This position will serve as a Public Affairs Specialist located at the Veterans Healthcare System in Iowa City, IA and will serve as a spokesperson, facilitator, and coordinator to the media, congressional staffs, veterans service organizations, the community, the VA, and other governmental officials.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11. At the GS-9 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. Duties will include but may not be limited to the following: Develops and disseminates a wide range of information and data concerning the nature and objectives of agency programs, employing all types of media, including radio, television, newspapers, magazines, professional and scientific journals, pictures, posters, and exhibits. Coordinates news media interviews with staff and oversees arrangements with media representatives. Assures proper attribution of news stories between staff members holding joint appointments with the medical college. Establishes and maintains working relationships with local mass and specialized media representatives and with special interest representatives. Establishes and maintains a speaker's bureau, distributing the list to media and interested organizations, coordinating speech requests, and providing training and materials to speakers. Assists management in planning, developing, and implementing various programs and projects to meet special needs of veterans' organization, affiliated education institutions, and other audiences that require public relations intervention. Evaluates public affairs programs and tracking effectiveness of activities, develops beats to gather information such as news stories or personnel (i.e., research initiatives), and maintains alertness for opportunities to explore participation in exhibits, conventions, and professional meetings. Maintains effective relationships with service chiefs and their staffs to refer and evaluate inquires made by the media as well as identifying newsworthy or feature events. Establishes effective relationships with local media and veterans' organizations, community groups and management officials. This involves meeting with a variety of these groups to disseminate information, enhance relationships, and communicate Medical Center policies and information about specialized programs and initiatives. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Have one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the 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-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: utilizing various office automation software to prepare news releases that inform the public about current agency programs; and employing all types of media, including radio, television, newspapers, pictures, posters, and exhibits. -OR- EDUCATION: Have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Transcripts Required) -OR- COMBINATION: Have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education in excess of one year combined with specialized experience as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements. (Transcripts Required) TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-11 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Have one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the 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-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. In addition to the specialized experience for the lower grade above, specialized experience for this GS-11 grade includes: establishing effective relationships with media, community groups, affiliated organizations and management officials and serving as a spokesperson and media coordinator; and evaluating public affairs programs to develop strategies to solve problems. -OR- EDUCATION: Have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Transcripts Required) -OR- COMBINATION: Have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education in excess of two years combined with specialized experience as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements. (Transcripts Required) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Communications and MediaCustomer ServiceManages and Organizes InformationPartneringPlanning and Evaluating 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

IMPORTANT: 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 Iowa City VA Health Care System 601 Highway 6 West Iowa City, IA 52246 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]