The VHA Public Affairs program includes the effective management of an internal and external communication program, the gathering and use of customer satisfaction data and the development and maintenance of market programs. This position is the senior Public Affairs Specialist who is responsible for the management of the Public Affairs program for the VA Loma Linda Health Care System (VALLHCS). This position serves as the VALLHCS spokesperson, often representing the Medical Center Director.

Duties

The Public Affairs Officer for Department of Veteran Affairs, Veteran Health Administration in Loma Linda, CA will report to the Facility Associate Director of Operations, and is responsible for planning, directing, and executing the strategic communication plan for VALLHCS, and must continually promote and expand the reach and impact of approved messaging and public education. You will serve as the technical authority for communications, providing communications guidance, and providing expertise to all executives in the VALLHCS. Duties include, but are not limited to: Functioning as the expert consultant to management for the development of communication plans and implementation strategies that broaden the reach and deepen the impact of the services provided by the VALLHCS. Advising senior leadership on the potential public reaction to complex and controversial programs, policies, and plans, devising strategic stakeholder communications to maximize transparency and mitigate risk to the organization. Planning, designing, and executing a strategic vision and plan that brings together the approaches and messaging of VALLHCS together in a cohesive branding and marketing strategy. Developing support materials for communication campaigns. Identifying emerging issues to capitalize on opportunities and minimize negative responses which may impact program management. Making recommendations regarding actions and relationships with other federal and state agencies, special interest groups, individuals, and various media. Managing the Network public affairs program, with responsibility for planning, designing, and executing all program activities to inform and education the general and specialized public groups regarding National and Network programs, activities, issues, and services. Planning, directing, and executing campaigns to convey complex information concerning the VA's programs, program related activities, responsibilities, and action. Acting as an advocate for Veterans in all written and verbal communications. Developing communication strategies in a wide variety of media to inform and education employees, visitors, citizens, elected officials, educational institutions, media, interest groups, promoting a message of mutual understanding and minimizing adverse reactions for VA policies, programs, and decisions. Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with members of the media, Congressional and legislative representatives, Veteran Service Organizations, and other specialized groups. Keeping stakeholders informed of VA activity. Coordinating news conferences, special media events, press releases, and facilitating feature stories as appropriate. Responding to requests for information from the news media, elected officials, special interest groups, and the general public. Managing all aspects of the VALLHCS internet and intranet content including collecting material and updating web sites. Monitoring all facility web sites for compliance with VA national standards, providing feedback to the facilities as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4pm or 8:00am-4:30pm (negotiable) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD01583O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Yes, for highly qualified applicants Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/29/2023. 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. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: planning, directing, and executing the strategic communication plans for a facility; promoting and expanding the reach and impact of approved messaging and public education; and advising on communication matters for a healthcare delivery system. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingCommunications and MediaCustomer ServiceExternal Awareness 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. Physical Requirements: Work of this position is mainly sedentary. 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 Jerry L Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital 11201 Benton Street Loma Linda, CA 92357 US
• Name: Mianna Arrington
• Phone: 253-304-7374
• Email: [email protected]