Alternative Dispute Resolution Manager

Summary This position is within the Civil Rights & Equal Employment Opportunity (AE) organization, Executive Office (A), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

As an Alternative Dispute Resolution Manager, you will champion a collaborative workplace culture by leading agency-wide mediation and conflict prevention initiatives. Empower leaders and teams through neutral dispute resolution, creative problem-solving, and impactful training to resolve conflicts and build lasting trust. Duties Powering the Pacific Northwest Through Collaboration: Shape Workplace Culture as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Manager

At Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), we keep the Pacific Northwest energized-transmitting reliable, clean federal hydropower across thousands of circuit miles to power communities, businesses, and regional economies. Maintaining that standard of excellence requires an internal culture rooted in mutual respect, clear communication, and collaborative problem-solving. When colleagues communicate effectively, our entire power system runs stronger.

Joining BPA as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Manager (Equal Employment Specialist, GS-0260-13), you will serve in the Executive Office as an architect of our agency-wide conflict resolution culture. This role goes far beyond administering formal dispute channels; you will pioneer proactive, human-centered strategies that bridge differences, protect organizational health, and ensure our people can focus on our public-service mission. If you are an accomplished dispute-resolution practitioner and trusted facilitator ready to shape a positive, high-trust workplace across four states, we invite you to bring your expertise to BPA.

Key Duties & Opportunities for Impact:

• Direct Enterprise Conflict Management Strategy: Serve as the program owner and lead strategist for BPA's dispute prevention and resolution portfolio. You will develop, modernize, and scale innovative conflict-management programs that resolve workplace issues early, collaboratively, and outside of formal administrative or grievance pathways.

• Conduct Neutral Mediations in High-Stakes Situations: Personally step in as an impartial, trusted neutral party to facilitate and mediate complex, multi-party, or emotionally sensitive workplace conflicts. You will defuse tension, ensure fair and balanced discussions, and guide participants toward sustainable, consensus-driven solutions.

• Provide Confidential Advisory to Executives and People Leaders: Act as a trusted senior advisor to agency executives, managers, and administrative leads. You will provide strategic guidance on handling complex team friction, navigating sensitive organizational changes, and establishing constructive management partnerships.

• Champion Early Intervention and Root-Cause Prevention: Serve as a proactive diagnostic resource across the agency to detect early indicators of systemic conflict. By analyzing patterns, clarifying agency procedures, and facilitating early conversations, you will address root issues before they escalate into formal disputes or impact team morale.

• Deliver Dynamic Workforce Training & Skill-Building: Design and facilitate engaging, practical learning experiences for frontline staff, supervisors, and senior leadership. You will build agency-wide capability in interest-based negotiation, constructive dialogue, and de-escalation techniques that promote psychological safety and everyday collaboration.

• Cultivate Strategic Alliances with Labor and Operational Partners: Partner closely with Human Resources, Labor Relations, Civil Rights professionals, and union representatives. You will champion inclusive, transparent dispute processes that respect employee rights, uphold agency values, and reflect our leadership behaviors to Value People and Come Together.

• Represent BPA Across the Department of Energy & Industry: Serve as BPA's subject-matter authority in external forums, collaborating with counterparts across the Department of Energy (DOE) and national dispute resolution bodies to benchmark best practices and exchange cutting-edge resolution methodologies.

• Demonstrate Program Impact Through Analytics & Evaluation: Measure and analyze key performance metrics-such as case resolution rates, cost avoidance, time saved, and employee morale indicators. You will translate qualitative feedback and quantitative data into actionable reports that showcase program return on investment and guide continuous service enhancements.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: experience 1) serving as a neutral third-party mediator or facilitator utilizing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques to resolve workplace conflicts, interpersonal disputes, and complaints of discrimination or unfair employment practices; 2) developing and delivering conflict management, communication, or mediation training and instructional materials to employees and management; and 3) gathering, tracking, and analyzing dispute resolution metrics or casework data to identify conflict trends, assess program effectiveness, and prepare evaluative reports. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education There are no specific education requirements or substitution of education for experience for this position.

Requirements

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.

When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.

Conditions of Employment:

• Must possess or recertify mediation annual certification prior to entrance on duty.

How you will be evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements above. Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your two-page resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

Merit Promotion & VEOA Procedures: If you are minimally qualified for this job, you will be assessed and evaluated to determine if you are a best qualified candidate. Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements and current employees must have at least a fully successful or equivalent performance rating to receive consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Non-competitive Procedures: If you are applying under a non-competitive or special hiring authority, you will still be required to answer the assessment questions. However, you will not be evaluated against the rating and ranking criteria.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you are minimally qualified for this job. Veterans' Preference will be applied when required by the hiring authority (e.g., VRA, Schedule A).

All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date ( 11/08/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13106121.

USAHire: 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. How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

• You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account.
• To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
• Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
• You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
• After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
• If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements
• Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to

If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support. Other information

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE

EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center | Equal employment opportunity policy

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement. USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy

Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

Veterans Information: USAJOBS Help Center - Veterans

Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Telework: https://www.opm.gov/telework/

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ - Who must register: https://www.sss.gov/faq/#who-needs-to-register

Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment.

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.