Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia's mission is to enforce the criminal laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, and respond to the public safety needs of the community by leading an effective, well-coordinated law enforcement effort that contributes to the overall goal of improving the quality of life in the District of Columbia.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the Front Office of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. As the Supervisory Public Affairs Officer, you will provide oversight to designing, conducting, and managing the public, media, and information programs for the United States Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, which is the largest most complex and case-intensive office in the United States. Typical work assignments will include: Supervises and directs the Public Affairs team, assigning work, setting priorities and deadlines, monitoring performance, and ensuring high-quality communications products. Develops and executes strategic communications plans supporting the mission and priorities of the U.S. Attorney's Office. Reviews and edits press releases, statements, talking points, speeches, media advisories, and other public-facing materials for accuracy, clarity, consistency, and compliance with Department of Justice policies. Leads media relations and proactive communications, including managing local and national media relationships, responding to media inquiries, and identifying opportunities to increase coverage of the Office's cases, initiatives, and priorities. Oversees the Office's social media and digital communications strategy, overseeing content across platforms and identifying opportunities to expand reach and engagement. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Qualifications

This position is also being announced to all US Citizens and Nationals under 27-DC-13080000-DE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required basic requirement and specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: Supervising public affairs or communications staff by assigning work, establishing priorities and deadlines, monitoring performance, and reviewing communications products; Developing and implementing strategic communications plans and providing communications advice to senior leadership on sensitive matters; Preparing, reviewing, and editing press releases, statements, talking points, speeches, media advisories, and other public-facing communications; Managing media, digital, and social-media communications, including responding to media inquiries, coordinating messaging with partner agencies, or producing content for media and digital platforms. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT 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). 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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. You must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted; recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).

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 on 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): 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. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13080001 Other Information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this Moderate Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here. Special Hiring Authorities for Military Spouse and Family Members: FedsHireVets - OPM.gov Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.