TEMPORARY PROMOTION NTE ONE (1) YEAR extended in 120 day increments. The primary purpose of the Facility VHA public information program involves the presentation of the hospital mission, services and activities to the staff, members of the media, general public, veterans, local, state and federal officials and community groups in ways that most effectively achieve the VHA goals while contributing and supporting Veterans.

Duties

**THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROMOTION** This position is located within the Office of the Director. Serves as the Primary spokesperson for the Hospital, and as such is the point of contact for local and national media; is the liaison for veterans' service organizations, congressional staffs, community groups, professional organizations, etc. He/she conducts the public affairs program for the Hospital with responsibility for developing and providing staff direction involving all public information, internal communications. Often represents the Hospital Director, participating at public, civic or social events to improve perception of the Hospital as a valued part of the medical profession, government, and community. Conducts special studies involving communications, organization, and operation of Hospital functions. Duties include developing reports along with recommendations to the Hospital Director including implementation and monitoring strategies. Studies often consist of controversial and critical observations, interpretations, and findings that are independently presented with the resultant recommendations. Analyzes internal communication needs and develops publications or other information materials for staff, patients, volunteers, and others who contribute to the Hospital effectiveness and responsiveness. Works with staff and service chiefs in identifying their information needs and assisting them with the development and dissemination of appropriate materials. Undertakes other assignments, such as the coordination of special projects, at the direction of the Hospital Director. Special assignments could include coordination, participation and/or chairing special committees as assigned to meet stated objectives within a specific time frame. Plans, initiates, and implements comprehensive public affairs activities to enhance the understanding of the Hospital's programs among the general public and specialized groups and organizations. Has responsibility for the development, coordination, implementation and maintenance of public information and community relations programs that are designed to promote understanding, confidence and goodwill between the Hospital, surrounding communities, individuals, volunteers and groups who are interested in and affected by the VA. Analyzes Hospital information needs, goals and resources and tailors specific communication strategies using all media to reach target audiences both internal and external. Advises and makes recommendations to the Hospital director regarding the handling of media and community issue or concerns that have possible implications on the Hospital. Serves as the Hospital point of contact for the media and public information inquiries and as the liaison with other Hospitals, VA Central Office, VHA, VISN, and Veteran organizations in the areas of public information and community relations. Interacts with top officials of public and private sectors to enhance understanding among VAMCs and VHA's many publics, strengthening relationships. May be required to make presentations to audiences with opposing points of view or erroneous understanding of Hospital position to achieve a more balanced perception. Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of the public information programs for internal communications, media relations and community relations with the ultimate goal of achieving greater understanding of their facility's mission and programs. Undertakes other assignments, such as speech writing or coordination of special events/projects at the direction of the Hospital director. Other duties as assigned Temporary Promotion NTE ONE (1) YEAR extended in 120 day increments. The length of this temporary promotion is 120 days, with the possibility of being extended or becoming permanent without further competition. Work Schedule: M-F 07:30a-4:00p Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist - Temporary Promotion NTE 120 days/PD222800 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, 11/05/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but not limited to: analysis of operations for the purpose of proposing innovative solutions to problems; and in organizing, writing, developing and editing Information to make it meaningful to a wide array of audiences, including high level executives, politicians, volunteers, other VAs and Military Treatment Facilities, as well as the public. Must be capable of directing, planning, organizing, and executing various functions in support of the agency's delivery of both public and employee Information and services, via the web. Must possess the ability to manage workload, to develop efficient and effective processes that impact a number of offices within the jurisdiction, and to communicate with managers and staff at all levels and with the public. Must have a broad understanding of current and emerging web-based communications strategies and technologies, and the ability to creatively use these tools to meet critical management needs. Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience within public affairs Experience with Hospital Media Services Experience with publications You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunications and MediaOral CommunicationOrganizational AwarenessPlanning and EvaluatingProduction Support Service 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: Work is usually performed sitting at a desk, in news conferences, briefings, meetings, etc., or riding in an automobile or public transportation. There may be occasional brief visits to field sites, however no special physical demands are involved in performing the work. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Edward Hines Junior Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: Amy McCrary
• Phone: (708)953-5124
• Email: [email protected]