Public Affairs Specialist (Communications Coordinator)

Summary

This position is located within the National Office Fire and Safety, Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) organization and will be located on a Forest Service unit. Incumbent is responsible for providing direction for internal and external strategic communications and outreach activities supporting the Forest Service mission in the disciplines of fire and/or aviation management. For more information about the duties of this position, contact Anthony "AJ" Bethas at [email protected]

Duties

• Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in planning, organizing, and directing the overall strategic communication program in support of FAM mission, projects, and programs.
• Participates in program policy formulation; advises on potential public reaction to proposed policies, plans, and actions; and determines appropriate communication strategies, goals, and objectives.
• Assists the FAM Chief of Staff in providing advice and recommendations to the National Fire Leadership Team in the formulation of policies and development of communication plans and contingency plans.
• Works with the Office of Communication to provide overall direction and authoritative guidance for all internal, external, media, web, print, mobile, and social media activities related to fire and aviation topics of the Forest Service.
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with USDA and the Forest Service employees, communication program representatives at the field level, news media, business professionals, civil leaders, and the general public.
• Coordinates program activities for the FAM communication branch.
• Provides leadership, allocates resources, and implements activities to accomplish Forest Service FAM multicultural organization direction and Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights requirements, goals, policies, and objectives.
• Performs supervisory duties 20% or less of the time.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov New Forest Service supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program within a year of the effective date of the position. There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however, applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Specialized Experience Requirement: GS-14 level: You must have one-year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience may include: Organized and led communication outreach efforts for a program of national scope and significance; developed and transmitted informational materials to a variety of audiences to enhance the understanding of certain attitudes and practices advocated by an organization for the planned and efficient use of natural resources; analyzed and evaluated program needs to advise officials of the information that should be made available to the public or approaches to take to attain program goals; established and maintained effective working relationships with agency leadership, specialists and representatives of external organizations; and used a variety of methods and techniques in achieving communication goals such as news releases, radio and television scripts, feature articles, personal appearances, news conferences, exhibits, brochures, and digital media. 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. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position. 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): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience 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. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12971116 Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. This is a permanent, full-time position and may include weekend work. Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel Help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email [email protected] New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required new supervisory training program within a year of the effective date of the position. This is a non-bargaining unit position. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: 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.