The employee serves as a Public Affairs Specialist within the Office of the Director at the VA Medical Center located in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but may not be limited to: Plans, initiates, and implements comprehensive public affairs activities to enhance the understanding of the Medical Center's programs among the general public and specialized groups and organizations. Develops and utilizes a variety of methods and techniques in achieving communications goals such as news releases, radio and television scripts, personal appearances, brochures, pamphlets, etc. Conducts special studies involving communications, organization, and operation of Medical Center functions. Establishes and maintains professional working relationships with representatives of the news media, responding in a timely fashion to information requests from the media in writing and orally to ensure the fair representation of the Medical Center. Assists in preparing certificates/awards or letters of appreciation for staff, community individuals and groups supporting the VA mission and programs. Advises and makes recommendations to the Medical Center Director regarding the handling of media and community issues or concerns that have possible implications on the Medical Center. Serves as the Medical Center point of contact for the media and public information inquiries and as a liaison with other medical centers, Central Office, Veterans Health Administration, and veteran organizations in the areas of public information and community relations. Coordinates photo coverage of programs and activities with visual information production services. Undertakes other assignments, such as speech writing or coordination of special events/projects at the direction of the Medical Center Director. Markets information items to appropriate local and regional print and electronic media and utilizes general and specialized news media to disseminate consumer information to various publics. Prepares briefing packages and slide presentations for VA guests from regional and central offices as well as congressional staff, veterans' organizations and all other community representatives and groups. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires at least one year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the GS-12 Public Affairs Specialist position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of qualifying experience include working in a public affairs office/role utilizing principles and techniques of written, oral, visual and personal communications; preparing various types of communication such as news releases, information packets, speeches and scripts; responding to information requests in writing and orally; and developing reports and presentations for executive leadership. (Resume(s) must clearly support the duties and experience to be creditable. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CommunicationCommunications and MediaOrganizational AwarenessPlanning and EvaluatingStrategic Thinking 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. Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary with walking required during visits and tours of the Medical Center. Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring in other than normal duty hours. Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other required materials. 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.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]