NSF is relocating to Alexandria, Virginia. In late summer of 2017, NSF will begin the transition from its current location in Arlington, Virginia to 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314. The new location is adjacent to a Metro station (Eisenhower Avenue on the Yellow Line) and there is ample parking in the area. There are several amenities nearby, such as restaurants, hotels, and shops.
NSF has the advantages of a small agency environment that fosters collaboration, creativity and opportunities to contribute to major agency-wide projects. Consistently ranked by its employees as one of the top federal agencies in managing its workforce, NSF maintains a creative, flexible, and collegial atmosphere and is respected in both the public and private sectors for its management best practices and stewardship of federal funds. Join our team at one of the best places to work in the federal government and use your knowledge and imagination to keep NSF at the frontier of discovery! More about NSF.
Summary
NSF is relocating to Alexandria, Virginia. In late summer of 2017, NSF will begin the transition from its current location in Arlington, Virginia to 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314. The new location is adjacent to a Metro station (Eisenhower Avenue on the Yellow Line) and there is ample parking in the area. There are several amenities nearby, such as restaurants, hotels, and shops.
NSF has the advantages of a small agency environment that fosters collaboration, creativity and opportunities to contribute to major agency-wide projects. Consistently ranked by its employees as one of the top federal agencies in managing its workforce, NSF maintains a creative, flexible, and collegial atmosphere and is respected in both the public and private sectors for its management best practices and stewardship of federal funds. Join our team at one of the best places to work in the federal government and use your knowledge and imagination to keep NSF at the frontier of discovery! More about NSF.
This position is located in the Office of the Director, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, Public Affairs and Media Relations Group.
The Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA) communicates information about the activities, programs, research results and policies of the National Science Foundation. OLPA employs a wide variety of tools and techniques to engage the general public and selected audiences including Congress, the news media, state and local governments, other Federal agencies and the research and education communities. Incumbent is an expert in developing and formulating communication strategies to promote NSF’s science, engineering and education activities.
Duties include:
-Producing comprehensive well-researched written materials that facilitate understanding and support of NSF sponsored research and development activities and programs by a variety of constituencies and publics that have limited understanding, differing views, or are opposed to these programs.
-Serving as spokesperson on any negative or misinformed public comments regarding NSF's program activities.
-Seeking out opportunities to publicize newsworthy NSF-sponsored research through aggressive media relations efforts and strategies.
-Developing and managing a national media contact program that includes ongoing coordination and contact with media outlets, publishers, and journalists.
-Overseeing of all media events including the formulation and execution of a budget, rehearsing of subject matter and talking points with interviewees, and written and visual materials for the events.
-Developing and implementing long-range national and localized strategic communication plans and milestones in order to dissiminate science education information within the NSF public affairs program.
-Creating programs with key public affairs staff at colleges and universities to encourage local and/or national news coverage to enhance public's understanding of NSF projects and programs.
-Developing and implementing campaign strategies on current issues affecting federal, corporate, Congressional or state level policy or initiatives targeting various audiences.
Preview questions at bottom of Qualifications & Evaluations--see tab above
Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
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. You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.
You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire. All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
This position is in the bargaining unit.
Qualifications
To qualify at the GS-14, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.
Examples of specialized experience include:
-Developing communication strategies and products for an organization
-Writing and editing press releases, articles and other written communication materials concerning scientific subjects related to the organization's programs
-Writing and editing speeches and talking points for public events, press conferences and other such appearances
-Providing authoritative advice to senior management for improving the delivery of program information
-Experience using the Internet, social media, and/or web pages to communicate information to the public and media.
In addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements described above, all candidates must also identify in their resume experience which demonstrates that the candidate meets the following selective factor. Candidates who do not show such experience on their resume will no longer receive consideration for the position.
Selective Factor: I have experience as a senior public affairs/communications campaign strategist working on current issues affecting federal, corporate, congressional, or state level policy or initiatives targeting different audiences.
Education
Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.
Additional information
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): ICTAP and CTAP provide 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 or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or 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 meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least “Very Good” on the questionnaire. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources
Veteran's Preference: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the required documentation as specified on the SF-15.
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.
Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire. In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used. Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your score. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the selecting official. Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." At NSF, this means a score of 90.0 or higher.
In the merit promotion selection process, due weight will be given to incentive awards and performance appraisals. 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.
If you are an NSF employee in a permanent, competitive service position or you are an NSF employee who is reinstatement eligible based on prior Federal permanent, competitive service, you need not submit documents to confirm status. If you are not an NSF employee as described above, but you are eligible under merit promotion, under a noncompetitive special appointing authority, under an Interchange Agreements, or similar authority, you will be required to submit supporting documentation. This will typically require the submission of one or more of the following documents:
1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50s) or comparable federal agency forms to verify your eligibility for reinstatement and/or grade/step/salary if you are a current or former permanent federal civil service employee. • SF-50 must indicate that appointment is/was to a competitive service position with permanent tenure or conditional tenure within the last three years; OR, to a similar position in the excepted service at an agency that has an Interchange Agreement. • An example of a comparable agency form is a personnel action from a DOD Non-appropriated Fund organization or from the US Postal Service for a current and continuing appointment without a break in service. • Documents that are NOT comparable and NOT acceptable substitutes for a SF-50 include a SF-52, a Performance Appraisal form, a Personnel Action Request (PAR), or a Request for Personnel Action (RPA).
2. DD-214 (Member-4 copy); and if applicable, the Department of Veterans Affairs Notice of Compensable Disability Rating from applicants requesting consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), Veteran Recruitment Act (VRA), or the disabled veterans appointing authority.
3. Schedule A Certification – from applicants requesting consideration under the Schedule A appointing authority for disabled applicants.
4. Other – Documentation which verifies you are eligible to be appointed to a permanent position in the federal competitive civil service. We also ask that you complete and submit the Applicant Survey. This will help NSF to ensure that our recruiting efforts are attracting a diverse candidate pool; it will be used for statistical purposes only. If you are requesting special employment consideration under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or CTAP, you must submit documentation provided by your current or former employing agency verifying your eligibility for that program. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
All faxing/uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.If you are faxing your information, please use extreme care in dialing the fax number to assure we receive your information. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt of your faxed/uploaded document(s).
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.
Your application should be submitted online and must be completed and all required documents successfully faxed (or uploaded) before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the closing date. You must answer all of the job-related questions to ensure full consideration for this position. For more detailed information, please review our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide. If you do not have internet access or if you have questions, please contact the Human Resources Representative listed in the vacancy announcement.
WARNING! Applications submitted online must have a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
If you are an NSF employee in a permanent, competitive service position or you are an NSF employee who is reinstatement eligible based on prior Federal permanent, competitive service, you need not submit documents to confirm status. If you are not an NSF employee as described above, but you are eligible under merit promotion, under a noncompetitive special appointing authority, under an Interchange Agreements, or similar authority, you will be required to submit supporting documentation. This will typically require the submission of one or more of the following documents:
1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50s) or comparable federal agency forms to verify your eligibility for reinstatement and/or grade/step/salary if you are a current or former permanent federal civil service employee. • SF-50 must indicate that appointment is/was to a competitive service position with permanent tenure or conditional tenure within the last three years; OR, to a similar position in the excepted service at an agency that has an Interchange Agreement. • An example of a comparable agency form is a personnel action from a DOD Non-appropriated Fund organization or from the US Postal Service for a current and continuing appointment without a break in service. • Documents that are NOT comparable and NOT acceptable substitutes for a SF-50 include a SF-52, a Performance Appraisal form, a Personnel Action Request (PAR), or a Request for Personnel Action (RPA).
2. DD-214 (Member-4 copy); and if applicable, the Department of Veterans Affairs Notice of Compensable Disability Rating from applicants requesting consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), Veteran Recruitment Act (VRA), or the disabled veterans appointing authority.
3. Schedule A Certification – from applicants requesting consideration under the Schedule A appointing authority for disabled applicants.
4. Other – Documentation which verifies you are eligible to be appointed to a permanent position in the federal competitive civil service. We also ask that you complete and submit the Applicant Survey. This will help NSF to ensure that our recruiting efforts are attracting a diverse candidate pool; it will be used for statistical purposes only. If you are requesting special employment consideration under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or CTAP, you must submit documentation provided by your current or former employing agency verifying your eligibility for that program. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
All faxing/uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.If you are faxing your information, please use extreme care in dialing the fax number to assure we receive your information. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt of your faxed/uploaded document(s).
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.
Your application should be submitted online and must be completed and all required documents successfully faxed (or uploaded) before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the closing date. You must answer all of the job-related questions to ensure full consideration for this position. For more detailed information, please review our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide. If you do not have internet access or if you have questions, please contact the Human Resources Representative listed in the vacancy announcement.
WARNING! Applications submitted online must have a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
