This position, located at the Oklahoma City VA HCS, serves as the point of contact for local, national and international media and is the liaison for veterans' service organizations, congressional staffs, community groups, professional organizations, etc.

Duties

Major duties of this position include but are not limited to.... Represents the Medical Center director, participating at public, civic or social events to improve perception of the Medical Center as a valued part of the medical profession, government and community Conducts special studies involving communications, organization and operation of Medical Center functions, including developing reports along with recommendations to the Medical Center Director including implementation and monitoring strategies Analyzes internal communication needs and develops publications or other information materials for staff, patients, volunteers and others who contribute to the Medical Center effectiveness and responsiveness Works with staff and service chiefs in identifying their information needs and assisting them with the development and dissemination of appropriate materials Undertakes other assignments, such as coordination of special projects, at the direction of the Medical Center Director. Special assignments could include coordination, participation and/or chairing special committees as assigned to meet stated objectives within a specific time frame Analyzes Medical Center information needs, goals and resources and tailors specific communication strategies using all media to reach target audiences both internal and external Advises and makes recommendations to the Medical Center director regarding the handling of media and community issue or concerns that have possible implications on the Medical Center Serves as the Medical Center point of contact for the media and public information inquiries and as the liaison with other medical centers, central office, the VHA VISN, and veteran organizations in the areas of public information and community relations Interacts with top officials of public and private sector to enhance understanding among VAMCs and VHA's many publics, strengthening relationships. May be required to make presentations to audiences with opposing points of view or erroneous understanding of Medical Center position to achieve a more balanced perception Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of the public information programs for internal communications, media relations and community relations with the ultimate goal of achieving greater understanding of their facility's mission and programs Coordinates photo coverage of programs and activities with medical media production service. Provides guidance in the area of photography for public information purposes Localizes material prepared for general release to the media; works with the VHACO and VACO Public Affairs Program Offices in the development of unified action on news stories that may have significant impact; markets information items to appropriate local and regional print and electronic media, and utilizes general and specialized news media to disseminate consumer information to various publics Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Public Affairs Specialist/PD142430 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2023. 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 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. 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 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 of 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.....the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of individuals to effectively gain support for VA/VHA VISN/VAMC programs; knowledge of communication principles, methods, practices and techniques; analytical methods; and into personal relations practices; skilled in applying such knowledge in modifying and applying standard approaches to difficult and complex public affairs problems by developing or evaluating information programs enhancing understanding among publics opposed or indifferent to Medical Center programs; knowledgeable of Medical Center programs, policies and activities to present this information accurately to employees, the media and the community and to make the judgments necessary for a balanced presentation of information; knowledge and skill to analyze public reaction to programs and policies in developing recommendations that significantly modify the Medical Center's major programs or policies; and integrating diverse points of view in a communication plan in establishing and maintaining mutual understanding with various publics....OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completedPh.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. 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 the graduate-level of education. Specialized Experience GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to...the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of individuals to effectively gain support for VA/VHA VISN/VAMC programs; knowledge of communication principles, methods, practices and techniques; analytical methods; and into personal relations practices; highly skilled in applying such knowledge in modifying and applying standard approaches to difficult and complex public affairs problems by developing or evaluating information programs enhancing understanding among publics opposed or indifferent to Medical Center programs; knowledgeable of Medical Center programs, policies and activities to present this information accurately to employees, the media and the community and to make the judgments necessary for a balanced presentation of information; knowledge and skill to analyze public reaction to programs and policies in developing recommendations that significantly modify the Medical Center's major programs or policies; and integrating diverse points of view in a communication plan in establishing and maintaining mutual understanding with various publics; must possess knowledge of principles and techniques of written, oral, visual, and personal communications that enable the incumbent to implement a comprehensive public affairs program involving public information, internal communication, and community relations; acts as the resource within the Medical Center and informs counsel management and staff on the appropriate and most effective application of the public affairs initiatives and the evaluation of the impact of public issues; Medical Center programs, policies and activities to present this information accurately to employees, the media and the community and to make the judgments necessary for a balanced presentation of information; establishes and maintains effective working relationships with a wide variety of individuals to be effective in obtaining support for program implementation and maintenance; designs and implements a marketing plan for the Medical Center and the ability to conceive and coordinate slide shows, videotapes and other audiovisual products Preferred Experience: Manages the Public Affairs program responsible for community outreach and stakeholder relations, crisis communication, media relations, Congressional relations, internal and external communications, Public Affairs planning, and VA protocol compliance You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunications and MediaCritical 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: 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

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 Oklahoma City VA Health Care System 921 Northeast 13th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104 US
• Name: Etola Nesbitt
• Phone: 843-789-6036
• Email: [email protected]