This position serves as a Public Affairs Specialist on the assigned State Public Affairs Office (SPAO) staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) .The incumbent will serve as Public Affairs Specialist on the SPAO staff working closely with state NRCS leadership, the State Outreach Coordinator, Program Managers, Field Office staffs, Conservation Partners, local congressional representatives and others.

Duties

Communicates NRCS mission and vision throughout the assigned counties located in the state and to employees, conservation partners, landowners, and others. Provides communication guidance and advice to state leadership and field staff to ensure that land managers, conservation partners, non-traditional audiences, policy-makers, and others are informed about NRCS programs and assistance. Analyzes employee informational training needs for the state, and composes communication materials for use in internal informational and training programs. Reviews and edits manuscripts from the zone for publications, technical reports, demonstration project plans, and papers presented at meetings and conferences. Arranges for submission of feature articles, photographs, news stories, and other types of information for use by media and industry groups and partners. Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with other federal, state and local agencies and private organizations on resource issues relating to underserved audiences.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US 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.
• Direct Deposit – 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 at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Specialized Experience:To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through federal service, which has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Assist with coordinating and carrying out public affairs program requirements; experience in cooperative relations and communication techniques as it relates to fostering relationships and interests amongst all segments of the general public; planning, executing, and evaluating the effectiveness of information and communication strategies to ensure all organizational goals are met; identifying communication needs. Assist with developing information and/or policy formulation materials that inform the public as well as management of various agency activities (i.e., pertinent public affairs policies, programs, services, and activities); and advising management officials on potential public reactions to proposed programs and policies (i.e natural resources conservation programs); OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: 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 of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Specialized Experience:To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through federal service, which has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Coordinating and carrying out public affairs program requirements; extensive experience in cooperative relations and communication techniques as it relates to fostering relationships and interests amongst all segments of the general public; planning, executing, and evaluating the effectiveness of information and communication strategies to ensure all organizational goals are met; identifying communication needs. Developing information and/or policy formulation materials that inform the public as well as management of various agency activities (i.e., pertinent public affairs policies, programs, services, and activities); and advising management officials on potential public reactions to proposed programs and policies (i.e natural resources conservation programs). Note: There is no substitution for education at the GS-12 grade level. 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

Education

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration.

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. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: 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. Click on this link for more information.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Cotrena Sherman
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]