Clarification from the agency

Who May Apply: United States Citizens, Current or former Federal employees and Internal agency employees; including agency temporary employees, eligible agency Experts, and eligible agency personal services contractors

The Public Affairs Specialist performs the following major duties:

• Develops communication plans and recommends to the supervisor a written communications/marketing strategy and budget designed to generate specific recruitment leads, including leads to applicants with scarce skills, minorities, and older Americans, and to increase public awareness about the Peace Corps.
• Confers with recruiters to ascertain publicity requirements for ongoing support of planned campus and community campaigns; research media markets in which campaigns are scheduled; and recommends most productive media/marketing techniques to draw wide public response.
• As a part of the written media/marketing strategy, develops a plan for a follow-up evaluation of the effectiveness of the strategies used. Independently implements such plans at the local level. Informs other recruitment staff of the results of marketing activities.
• Assists the Office of Press Relations and the Office of the Director to coordinate media appearances of the Peace Corps Director and other senior staff; seeks media opportunities; builds a press schedule; prepares full briefing packages; personally briefs officials upon arrival and follows up on press contacts.
• Writes press releases, backgrounders, and fact sheets; authors stories and articles for website, news articles, and other outlets.
• Generates story ideas and news opportunities for potential promotion; contributes understanding to relevant local media markets.
• Serves as point of contact for incoming media and data requests in assigned territory.

NOTE - The duties listed are those reflective of the higher graded position.

Conditions of employment

• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment".

Intelligence Background Information

Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position. This section prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.

PC-1336 Form: Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request in the future a completed PC-1336 form, or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions. If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person—not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person— and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If your intelligence connection involves the NSA, you (or, if the connection is with a family member, that person) must contact NSA’s Office of the General Counsel at 410-854-3910 before submitting this form to Peace Corps.

Qualifications

You must meet the specialized experience at the grade level(s) in which you choose to be considered by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate dates of employment by month, day, and year and the number of hours worked per week in your resume.

This vacancy is being announced at two (2) grade levels:

FP-5

Qualifying experience for the FP-5 grade level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the FP-7 or GS-7 grade level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience developing and disseminating information to attract selected audiences and familiarize them with agency's programs; experience communicating orally and in writing in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

or

master's or equivalent graduate degree

or

2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

or

LL.B. or J.D., if related

NOTE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels and positions for which both education and experience are acceptable

FP-4

Qualifying experience for the FP-4 grade level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the FP-5 or GS-9 grade level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience developing information materials aimed at enhancing the understanding of groups or individuals of the significant issues of agency programs; experience responding timely and appropriately to requests for information concerning agency programs and services; experience developing contacts, gathering information and dealing with a variety of people, including news media representatives, government officials, and agency program officials.

or

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

or

3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

or

LL.M., if related

NOTE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels and positions for which both education and experience are acceptable
 

Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/.

 

 

 

 

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 based on your resume, attached supporting documentation and your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire. Your materials will be evaluated to validate your possession of any required knowledge, skills, abilities (KSA) and/or competencies. The following competencies will be evaluated in the self-assessment questionnaire:

• Communications and Media
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership and Management
• Oral Communication
• Project Management
• Research
• Written Communication

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration; including any documentation that is being used for qualifications.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed by a Human Resources Specialist, which must support the answers you provided. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for disqualification.

To preview questions please click here.