This position is located at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York. The Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist is responsible to the Deputy Superintendent for appropriate external affairs of the Academy including: public information, website and social media content management, Academy protocol, Congressional liaison, industry, military and community liaison and relations, and other Academy matters involving public affairs.
The ideal candidate for this position will be a professional with proven experience managing a public affairs program for an organization and/or region. This should include developing and implementing comprehensive nationwide communications and marketing projects, establishing and maintaining productive working partnerships with news media, directing and managing the production of executive speeches, presentations, briefings, and special reports, analyzing feedback from the media, program officials, the public, and stakeholders, preferably on a college/university campus or military installation.
Summary
This position is located at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York. The Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist is responsible to the Deputy Superintendent for appropriate external affairs of the Academy including: public information, website and social media content management, Academy protocol, Congressional liaison, industry, military and community liaison and relations, and other Academy matters involving public affairs.
The ideal candidate for this position will be a professional with proven experience managing a public affairs program for an organization and/or region. This should include developing and implementing comprehensive nationwide communications and marketing projects, establishing and maintaining productive working partnerships with news media, directing and managing the production of executive speeches, presentations, briefings, and special reports, analyzing feedback from the media, program officials, the public, and stakeholders, preferably on a college/university campus or military installation.
As a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist, you will:
Develop, coordinate and supervise Academy public relations and public information programs in accordance with established Maritime Administration and Academy policies. Plan, develop and implement comprehensive nationwide communications and marketing projects, campaigns, and publications to convey public information about USMMA programs, strategic initiatives, services, and activities.
Serve as Academy Protocol Officer, supervising arrangements for all civilian, military and political VIP visitors, Academy official functions and activities which have a public relations or public information orientation. Serve as primary contact and coordinator for all congressional inquiries and requests and maintain oversight on pending and enacted congressional legislation that impacts on the Academy. Coordinate with the Director of Admissions congressional contacts and activities related to the admissions programs.
Serve as primary liaison with Academy Alumni Association and its sub-groups, the American Merchant Marine Museum, the Kings Point Maritime Association, Melville Hall, and other institutional promotional organizations. Promote and coordinate beneficial Academy/external organization joint activities; Maintain schedule of public appearances and public speaking at external organizational functions to promote the Academy and its programs. Manage the coordination and response to information requests from the news media and others.
Supervise and maintain a coordinated Academy-wide master calendar which consolidates both internal and external events and activities. Lead formulation and delivery of a proactive national media strategy which includes social media. Serve as primary Academy supervisor and coordinator for major Academy events (Congressional Board of Visitors, Homecoming Weekend, Parents’ Weekend, Graduation Weekend, Community Day, all formal regimental parades, Battle Standard Dinner, etc.) Exercise general oversight and supervision over the development and production of Academy admissions and public information publications.
Function as Congressional Liaison Officer, serving as prime coordinator for all Academy telephonic and written communication with congressional offices. Maintain ongoing contact with congressional office personnel for public relations issues and matters. Maintain active communication and liaison with industry, military and community organizations as necessary to assist the fulfillment of the Academy mission; Establish and maintain effective relationships with news media and with influential specialized groups interested in USMMA activities and initiatives.
You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify.
Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
Review Required Documents Section as documents are required by closing date
This position is telework eligible.
Job announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 60 days.
This is an Excepted Service position.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed).
SECURITY BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: You must be able to obtain and retain a Government contractor-issued travel card to be used for official business as a condition of employment.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirements.
To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the following:
Experience managing a public affairs program for a region, with responsibility for planning, developing, and communicating the organization's programs, policies, and activities to the regional public.
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.
Highly Desirable: A professional with proven experience managing a public affairs program that involves public information, protocol, Congressional liaison, industry, military and community liaison and relations, and other matters involving public affairs, preferably on a college/university campus or military installation.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Additional information
It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual’s employment experience will be used only to determine the person’s qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual’s personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration. Ultimately, the Automated Staffing Office is responsible for determining an applicant's eligibility. Please ensure that your resume provide enough detail to support your answers to the Vacancy Specific Questions. To preview questions please click here.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents must be provided by the closing date:
RESUME: Showing relevant experience and education and fully supporting the required specialized experience.
COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.
VETERANS: In order to be considered as preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. If you are claiming compensably disabled preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. Additional information on veterans' preference is available in the Vet's Guide at: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx
SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS - If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility (e.g. military spouse or persons with disabilities), you must provide appropriate supporting documentation such as PCS orders describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability, etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments. Documents are only required if requesting non-competitive consideration.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET) at (202) 366-1298. You may also email us at Transjobs@dot.gov.
DOT, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, DC 20590
US
Next steps
Within two weeks of the vacancy closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will issue certificate(s), or list(s) of applications, which will then be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration. At this point, you may check online to see if your application was referred by logging in at MYUSAJOBS and clicking on "Applications."
From this point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for hire, they will do so directly. Otherwise, when a selection is made, we will update your application status online and the Human Resources Specialist for the vacancy will notify you by email.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents must be provided by the closing date:
RESUME: Showing relevant experience and education and fully supporting the required specialized experience.
COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.
VETERANS: In order to be considered as preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. If you are claiming compensably disabled preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. Additional information on veterans' preference is available in the Vet's Guide at: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx
SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS - If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility (e.g. military spouse or persons with disabilities), you must provide appropriate supporting documentation such as PCS orders describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability, etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments. Documents are only required if requesting non-competitive consideration.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET) at (202) 366-1298. You may also email us at Transjobs@dot.gov.
DOT, MARITIME ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, DC 20590
US
Next steps
Within two weeks of the vacancy closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will issue certificate(s), or list(s) of applications, which will then be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration. At this point, you may check online to see if your application was referred by logging in at MYUSAJOBS and clicking on "Applications."
From this point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for hire, they will do so directly. Otherwise, when a selection is made, we will update your application status online and the Human Resources Specialist for the vacancy will notify you by email.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
