This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Durham VA Health Care System (DVAHCS), in the Public Affairs Office.

Duties

MAJOR DUTIES: Visual Communication Design, Planning and Management 70% Performs visual information work communicating information for medical/scientific presentations and public affairs activities. Work includes the production of posters, exhibits, brochures, newsletters, resource guides, patient and stakeholder education materials, PowerPoint presentations, diagrams, graphs, charts, and photographs for a variety of communication mediums including print, web uploads, digital, etc. The work requires a working knowledge of social media formatting and display; the ability to apply the principles of visual design; knowledge of the technical characteristics associated with various methods of visual display; and ability to present subject matter information in a visual form that will convey the intended message to, or have the desired effect on, the intended audience. Knowledge of and skill in working with a variety of art media and commercial or graphic art techniques to carry out the assigned work in accordance with relevant policies and regulations. Works independently and/or with subject matter experts to determine the most effective strategies for visual communications. Incumbent serves as quality control for all printed material across the organization, ensuring compliance of the facility's branding guidelines across all visual materials such as graphics and illustrations used in the communication of information. Makes the initial decisions on design matters such as size, layout, kind and quality of materials, medium, color schemes, typography, lighting effects, specific visual elements or materials to be incorporated (e.g., photos, illustrations, or artifacts), reproduction methods, or fabrication techniques. Applies knowledge of techniques of multiple reproduction processes including four-color process offset printing, embossing, foil stamping, lithographs, and large format photo/exhibit production. Judges the reproduction quality of visual art products and Page 1 of 5 illustrations and demonstrates advanced understanding of the advantages and limitations of various reproduction processes, including reproduction costs and lead times. Determines the most effective visual strategies for communicating information to the target audiences. The incumbent studies the text to determine optimum visual presentation, recommends the best visual approach for projects including passages to be illustrated, selected the illustrative material and plans design of each element, segment or page. As part of this determination, considers the subject matter of the visual material, audience characteristics, design trends, design principles, and reproduction methods and techniques against costs for the preparation of the visual material. The incumbent produces Section 508 compliant designs for Internet/intranet site uploads. This includes planning flow to accommodate such assistive devices as assistive readers, alt tags, and other elements required to ensure 508 compliance. Alerts the Service Chief and Service Line staff of potential problems. Carries out special assignments as assigned. Reproduction, Planning & Management 30% Utilizes numerous graphic design software packages including Adobe Creative Suite (includes InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), Corel Draw, Power Point, etc. Prepares all visual materials for reproduction in correct format, ensuring completed design files and all elements are provided to printers or other reproduction means, reviewing proofs for design, color and other elements ensuring overall quality of all visual arts projects. The incumbent independently plans reproduction methods such as binding, paper specifications, number of ink colors, varnishes, etc. for commercial printing/reproduction, and coordinates with Government Printing Office and GPO vendors to complete reproduction. Maintains responsibility for processing requests for reproduction services and related activities in accordance with the priorities established by the supervisor, with top priority consideration established for the processing of forms and literature directly affecting/related to patient care. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Authorized (Ad-hoc) Position Description/PD#: Visual Information Spec/PD068150 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 12/15/2023. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Basic Individual Occupational Requirement: You must first meet the Basic Requirements for this position as described below. Transcripts are REQUIRED. You must possess an Undergraduate and/or 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? Advanced training in a vocational school, technical institute, or art institute above the high school level in one of the fields listed above is creditable as general experience on a month-for-month basis. OR You must possess the Specialized 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. Additional Qualification Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must have specialized experience or directly related to the position as described below. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 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 in graphic design using the full Adobe Creative Suite; knowledge and experience of operating large scale printers for the use of mass reproduction; attention to detail, and strong organizational skills. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:Customer ServiceQuality AssuranceTechnical CompetenceTechnology ApplicationWritten Communication 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 requires some physical exertion such as continual movement of hand and arms, standing, reaching, bending and climbing as well as lifting materials up to 10 pounds. May occasionally handle items weighing up to 30 pounds. Requires ability to distinguish shades of color. 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.

PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Contacts

• Address Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: Keyanna Davis
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]