Senior HR Assistant - AvantGarde, LLC

AvantGarde, LLC (AG) seeks to engage a Senior Human Resources (HR) Assistant who will provide advanced broad-based administrative and technical support to the USPTO federal HR and contractor team including, but not limited to, performing all staffing and operational support, processing personnel actions or client requests, and completing other administrative duties.

• Assist Human Resources Specialists with day-to-day transactional work.
• Maintain confidentiality when handling critical and sensitive information, records, and reports.
• Assist with the preparation of offer letters and other client related correspondence.
• Support New Employee Orientation(s) and other client related operational activities by collecting and entering data/information from forms collected during Orientations.
• Scan and upload highly confidential information; create folders for case-related work and new hires.
• Complete and process a full range of personnel and payroll actions selecting the proper Nature of Action (NOA) and Legal Authority (LAC) codes and assigning proper remarks to each action using the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions and other appropriate guides; proof and verify accuracy before forwarding to HR Specialists for quality control review. 
• Enter accession actions after initial Entry on Duty (EOD) paperwork has cleared (but before EOD) and set a future effective date within the system to stay ahead of workload volumes and prevent last minute processing.
• Monitor processed actions each day to ensure that actions processed the previous day have not fallen into the Suspense Inquiry and Correction System (SINQ). For those that do appear in SINQ, correct the erroneous or missing information within 24 hours to avoid trying to resolve issues around the pay period deadline.
• For more complex actions, such as those involving change to lower grade, pay setting/pay retention, or other nuanced placement actions, conduct research to become fully knowledgeable about any interconnected and impacted data that may reside in other fields.  Ensures a thorough approach to process complex actions correctly.
• Accurately process History Correction Update Processing (HCUP) cases.
• Respond accurately and in a timely manner to inquiries from employees and management; notify HR team of specific HR issues or actions and refer inquiries to the appropriate staff members.
• Assist with audits by reviewing, checking, and verifying employee or case-file data to ensure accuracy and performing final closing of case files in appropriate client hiring systems.
• Use automated tools to retrieve or process onboarding paperwork such as USAStaffing Onboarding Manager.
• Coordinate with Employee Relations and Security representatives to begin security adjudication processing following the receipt of the candidate’s completed OF-306.  Conduct searches for  former Patent Examiner candidates in the new hire process to ensure they are vetted appropriately. 
• Input candidate data into the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system to initiate the security process and PALM for credentialing processes.
• Coordinate receipt and data entry of all payroll documents following new employee orientation and coordinate as appropriate with the Compensation and Benefits Division.
• Gather and validate SF-75 information for transferring federal employees.
• Use the Government Retirement Benefits (GRB) system to compute and enter service computation dates.
• Following NEO and EOD, promptly load all appropriate documentation into the appropriate system.
• Collaborate with team members to evaluate and implement improvements to processes and procedures. 

• High School Diploma is required; an undergraduate degree in HR or related field is strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years of HR administrative experience highly desired.
• Requires a minimum of 3 years of relevant PAR processing experience with a variety of NOAs/LACs, using EmpowHR or HR Connect and the National Finance Center.
• At least 1 year of experience processing HCUP packages within NFC/Empower/HR Connect is highly desired.
• Keen attention to detail to ensure complete, accurate processing of personnel actions and completion of HR documents associated with pre-appointment and onboarding.
• Experience with office automation software, including but not limited to, Microsoft Office products Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Publisher, Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Prior hands-on experience using USA Staffing is strongly preferred.
• Advanced ability to multi-task effectively and prioritize and re-prioritize as needed in a fast-paced environment. 
• Strong writing skills with specific attention to detail.
• Flexibility in the approach to delivering work.
• Excellent attendance and punctuality.

The CLIENT / AGENCY

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO fulfills the mandate of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution that the legislative branch "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." The USPTO registers trademarks based on the commerce clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the nation's technological progress and achievement.

The USPTO advises the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and U.S. government agencies on intellectual property (IP) policy, protection, and enforcement; and promotes the stronger and more effective IP protection around the world. The USPTO furthers effective IP protection for U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide by working with other agencies to secure strong IP provisions in free trade and other international agreements. It also provides training, education, and capacity building programs designed to foster respect for IP and encourage the development of strong IP enforcement regimes by U.S. trading partners.

The COMPANY

To learn more about AG click here: https://www.avantgarde4usa.com/about/

Since its establishment in 2011, AG has executed 110+ federal contracts as Prime Contractor. For nearly a decade, we have provided extensive expert support to clients in the areas of human capital strategy, organizational transformation, workforce planning, workload assessment, talent management, training, and other areas of human capital management and organizational development. AG’s list of federal clients includes: the U.S. Departments of Justice, Transportation, Treasury, Agriculture, and Commerce, and Defense (Army, Navy, and National Guard) as well as the U.S. House of Representatives, Architect of the Capitol, the National Science Foundation, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and to name a few.

AG’s core competencies bring together solutions that address the holistic needs of our clients in four key areas: People, Process, Strategy, and Technology. Our consulting solutions and service offerings extend across four distinct areas: Human Capital Management, Organizational Development, Business Operations Support, and Information Technology. We offer a comprehensive scope of services that are specifically designed to enhance organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability.

When you consider joining AG learn about our Culture  click here : https://www.avantgarde4usa.com/careers/culture/

The LAW

As an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, AvantGarde LLC makes all recruitment and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including gender and transgender status), national origin, disability status, marital status, veteran status, registered domestic partner or civilian union status, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic or status protected by federal, state and local laws. AvantGarde hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.