This position is located at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), within Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at the State Office or designated location within the state. This position is a Public Affairs Specialist located in a designated NRCS State Office in the planning and carrying out information and public affairs activities in the assigned work area.

Duties

Assisting with the developing materials using a variety of media including newspapers and magazines, radio and television, exhibits, visual aids, newsletters and audiovisual presentations. Assisting with designing strategies and procedures to obtain opinions from a variety of audiences which are used for policy decisions within the NRCS. Establishing and maintaining effective professional relationships with local groups and with area representatives of media and conservation organizations concerned with agricultural and environmental issues. Coordinating print and broadcast media interviews with agency personnel and oversees agency activities involving agency media activities; provides photographs and other materials as required. Writing, assembling, editing, and reviewing stories and activities for inclusion in the State Newsletter, that represent activities of the state for the State Conservationist.

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. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
• 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assisting with developing communication materials for a variety of media, such as, websites, newspapers and magazines, radio and television, exhibits, visual aids, newsletters and social media; Assisting with designing strategies and procedures to obtain input and opinions from a variety of audiences used for policy decisions within an organization; and Working with media representatives and other public specialists to ensure ways to best communicate an organizations goals, programs and policies to the public. -OR- Education: Applicants must have successfully completed 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a masters or equivalent graduate degree, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. MUST submit transcripts. -OR- Combination: Applicants must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education, as described above. (To compute, first, determine your experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your graduate education as a percentage of the education required. Then add the two percentages. Only graduate education in excess of one full year may be used in this calculation. The total percentage must equal at least 100%). MUST submit transcripts. FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Developing communication materials for a variety of media, such as, websites, newspapers and magazines, radio and television, exhibits, visual aids, newsletters and social media; Designing strategies and procedures to obtain input and opinions from a variety of audiences used for policy decisions within an organization; and Maintaining professional relationships with local groups, media representatives and conservation organizations for coordinating activities, such as, print and broadcast media interviews, television and radio coverage, and media releases for an organization. -OR- Education: Applicants must have successfully completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. MUST submit transcripts. -OR- Combination: Applicants must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education, as described above. (To compute, first, determine your experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your graduate education as a percentage of the education required. Then add the two percentages. Only graduate education in excess of two full years may be used in this calculation. The total percentage must equal at least 100%). MUST submit transcripts. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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 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 Here

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.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Midwest Services Branch
• Phone: 8164265706
• Email: [email protected]