Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

This position is located at Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Enterprise Communications and Public Affairs Division. As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will advance the effective implementation of media relations, social and digital media, and other promotional strategies to increase visibility, strengthen credibility, and drive adoption of BFS programs.

Duties

As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will: Serve as a specialist on media initiatives. Develop and foster effective working relationships and conduct outreach with major print, broadcast, and web-based media reporters, writers, and bloggers, including those in the financial press to further goals for bureau programs. Monitor news channels and social media to stay abreast of issues affecting the bureau. Develop executive summaries and high-level reports. Assist with events, campaigns, interviews, and tapings with the objective of garnering positive, fair, and accurate coverage. Support conference and event participation through outreach and promotion. Respond to media inquiries about Bureau of Fiscal Service programs and activities. Provide prompt and accurate responses to media inquiries and coordinate responses with assistant commissioners, program staff, and the Office of the Chief Counsel. Assist with preparing documents for senior executives for media interviews, external speaking events, and video projects, creating briefing materials and talking points, providing strategic recommendations, and assisting with coaching sessions. Requirements

PLEASE NOTE: Based on the current hiring restrictions, selectees may be subject to additional approvals prior to an offer being extended. All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding. Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. Key Requirements: Please refer to the "Additional Information" section for additional Conditions of Employment. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying. To preview the application questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13045421 Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé. Specialized Experience for the GS-12, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience developing content for various communication products including, blogs/articles and brochures. AND Experience establishing and maintaining working relationships with media and other stakeholders in order to convey information to target audiences outside and inside the organization. AND Experience evaluating and improving communication quality and effectiveness.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (ex: resume and supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and the results of the online assessments required for this position. Be sure your resume includes enough detail to support your qualifications. 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 To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment that measures critical general competencies needed to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications or experience in your application materials or questionnaire may result in removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in removal from consideration. This announcement uses the Rule of Many, a numerical ranking process under which eligible applicants receive a numeric score based on the assessment process for the position. Only applicants who are eligible for veterans' preference receive 5- or 10-point veterans' preference points, which are added to passing scores, as applicable. Applicants are then listed on the certificate in score order, and preference-eligible applicants are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles with the same score. Qualified preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are listed at the top of the certificate in rating order. This announcement uses the cut-off score referral method under 5 CFR 332.402(b)(1). Applicants who achieve or exceed the established cut-off score of 95 will be referred for consideration. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy are available, we may lower the cut score in accordance with our pre-announced supplement strategy and applicable policy until a minimum of three candidates per vacancy are eligible to be referred. When a new cut score is established, all applicants tied at that cut score will also be referred. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), achieve a well-qualified score of 85 or higher to receive priority consideration. A Subject Matter Expert (SME) may be used in the rating and ranking process. Referral: All candidates who meet all the qualifications and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Optional Essay Questions Applicants may choose to respond to four short essay questions (200 words max each) to help us better understand your alignment with the agency's mission. These responses are optional and will not affect the applicant's eligibility. Other Information

OTHER INFORMATION: We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Factors such as cost effectiveness, labor market conditions and difficulties in filling the position will be reviewed in determining if payment of relocation expenses is in the best interest of the Government. This position is a Non Sensitive High Risk Public Trust position. Student loan repayment may be offered. We offer opportunities for telework. We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules. This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov). Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes: Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards. Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year. Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire. A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums. A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions. 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. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)