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PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (National Media Relations)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has a distinguished history dating back to the founding of our nation. As the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, Treasury is a major and influential leader in today's global economy. We have over 100,000 employees across the country and around the world. Come Join the Department of the Treasury and Invest in Tomorrow.

WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST DO? IRS Public Affairs/Media Relations Specialists are the designated spokespersons for the agency. Oral and written communication skills are essential for responding to reporters and other members of the media who make official inquiries, consulting with IRS leadership and informing the public (individuals, business and tax-exempt organizations) of key IRS messages regarding federal tax law, filing requirements and procedures. You will develop professional working relationships with reporters in your assigned area of responsibility, research nuances of the tax law, consult with IRS subject matter experts, respond to reporters, consult with internal customers; prepare communication plans to meet specific objectives; develop communication vehicles such as news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, web & social media content, initiate contacts with print, broadcast & social media outlets using those vehicles to publicly place IRS messages. Field Media Relations Specialists have responsibility for local stories and events as well as crisis and disaster communications within their assigned territory. National Media Relations Specialists play a critical role in consulting, advising and supporting senior IRS executives in representing the agency on a national level with major national media outlets.

WHAT IS THE COMMUNICATION & LIAISON DIVISION: Communications & Liaison Division (C & L) touches every aspect of the IRS mission through its information-sharing activities from communicating internally with IRS employees to communicating with taxpayers, Congress and state and local agencies. From handling thousands of media contacts and information requests to helping taxpayers understand and meet their tax responsibilities, C & L is vital to IRS operations.

Positions are located in Washington, DC.

The anticipated start date is to be determined.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/09/2018 to 07/13/2018
Salary
$96,970 to - $126,062 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Washington DC, DC
2 vacancies
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Career/Career Conditional
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
18CW5-CLX0058-1035-13-LG
Control number
504467200

This job is open to

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Duties

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As a Public Affairs Specialist in Media Relations, you will:

  • perform work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between news media outlets, IRS leadership and the general public.
  • You will be involved in identifying communication needs, developing informational materials and delivering key organizational messages that inform appropriate external audiences of the agency's policies, programs, services and activities.
  • You will be called upon to write news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, FAQs, web and social media content and scripts for both audio and video products. You will have daily contact with reporters responding to their inquiries and initiating contacts with them to execute media campaigns.
  • You will use internal resource materials and will have unique access to IRS subject matter experts to research technical aspects of federal tax law. You will then explain the law in plain-English to reporters and the general public.
  • You will represent the IRS as the designated official spokesperson in print and broadcast interviews, both live and recorded, on radio and television.
  • You will participate in meetings with operational components of the IRS as a communications subject matter expert advising on appropriate communication strategies and tactics.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? If you want to find out more about IRS careers, visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying

You must have: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: experience that demonstrated mastery of communications methods and techniques to be able to function as the technical authority to plan, develop, coordinate and apply effective communication programs and enhance understanding; Skill in making oral presentation and conducting meetings to obtain customer input on program issues, and develop mutually agreed upon resolutions; Skill in development and dissemination of communication materials; Knowledge of applying a variety of approaches to help others in meet their business objectives through effective communication programs; Skill in developing and maintaining effective working relationships to enhance communication and dissemination of information and in analyzing and developing recommendations from a wide array of conflicting and divergent information to assist program officials in achieving the information objectives of their programs.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

GS 13 LEVEL: To qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and provides you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of specialized experience include experience developing and implementing a aspects of a public affairs program that involved media relations communication strategies for audiences that required a wide range of knowledge of communication requirements; and experience analyzing a number of alternative approaches in the process of advising management concerning major aspects of the public affairs program including exploring the target audience and creating messages to reach them using the appropriate media vehicles.
- The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or VolunteerService. 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/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Additional information

Other Information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- Relocation expenses – No
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- A 1-year probationary period is required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation including an FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- 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.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- 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.
- Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.
- Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
- File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of selection and annually from then on.
- Must obtain and maintain a moderate risk clearance.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Communications and Media, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communications/Speaking, Problem Solving, and Writing. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, (i.e., A = Superior, B = Highly Qualified, etc.) depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We wil not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)), you must receive a rating of category B or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.
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