This position serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the Public Affairs Office of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System. The primary purpose of this position is to perform work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between Federal agencies and the general public and various other pertinent publics including internal or external, foreign or domestic audiences.

Duties

The major duties include but are not limited to: Administering a small functional program in a facility or within an organizational department, with primary responsibility for collecting, assembling, preparing and disseminating information concerning the various programs of the organization Assisting higher graded public affairs specialists develop and conduct public affairs programs for larger organizational segments within the nature of the data required and collecting and assembling the material using the organization or field office Responding in oral and written form, to requests for information by determining the nature of the data required and collecting and assembling the material using the appropriate format and style based on needs and organization practices. Working with and assisting higher graded public affairs specialist in planning and developing a variety of programs for use by various media. Preparing, editing and disseminating news releases, feature articles and various other types of mass communication information for release to the public and for inclusion in internal information publications. Working with print and broadcast media Drafting news stories/media releases, providing responses to queries, and providing media escort during visits to the organization and assisting with other Public Affairs Office programs as needed. Gathering and receiving verbal or written information and converting into material appropriate for a variety of publication venues. Receiving verbal and written information on organizational projects from serviced organization and activities and community groups. Advising program officials regarding the content and presentation of information materials submitted for dissemination or other information purposes. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD100520 and PD100510 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/11/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-7: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: assisting with composing and editing written material on routine events, experience developing new information materials, conducting research, compiling data and correspondence, developing or maintaining a professional relationship with an array of media sources.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one year of graduate level education or a superior academic achievement where the education is behavioral, social sciences or a related discipline. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . GS-9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: assisting with composing and editing written material on routine events, experience developing new information materials, conducting research, compiling data and correspondence, developing or maintaining a professional relationship with an array of media sources.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two years of graduate level education related directly to the position to be filled. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationCommunications and MediaOral CommunicationWritten Communication 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Charlene Johnson
• Phone: (314) 939-9137
• Email: [email protected]