Labor Relations Specialist

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.