This position is within the Management Systems Care Line at the Syracuse VA Medical Center in Syracuse, NY. The Public Affairs Specialist is a member of the Network 2 (VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York) Marketing/Communications Council and as such, supports the marketing/communications activities of the Network/Local Care Lines of the five member VA medical centers (Syracuse-Albany-­Buffalo/Batavia-Canandaigua-Bath).

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Assists top management and VA staff in matters concerning media and acts as principal liaison between the medical center and the media; Plans local media materials, researches appropriate historical, factual and/or policy information and writes news and feature releases and public service announcements on a variety of subjects pertaining to the VA facility and to Veterans issues; Directs media representatives to the ground floor entrance; Ensures that all VA interviewees are prompt and briefed; Addresses all appropriate media requests to help ensure that the interview is carried out effectively; Sets up news (press) conferences with little notice regarding timely issues and/or matters of urgency; Informs Syracuse VA top management (including the Director, Care Line Managers), the Network Office and the Regional Office of Public Affairs, New York City on matters of controversy; Provides marketing/communication/promotional support for the ongoing enrollment events, designed to educate/attract Veterans to VA healthcare; Creates media campaigns which require strong writing and conceptual skills necessary to produce effective public service announcements; Provides marketing/promotional support for the recruitment of VA staff; Researches and measures the impact and dollar effectiveness of the public affairs activities and advises the Medical Center Director and network staff on where and how to utilize dollars targeted for public affairs activities; Possesses the skills to produce (write, produce, direct) instructional/educational videos for use by VA staff, Veterans, their family members and VA stakeholders; Handles all requests for information from outside sources if the Syracuse VA Medical Center is involved in a disaster; Responsible for ongoing communication with media throughout the coverage area of Central New York for the purpose of building/maintaining awareness of the Syracuse VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), located in Potsdam, Watertown, Rome, Oswego, Auburn, Ithaca and Binghamton; Provides and creates speech material for the Medical Center Director and other Syracuse VA Administrative staff; Keeps the County/New York State Veteran Service Officers up to date on VA issues and upcoming Syracuse VA outreach events in their area; Invites local media personalities for the purpose of hosting/serving as master of ceremonies (MC) or participates in auditorium events for drawing support of VA activities throughout the year; Promotes diversity in the workplace and in all Media Auditorium Programs; Works closely with the Syracuse Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Manager promoting and planning numerous media activities throughout the year such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Observance, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Hispanic Recognition Month, Asian American Recognition Month, etc.; Works closely with the Marketing Officer (Veteran Service Officer) and Marketing Representative to promote and assist of the planning for upcoming enrollment events and other forms of VA outreach activities; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm. 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-12 level, you must meet the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Public Affairs Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes conducting the public affairs program for an organization; applying advanced communication and analytical practices, methods and techniques to the solution of complex public affairs problems; planning, developing and producing a variety of materials and publications (print, visual, Web-based, multimedia and video materials) to promote understanding of various points of view or ideas; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with media representatives and organization program officials; and coordinating and implementing special events, ceremonies, outreach campaigns and other activities to generate public awareness of organization's mission. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA POLITICAL SAVY TEAMWORK 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: The work of this position 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 Syracuse VA Medical Center 800 Irving Ave Syracuse, NY 13210 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]