There are 4 positions located in the Office of the Deputy Network Director at Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) in one of the following locations: Houston, TX, Fayetteville, AR, Little Rock, AR, Pensacola, FL, or New Orleans, LA. The Public Affairs Specialist is responsible for promoting and coaching outreach in the VA Medical Centers, sharing best practices, planning and conducting a comprehensive outreach program, developing outreach plans, generating events etc.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DUTY LOCATIONS (Houston, TX, Fayetteville, AR, Little Rock, AR, Pensacola, FL, or New Orleans, LA)*** This Public Affairs Specialist will perform duties specific to Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) ACT outreach initiatives. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Providing toxic exposure outreach and other support for the Public Affairs program at a VISN or Medical Center while displaying tact, common sense, diplomacy, initiative, and solid professional judgement Advising senior level management on development of outreach campaigns, communication plans and strategies Serving as a content manager of VA Medical Center's Internet and Intranet Serving as agency spokesperson in the absence of the Public Affairs Officer, including responding in writing and orally to questions about or criticisms of the agency's activities or policies and explaining the VA point of view Executing special events, coordinating high profile visits, and supporting outreach to veterans not enrolled in the VA health care system Analyzing internal communication needs and developing publications or other information materials for staff, patients, volunteers, and others who contribute to VA effectiveness and responsiveness Developing, coordinating, implementing and maintaining public affairs and community relations programs Advising and making recommendations to the VISN PAO director regarding the handling of medica and community issues or concerns that have possible implications on the VA Serving as a VISN point of contact for the medica and public information inquires and as the liaison with other medical centers, central office, and veteran organizations Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the public information programs for internal communications, medica relations and community relations Planning, initiating, and implementing comprehensive public affairs activities to enhance the understanding of the VA's programs among the general public and specialized groups and organizations Organizing photo coverage of programs and activities with medical medica production service Establishing and maintaining professional working relationships with representatives of the news medica and responding in a timely fashion to information requests from the media Developing and utilizing a variety of methods and techniques in achieving communications goals Localizing material prepared Setting up systematic programs for collecting information of news interested concerning VA activities and personnel Providing expertise in planning and implementation of special events, ceremonies, open houses, tours, and other activities Preparing briefing packages and slides presentations for VA guests from regional and central offices Preparing and updating brochures on the VA, its personnel, and activities Seeking and developing opportunities to increase VA Medical Center use by veterans, community groups and other related organizations Performing other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized (The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with a transfer between duty stations or facilities. For more information go to http://vaww.fscdirect.fsc.va.gov/pcs.asp.) Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience (1) serving as a content manager for an organization's Internet and Intranet sites and (2) advising senior level management regarding outreach campaigns, communication plans and strategies AND Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-12): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: designing and implementing strategic communication and outreach plans for the agency; serving as an agency spokesperson to include responding orally and in writing to questions or criticisms of the agency's activities or policies; developing various forms of media for print and broadcast in compliance with agency policy and regulations; planning and implementing special events, ceremonies, open houses, and other activities for the purpose of generating awareness of and interest in the mission of the agency; and preparing briefing packages and slide presentations to senior leadership, congressional staff, and other various internal and external customers. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.). You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunications and MediaMultimedia TechnologiesProblem Solving IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address VISN 16 South Central VA Health Care Network 715 S. Pear Orchard Road Ridgeland, MS 39157 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]