The Visual Communication Specialist is located at the Medical Media Section of the Education Service of the VA Medical Center in Birmingham, AL.

Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to: Meeting with the clients (e.g, author, editor, or program officials) to learn the information objectives of the projects, the points to be emphasized, the relationships to be stressed, and the relative degree of importance of various pieces of the information to be disseminated. Transforming written descriptions of subject matter into visual representations without the benefit of existing material. Transforming spoken or written descriptions of items, processes, issues or events into visual representations with benefit of existing pictures, models, or diagrams. Incorporating storytelling techniques into displays and photography and videography. Serving as a consultant to Medical Center employees regarding media requests, media guidelines, associated policies and regulations. Developing products that conveys messaging that creates an action from the viewer. Using sophisticated software applications, technology equipment, peripheral devices, and other technology used in the production of photography, videography and visual media in order to design, produces, edits, and disseminates a variety of graphic design applications, including but not limited to: web design, motion graphics, information graphics. Photographing and/or videotaping medical subject matter, public and non-public VA sponsored events, professional quality photographic portraits of medical center employees, and medico-legal photographs for the purpose of investigative or other legal reports. Assisting in the development of service annual budget call and business plan, by identifying media support need. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Visual Information Specialist/PD072990 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/12/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived. To qualify for the GS 1084 occupational series, applicants MUST possess the following (Your resume must reflect your response and or transcript required for education): Education: Undergraduate AND Graduate Education: Major study -- commercial art, fine arts, art history, industrial design, architecture, drafting, interior design, photography, visual communication, or other fields related to the position. Some positions may also require subject-matter knowledge of medicine, science, or technical equipment. Advanced training in a vocational school, technical institute, or art institute above the high school levelin one of the fields listed above is creditable as general experience on a month-for-month basis. OR Experience Specialized Experience: Experience in the actual type of work for which application is made. Unpaid experience is creditable, provided the work done was of a quality level and demonstrated the ability required for the position. This includes planning the preparation and use of photographs, illustrations, drawings, and other art work, charts, diagrams, dioramas, maps, slides, overlays, and other kinds of visual material for use in communicating information through visual means. Education and experience requirements: In addition to meeting the IOR above you must meet the specialized experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience and skills in capturing images using industry photography equipment, both still and video are preferred; Planning the details of developing a variety of conventional visual products that depict or present subject matter information or ideas; Designing producing, editing, and disseminating a variety of graphic design applications, including but not limited to: web design, motion graphics, information graphics, Veteran education and information materials, desktop publications, multimedia displays, and facility signage; and Using digital editing techniques and software such as Adobe Premier Pro and Photo Shop in order to produce quality visual images that promote facility publications, and to produce professional patient and staff education materials. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university in the amounts shown in the table meets the requirements for position at GS-11. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 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. 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. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Technical Competence Critical Thinking 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: The work can be done primarily while seated at the computer keyboard or light table. The work involves moderate risk or discomforts such as working with the computer keyboard for extended periods of time and eyestrain can be contributed with viewing computer monitors. 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

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 Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]