VA’s work begins and ends with people, and our human resources (HR) team makes sure we’re positioned to hire, develop, and retain a world-class workforce dedicated to serving our Veterans.
This week, we celebrate National Health Care HR Week and recognize the important work our HR specialists do every day. It’s also the perfect time to look at how HR careers at VA offer a variety of specializations and life-changing employment benefits.
Variety in your career
Our HR professionals work on behalf of all of our employees, guiding your experience from your first day on the job all the way to your retirement party. Through employment programs, innovative training, proactive conflict resolution, and a commitment to worker safety and wellness, our HR professionals champion quality work life.
This rewarding work can also open up into numerous specialties. With VA’s broad network of medical centers, clinics, and offices, our HR teams become experts in a variety of disciplines. Members of our HR teams can specialize in:
- Classification. For every job announcement you find on USAJOBS.gov, someone went through the process of drafting, editing, and clarifying the language. HR professionals consult with supervisors and department heads to make sure that each announcement paints a clear picture of the job.
- Compensation and benefits. HR specialists can also educate employees about the great benefits available to them and ensure that they are enrolled in the programs that matter most to them. If members of our team need to understand their salaries, incentives, or bonuses, the HR specialist knows the answer.
- Employee relations. HR specialists also help employees with issues that arise in the workplace. This involves leading discussions and negotiations with labor organizations to make sure that employees are treated fairly and that facilities have a meaningful say in procedures.
- Performance management. Every VA employee participates in an annual performance review, and HR professionals are there to work with supervisors to make sure that evaluations are fair and helpful and empower employees with a clear path to success.
- Staffing. Whether it’s recruiting applicants, examining resumes, conducting interviews, selecting candidates, or onboarding new hires, HR professionals are the ones who make sure the right people find a place on our team.
“It’s almost like going to law school,” said Veena Muralidhara, a member of our human resources team who specializes in employee relations and performance management. “It’s intense, and you really have to know your stuff, but I’m enjoying it.”
Better careers offer better benefits
While supporting our mission of serving Veterans—a mission that many of our teammates consider its own reward— we also offer our HR teams employment benefits that are unparalleled by anything found in the private sector.
To start with, we offer our employees competitive salaries based on education, training, and experience. We also offer steady growth, with periodic pay raises that address inflation and local market changes.
Working in HR at VA also provides access to federal insurance programs. We offer a variety of plans that all cover preexisting conditions. Even better, we pay up to 75% of health premiums, a benefit that can continue into retirement.
And when the time comes to take a career to the next level, we offer ongoing leadership development through every level of employment. We want our employees to make the most of their time at VA, so we encourage and facilitate continuous learning, as well as offer coaching and mentoring.
Additionally, our employees receive 13-26 paid vacation/personal days, as well as 13 sick days annually with no limit on accumulation, and we celebrate 11 paid federal holidays each year. We offer this time off to help promote a better life/work balance among members of our team, because we know that time is valuable.
“The life/work balance here has been something I found that I don’t think I would find anywhere else,” Muralidhara shared.
Work at VA
HR professionals support our mission of providing world-class health care in a variety of ways and are always ready to offer their expertise to our employees as we serve Veterans.
- LEARN more about human resources at VA on Talk About It Tuesday.
- EXPLORE the benefits we offer our employees.
