This position is located in the Office of Media Relations (OMR), Office of Public Affairs (OPA), with responsibility for planning, developing and communicating information concerning VA's programs, policies and activities, both orally and in writing, to national publics and news media representatives. Serves as a national spokesperson on VA issues.

Duties

This is a non-bargaining unit position. The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 100 applications. The first 100 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (100 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 50 in the order they applied. Work Schedule: Mon- Fri 9:00am - 5:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Available Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space Position Description Title/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/ PD27662A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: Work requires minimum physical exertion; most work is sedentary. Moderate travel is involved. Mental demands are severe due to time constraints and pressure to produce written material to high standards under tight deadlines. Major Duties: Develops communication materials. Interviews and confers with program specialists to obtain latest information. Advises and consults with top agency officials. Evaluates communication materials, advising supervisor of appropriate changes to improve impact, coverage, effectiveness and media receptivity. Monitors, assesses and evaluates public affairs trends and attitudes that may affect the Department's public affairs program and/or Department policy. Researches and prepares responses to queries and anticipated queries from the media, veterans groups and the general public. Develops and writes informational materials designed to reach national audiences through print and electronic news media. Materials include news releases fact sheets, brochures and features.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs HCP.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Pre-employment physical examination/evaluation may be required.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/26/2023. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. AND You may qualify based on your experience as described below. Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in the techniques and methods used by a journalist. This includes public affairs program technical authority versed in the principles, methods, practices and techniques of journalistic communication; analytical techniques; public affairs communication and interpersonal relation practices sufficient to develop and apply new approaches to difficult and complex public affairs program problems and requirements. Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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 OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

Education

There is no education substitute or requirement for the GS-13 level.

Contacts

• Address DAS Public Affairs - 3269 810 Vermont Ave Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]