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Public Affairs Specialist

National Gallery of Art

Washington, DCFull-time$122–158K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$122–158K/yr
Location
Washington, DC
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Job overview

The Public Affairs Specialist works in the National Gallery of Art’s Communications Office, supporting integrated communications plans that share the Gallery’s collection, programs, and resources. The role builds media and stakeholder relationships, promotes programs in domestic and international markets, and supports communications and public relations strategies. It also prepares background materials and coordinates briefings and audiovisual aids for Gallery personnel and media representatives.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

External AffairsStakeholder ManagementInformation ManagementData AnalysisOutreach CampaignsArt Community KnowledgePublic RelationsMedia Relations StrategiesCommunications CampaignsMedia TrainingMedia MonitoringWriting

Qualifications

One Year Specialized ExperienceGS-12 Equivalent Experience

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match

Full job description

Summary

We are the nation's art museum, home to a renowned collection of over 160,000 works of art from antiquity to today. Millions of people come through our doors each year—with even more online—making us one of the most visited art museums in the world. Located on the National Mall, admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

Duties

This position is located in the Communications Office (DD-COM) of the National Gallery of Art, reporting to the Chief of Communications (DD-COM Chief) which is charged with the integrated communications activities of the Gallery. The primary purpose of DD-COM is to create and implement integrated communications plans on behalf of the Gallery, aimed at sharing our collection, programs, and resources with the public we serve. Duties for this position include. Establish, develop, and maintain effective relationships with media representatives and other key stakeholders, providing timely, continual information on National Gallery programs. Develop and carry out integrated promotion and outreach strategies for programs in portfolio, including in international markets, with the goal of increasing visibility, attendance, strengthening the brand and driving engagement. Supports department leadership in formulating and implementing communication and public relations strategies, including in areas beyond a traditional press officer's portfolio. Prepares background information, coordinates briefing sessions, and obtains necessary audiovisual aids to assist NGA personnel and media representatives in producing articles broadcasts, and presentations. Requirements

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. Qualifications

Specialized Experience Statement: Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service or private sector; experience serving as a principal media contact for press and communications office in an art museum; producing and implementing integrated public relation and communications plans; cultivating/growing a portfolio of press contacts; devising creative strategies for engaging key stakeholders around events AND growing the reach and influence of an arts or cultural institution focusing on new audiences. OPM Qualifications Standard: Public Affairs Series 1035 Associated Group standard General Schedule Qualification Standards Merit promotion applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to submit writing and/or work samples as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing and/or work sample as part of its selection process, the vacancy contact will reach out to you by email to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

Education

This position does not have an education requirement. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Knowledge of External Affairs Skill in Stakeholder Management Ability to manage and organize information Knowledge of data analysis Ability to manage outreach campaigns Knowledge of art community Knowledge of Public Relations Ability to develop media relations strategies Ability to develop public relations and communications campaigns Ability to conduct media training and media monitoring Skilled in writing A Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official. All qualified non-competitive applicants and all qualified Merit applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Benefits

The Federal Government offers a comprehensive benefits package. Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/ Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/ Other Information

The National Gallery of Art fosters a fair workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The EEO policy is found at: https://www.nga.gov/employment-opportunities/equal-employment-opportunity More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement. This position is included in the bargaining unit. Relocation expenses will not be paid. Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center - Equal employment opportunity policy Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/reasonable-accommodation Veterans Information: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements visit the following websites: Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses Other Special Appointment Authorities Reasonable Accommodation Requests: To learn more, please consult the following resources: Disability Employment - Reasonable Accommodations (OPM) How to contact an agency

How this job compares

Set against the 497 open Public Affairs jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 6, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$122–158K/yr
  • Washington, D.C. median$144–187K/yr47 salary ranges
  • US median$160–231K/yr414 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $140K, is 11% below the Washington, D.C. median midpoint ($158K) — in the middle half of Public Affairs salary ranges in Washington, D.C..

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 56 open Public Affairs jobs in Washington, D.C. and 497 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Washington, D.C.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Public Affairs postings that state a minimum ask for (median 8 years, across 451 postings).
Education
119 of the 497 open Public Affairs jobs (24%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 6, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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