The Office of Public Affairs (PAO) guides and coordinates the federal law enforcement public information programs of certain Department of Justice organizations, including legal divisions, Bureaus, and U.S. Attorneys' Offices. PAO provides a large variety of important and critical information having nationwide and international impacts concerning the activities of various bureaus, divisions, boards, services, and field offices.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service. The Public Affairs Specialist is responsible for preparing, composing, and disseminating informational materials that explain and interpret the work of the Department's federal law enforcement initiatives. The basic duties and responsibilities include: Serves as a point of contact for the news media. Provides recommendations and analysis concerning communications matters and information production. Drafts a variety of written materials, including press releases, talking points, and fact sheets, designed to reach national audiences through the traditional and non-traditional news media. Provides informational materials on DOJ's federal law enforcement programs and activities to a wide range of internal and external Department stakeholders, including members of the news media, representatives of government agencies, state/county and city organizations, industry groups, and community groups.

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year trial/probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required, see the announcement for full details.
• Under Pathways Recent Graduate regulations, you are eligible only if you have graduated from an academic program of study or earned your degree within the last two years.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.
• If you are appointed to a position under this program, you will need to complete a requisite number of work and training hours, based on the agreement you will complete with the hiring office and the agency Pathways program coordinator.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.

Qualifications

This vacancy is open to RECENT GRADUATES, who have completed an academic program of study or degree program from a college, university, or vocational school within the last year from the date of this announcement. If you are appointed to a position under this program, you will need to complete a requisite number of work and training hours, based on the agreement you will complete with the hiring office and the agency Pathways program coordinator. After completing the required number of work and training hours, and meeting all other program requirements, you may be eligible for a conversion to a term or permanent appointment. To learn more about the specific requirements and conditions of the Pathways Recent Graduate program, please see the USAJOBS Students & Recent Graduates page, or the OPM Pathways Program site. To qualify for the position of Public Affairs Specialist (GS-1035-7/9), you must possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade. For the GS-07 Specialized Experience: For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Assisting staff with media events; AND Assembling news clips from a variety of sources. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on my official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. For the GS-09 Specialized Experience: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: Responding to requests for public affairs information; AND Writing informational materials for dissemination to targeted audiences via print or on-line news sources. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (10/28/2024) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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 more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Contacts

• Address Office of Public Affairs 2 Constitution Square 145 N Street NE Room 9W.300 Washington, DC 20530 US
• Name: Kana Hyman
• Phone: 202-340-6360
• Email: [email protected]