leisa Schievelbein, Chief, Client Liaison and Production Development Division. Leisa_R_Schievelbein@nbc.gov, 303-969-7200

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Organization and Position Management

NBC provides support to customer management in the area of organization and position management to help management design, develop, and implement organization and position structures and to accurately describe and legally classify customer positions.  This includes:

• Classification:  NBCconsults with customer management on developing any necessary position descriptions and classifying positions within established parameters.  NBC staff conducts desk audits when required to classify positions or in response to position reviews.  NBC provides assistance to customer management and staff for classification appeals and help adjudicate appeals in conformance with agency and OPM policy.  Classification activity includes position sensitivity designations, FLSA determinations, identification of financial disclosure requirements, etc.
• Oversight:  As part of the consultative function, NBC performs an oversight role and helps clarify and advise on classification issues as necessary.
• Position Management:  NBCadvises customer management on organizational structure planning and required implementation activities. 

Management officials play an active role in describing position duties when developing position descriptions for classification by NBC.  NBC staff also works closely with management officials in position sensitivity designations.

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Staff Acquisition

NBC has qualified staff to assist and guide agency management through the evaluation, analysis, coordination and implementation of an agency’s staff acquisition strategy and/or staff acquisition plan.  NBC also provides staff recruitment/application services and can
manage the process from start to finish. 

NBC works with customer managers in recruiting and selecting high-quality, productive employees with the right skills and competencies, in accordance with merit system principles.  This includes:

• Recruitment:  NBC enables the recruitment process by having an understanding of the organization’s strategic and operational goals in support of the customer’s mission.  We discuss with customer managers the best and most effective approach to reach the target audience.
• Staffing:  NBC prepares vacancy announcements with input from the customer hiring manager, advertise vacancies on USAJobs and any other identified outside recruitment sources (at the customer’s expense), and responds to applicant inquiries.  Positions are staffed using a variety of appointment methods, including merit promotion, delegated examining (customers will need to provide copy of delegated examining authority from OPM), excepted service appointments, and non-competitive appointment authorities, as appropriate for the position being filled.  Applications are reviewed for basic qualifications, rated and ranked, and certified to management.  NBC works with customer management on the selection process and offers advice and consultation in determining the terms of offer.  NBC extends job offers to selectees.
• Reporting:  NBC submits required reports, such as the Delegated Examining Unit reports and 80-day Hiring Model reports, for the customer as required.  Other staff acquisition reports and data are provided to the customer as requested.

Customer management officials play an active role in identifying evaluation/assessment criteria and tools and similar evaluation methodology related to recruitment activity.  It is also assumed that for those positions in which customer managers and employees serve as rating panel members and/or subject matter experts (SME), that they will be committed to meeting internal established time frames.

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Performance Management

NBC works with customer management and provides advisory and oversight services for all phases of the customer’s performance management system and processes.  Services include advising management on the development of performance standards, the issuance of performance appraisals, and management advisory services in the area of performance-based actions.

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Compensation Management

NBC works with customer management to implement compensation programs that attract, retain, and fairly compensate employees.  This includes:

• Pay Setting:  NBC works with customer management to set pay for new appointees, transfers, etc. in accordance with customer pay administration provisions.
• Compensation:  NBC advises customer management and employees on compensation matters, including any customer award programs.  This includes the annual adjustment of salary, processing cash awards, incentives, severance pay administration, etc.
• Unemployment Compensation:  NBC counsels employees on their entitlements to unemployment compensation.

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Benefits Management

NBC provides support in the area of benefits management as follows: 

• Notification and Counseling:  NBC notifies customer employees of benefits issues of interest, to include open seasons and program changes for FEHB, FEDVIP, FEGLI, Long Term Care, FSA etc.; counsel employees and family members one-on-one on the full-scope of benefits issues; provide retirement counseling; and generate retirement annuity calculations, service deposits/re-deposits, etc. 
• Orientation of New Employees:  NBC provides an orientation to new employees so that they understand the benefits and requirements associated with working for the federal government.  NBC assists new employees in completing all necessary entrance documents for entering federal service.  NBC partners with customer management to communicate agency organizational information to new employees to assist in indoctrinating them to the workplace as requested by agency management.
• Carrier Liaison:  As required, NBC liaisons with benefits carriers to resolve issues or obtain information on behalf of customer employees in coordination with the NBC’s Payroll Operations Division.
• Benefits Action Processing:  NBC processes personnel actions on any personnel or payroll actions resulting from benefits and retirement issues, such as changes in service computation dates based on service deposits, processing of benefits elections, etc.

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Employee Relations

NBC provides advisory consultative services in the area of employee relations, to include the following:

• NBC works with customer management on any employee relations matter, including management advisory services on management approaches, recommendations of disciplinary and adverse actions, drafting correspondence related to employee relations matters to include proposal and decision letters, and consulting on all disciplinary matters.
• NBC administers the customer’s administrative grievances program, including advising customer management and employees on employee rights and program requirements and possible courses of action.
• NBC provides advice and oversees requests for reasonable accommodation. 

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Labor Relations

NBC provides advisory consultative services in the area of labor relations, to include the following:

• NBC works with customer management on any labor relations matter, including management advisory services on clarifying organization and employees that should be included in the defined bargaining unit, resolving recognition issues, providing notifications and requests to bargain, preparing for negotiation, conducting negotiation in partnership with agency management, reviewing agreements for legality/compliance with government-wide laws, rules, or regulations, and administering agreements.  NBC will administer the customer’s administrative grievances program, including advising customer management and employees on employee rights, program requirements, and possible courses of action.
• NBC supports agency management in the management of negotiated grievances.
• NBC supports agency management when participating in negotiated third party proceedings. 

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Personnel Action Processing and Recordkeeping

NBC manages and completes personnel actions to document, establish, change, and correct employee records through the full employee life-cycle.  Actions include but are not limited to recruitments, position changes, employee status changes, compensation and benefit changes, and separations.

This support area includes processing personnel actions, benefits actions, and pay-related actions; serving as the Security Administrator and Security Point of Contact; submitting required reports; and maintaining human resources records.  Specifically: 

• NBC processes the full range of personnel actions for the customer using the Federal Personnel and Payroll System (FPPS).  Actions are initiated in FPPS by management (the requesting office) at the agency or through submission of appropriate paperwork.  NBC then processes the actions in accordance with federal law, regulation, and agency policy. 
• NBC inputs other data as required into FPPS.  Examples include benefits information, performance appraisal information, payroll actions, etc.
• NBC maintains the eOPFs or OPFs, Employee Performance Files, and any medical files for customer employees.  Personnel actions and other documents for inclusion in the eOPF/OPF and other files will be filed on a regular basis.  OPFs are audited on an as needed basis.
• NBC interfaces with the NBC’s Payroll Operations Division on behalf of the customer.
• Reports related to human resources data can be generated for management officials on an as needed basis.
• NBC, as the FPPS Security Administrator and Security Point of Contact, establishes and maintains offices and organizations in FPPS; oversee user-related authorities such as establishing, modifying, and deleting user access and resetting user passwords; and establish personnel action workflow/routing paths.

It is assumed that customer employees will use Employee Express and other employee self-service options (e.g., FSAFeds.gov, Thrift Savings Plan web site, etc.) to the extent possible.

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Personnel Security

The NBC’s Personnel Security Branch is responsible for the implementation and maintenance of personnel security and suitability programs as specified by the Office of Personnel Management, Department of the Interior, Office of Law Enforcement and Security (OLES), and other Agency-specific regulations and guidance.  Specifically, the Personnel Security Office is responsible for the following:

• Interpretation and application of security and suitability guidelines, policies and procedures
• Initiation, processing and adjudication of employee and contractor background investigations
• Issuance and maintenance of employee and contractor security clearances
• Processing of employee and contractor Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Cards through USAccess, managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).

The overall objective of the Personnel Security Branch is to ensure an agency’s workforce displays and maintains high, honest and lawful standards of conduct.  The Personnel Security Branch focus is to assist agencies in implementing and maintaining a personnel security program that has integrity, unbiased, reliable and trustworthy.

For additional information regarding these programs please contact the NBC Personnel Security Branch at 303-716-4005.  

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