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Public Affairs Specialist

Patent and Trademark Office

Alexandria, VAFull-time$102–158K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$102–158K/yr
Location
Alexandria, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Job overview

The Public Affairs Specialist serves as the principal advisor to OCCO management, business unit executives, and senior USPTO leadership on social media aspects of digital engagement, online crisis communications, and digital brand reputation management. The role implements social media strategies, analyzes usage data, builds external stakeholder relationships, and liaises with the Website Management Branch. The position requires in-person work at the Alexandria campus, with situational telework potentially available under agency policy.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Social Media Publishing, nice to haveSocial Media Analytics, nice to haveSocial Media Strategy, nice to havePolicy Development, nice to haveAttention to Detail, nice to haveCustomer Service, nice to haveFlexibility, nice to haveInfluencing and Negotiating, nice to haveIntegrity and Honesty, nice to haveInterpersonal Skills, nice to haveLearning, nice to haveReading Comprehension, nice to haveReasoning, nice to haveSelf-Management, nice to haveStress Tolerance, nice to haveTeamwork, nice to have

Qualifications

GS-12 or GS-13 Specialized Experience, requiredTime-in-Grade Requirements, requiredSelective Service Registration, required

Full job description

Summary

This position is located in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of the Chief Communications Officer (OCCO). This position serves as the principal advisor to OCCO management, business unit executives, and senior USPTO leadership, regarding the social media aspects of digital engagement strategies, online crisis communications, and digital brand reputation management.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year. The individual selected for this position will... You enjoy implementing social media plans and strategies and specific tactics across social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.) You thrive at collecting and analyzing data and prepare reports to update OCCO staff on usage statistics. You are eager to building and maintaining relationships with external stakeholders and promote the USPTO's mission in social media platforms. You look forward to serving as a liaison with the department's Website Management Branch to assist customers in utilizing web technology in a manner to meet business goals. Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Administrative and Management Positions. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes: GS-12: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-11. Experience publishing dialogue-worthy social media content for an organization, company, or government agency on a daily basis which solicits feedback and opinions from the target audience; Experience analyzing effective use of social media on behalf of an organization, including using analytical techniques to assess effectiveness of a social media program and using that data to prepare and deliver reports to management; AND Experience developing plans and strategies to use social media to promote an organization's goals and objectives, and crafting policies and guidelines for its use in the organization. GS-13: For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-12. Experience leading the social media program of an organization, company, or government agency; Experience independently publishing dialogue-worthy social media content for an organization, company, or government agency on a daily basis which solicits feedback and opinions from the target audience; Experience independently analyzing effective use of social media on behalf of an organization, including using analytical techniques to assess effectiveness of a social media program and using that data to prepare and deliver reports to management; AND Experience independently developing plans and strategies to use social media to promote an organization's goals and objectives, and crafting policies and guidelines for its use in the organization. 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

Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level. How You Will Be Evaluated

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): Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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 best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. If referred all relevant documents submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the selecting official, due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3), during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13106040 The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity via email ([email protected]) or phone (571-272-8292). Other Information

Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. This is a Non Bargaining Unit position. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate". Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: OPM CTAP/ICTAP. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement. More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued. All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 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.

How this job compares

Set against the 422 open Public Affairs jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 13, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$102–158K/yr
  • Virginia median$120–176K/yr31 salary ranges
  • US median$153–224K/yr328 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $130K, is 11% below the Virginia median midpoint ($147K) — in the middle half of Public Affairs salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 50 open Public Affairs jobs in Virginia and 422 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
Public Affairs postings that state a minimum ask for 7 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 5 to 10 years (379 postings).
Education
119 of the 422 open Public Affairs jobs (28%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 13, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

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