This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Superintendent's Office. THIS IS A MERIT PROMOTION ANNOUNCEMENT. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/14/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

The National Park Service seeks a detail-oriented, creative communicator and spokesperson to share park information and stories and through the news media and digital media to connect people to the many opportunities for recreation and learning in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Major Duties Great Smoky Mountains National Park serves diverse local communities, attracts visitors from around the world, and reaches millions more through digital media. The Public Affairs Specialist will represent the National Park Service and support park staff in sharing information and stories with these many audiences, through the news media, web, and social media. The Public Affairs Specialist will develop and implement communication strategies for the park to connect people with opportunities to have fun and learn in the park, to share information on topics such as visitor safety and park resources, and more. This position will serve as a spokesperson for the National Park Service and will provide on-the-record responses to media inquiries, pitch story ideas, and guide park staff as they communicate with the media. This position supports event planning in parks and organizes media tours and availabilities. The Public Affairs Specialist will research, write, edit, and distribute content for news releases, web and digital media, and more, and support and advise park staff as they create content. The position will also draft remarks for park leadership and share information internally with park staff. The position also collaborates with park partners on strategic communication efforts. The Public Affairs Specialist reports to the Chief of Staff for Great Smoky Mountains National Park within the Office of the Superintendent. Area/Duty Station Information This position serves as the Public Affairs Specialist at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). At 522,427 acres, GRSM is one of the largest parks in the eastern United States. The Park contains 384 miles of roads; 930 miles of backcountry trails; 104 designated backcountry campsites; over 300 miles of boundary; 66 species of mammals; 200 species of birds; 39 species of reptiles, 43 species of amphibians; 68 species of fish; 730 miles of fishable streams; 342 structures, 97 of them historic; 10 auto campgrounds; and 3 major developed areas with concession operations. The park also manages the Foothills Parkway, used by millions of non-recreational motorists. The park is located in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina and is surrounded by five counties and National Forest land. Duty station is near Gatlinburg, TN, located within an hour drive of Knoxville. The area provides a wide range of residential communities, good schools and recreational opportunities.

Requirements

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED: Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. QUALIFICATIONS: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/14/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Supporting or managing communications and/or partnerships programming in a complex, medium to large organization, developing communications plans to respond to complicated, sensitive, and/or controversial issues for internal and external audiences, coordinating multiple partner organizations to develop work plans and accomplish mutual goals. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 fully years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or a LL.M, if related. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. Applicants, as they progress in the selection process, may be asked to provide writing samples to demonstrate their skill in creating public communication materials, including, but not limited to, news releases, talking points/key messages, and communications plans. Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.


ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

Contacts

• Address Great Smoky Mountains National Park DO NOT SEND MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738 US
• Name: Jessica Armenta
• Email: [email protected]