There are 4 positions available and are located in Region 9 on the Shawnee & Hoosier National Forests, Huron-Manistee National Forest, Monongahela National Forest, and the Superior National Forest. These positions are 20% supervisory. This position serves as a Public Affairs Specialist. Incumbent performs a wide variety of activities in planning and implementing a comprehensive public affairs program for the Forest. Please reference the Additional Information Section for contact information.

Duties

The responsibilities below are listed at the full performance level. Develop and/or implement the public affairs communication plans and program strategies in order to address critical and complex public issues. Represent the agency in meetings and discussions involving groups and organizations that oppose agency policies. Develop new ways of gathering input from groups with conflicting views in order to initiate new approaches in communicating the agency’s objectives. Provide input into the long-range planning and/or coordination of the overall Public Affairs program for the organization. Coordinate the communications campaigns needed to address critical public affairs issues. Narrate agency policies and/or programs with the region regarding social, economic and political trends. Implement and/or evaluate an organization’s communication program in order to inform employees regarding organizational policies and programs. Communicate agency principles and/or policies to the public in order to address complex and controversial issues regarding agency programs. Create written Public Affairs Campaigns for news media in order to explain agency service policies. Create written Public Affairs Campaigns for elected officials in order to explain agency service programs. Write effective evaluation campaigns to advise the public on best practices and/or programs. Devise appropriate communication method for each public affairs campaign in order to establish two-way communication with the public, news media, and elected officials. Analyze the public’s reaction and/or recommend changes to improve understanding of the Public Affairs Program. Monitor and/or evaluate how effectively information has been communicated to employees in order to improve employee productivity and morale. Participate in the evaluation of the effectiveness of agency issue management programs and/or implement improvements.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-11 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least to the GS-09 grade level; OR 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; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a Master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). Examples of specialized experience includes meeting two or more of the following: Prepared written materials to promote the organization's position; Assisted in the creation of communication plans or campaigns; Assisted in the evaluation and analysis of public comments on management issues; Identified areas to be addressed, characteristics and needs of the target audience, and most appropriate communication techniques; Developed recommended approaches and drafted material for supervisor's approval; Developed and presented informational audio-visual material using new technologies and social media. For the GS-12 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Examples of specialized experience includes meeting two or more of the following: Established and maintained effective working relationships at multiple levels within an organization to develop and disseminate coordinated messages that accurately address organizational programs; Prepared written materials to promote the organization's position on a variety of sensitive, controversial and/or complex issues; Designed and tailored meetings and public involvement strategies to audiences that involved a degree of controversy; Drafted communication plans or campaigns. 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. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See Qualifications Section.

Contacts

• Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Albuquerque, NM 87109 US
• Name: HRM Contact Center
• Phone: 1-877-372-7248 X2
• Email: [email protected]