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Public Affairs Specialist, GS-1035-13

Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Field Operations, (Central) Chicago Field Division in Chicago, IL.

Responsible for planning, organizing and developing communications strategies and media plans for mass media in support of the field division and the Bureau's mission.

While not specifically required for this position, applicants who have experience working in a law enforcement environment is highly desirable.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
08/30/2017 to 09/19/2017
Salary
$89,580 to - $116,453 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Chicago, IL
1 vacancy
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel could be up to 5 days per month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Announcement number
17-DEU-447-LFW
Control number
478385100

This job is open to

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Duties

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      • Ensures policies and views of top-level officials are consistent in public presentation.
      • Responds to inquiries from news media for information; utilizes tact and judgement in responses so that the media are provided accurate and helpful information avoiding disclosure prohibited by law, regulation, or policy.
      • Editorial integration of source material prepared by various segments of the Bureau.
      • Responsible for using and seeking out contributions as appropriate from affected organizations, whenever it is apparent that such organizations should be consulted.
      • Provides professional consultative and advisory assistance on matters of public information, editorial, writing and related experience.
      • Responsible for calling attention to officials appropriate instances in which possible information techniques could be better utilized.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • May be required to serve a one year probationary period.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Males must meet Selective Service Requirement(s). see:www.sss.gov.

To qualify, you must meet all qualification requirements described in this announcement by the closing date.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-13: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-12 grade level.

Specialized Experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience planning, organizing and developing programs for and determining effective dissemination of information through the appropriate mass communications media. This may include feature articles, news releases, radio and television announcements, web-based stories or information, and speeches or speech outlines for use by a Director or other top official. Must have oral/written communication skills in order to maintain effective working relationships with members of the media, individuals and groups interested in or affected by programs.

If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP 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 satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the silver (score of at least 85) or better category using esta
Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your 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 satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the silver (score of at least 85) or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.

Veterans' Preference: If you are entitled to veteran preference, you should indicate the type of veteran preference you are claiming on your résumé. - In order to verify your veteran preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of 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 shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. - In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the natural mother of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit the Revised October 2013 Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim. Although veteran preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated," veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e. Gold Category).

Additional information

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for, or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov.

Subject to a 5-year periodic investigation.

Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under ATF's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Gold - applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a superior level of possession of all evaluation criteria, Silver - applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level of possession of the evaluation criteria or Bronze - applicants possessing the specialized experience. Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Candidates within the Gold category who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans preference eligibles. The assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your ability in the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of the principles, methods, practices and techniques of mass communication and the laws, rules, regulations and policies that govern release of information.
  • Knowledge of the practices and techniques in planning, developing and creating content for social media platforms.
  • Skill in written and oral communication to logically and effectively explain, defend and gain understanding of mass media programs.
  • Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with individuals and groups.

To preview questions please click here.

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