Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Public Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Announcement extended!

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website.

This position is located in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Information about the area can be found at the Battle Mountain Chamber of Commerce.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/12/2019 to 07/01/2019
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$74,596 to - $96,978 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Battle Mountain, NV
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Information gathering and event production often involve field trips. Other travel may be required to attend meetings, conferences and trainings.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent position.
Work schedule
Full-time - Work Schedule is Full Time.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NV-DEU-2019-0077
Control number
536228700

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens – No previous Federal Service is required.

Duties

Help

Assists with developing strategies and practices to effectively communicate with federal, state, local, and tribal agencies and elected officials including members of Congress; non-governmental organizations and interest groups; industry; traditional and new media outlets; public land users; and other stakeholders.

Analyzes emerging and controversial public land issues and, in consultation with management and other teams, develops and implements communication policies, plans, and strategies for a wide variety of diverse and often conflicting resource management programs.

Creates, writes and distributes a wide variety of materials to communicate information about BLM issues, programs and activities to key publics. Materials include high-level correspondence; news releases; opinion editorials; reports; newsletters; early alerts; talking points; briefing papers; speeches; interpretive brochures, signs and maps; web and social media content; and other new information materials.

Develops and maintains professional, proactive, credible relationships with media outlets, including traditional and new media outlets. Serves as a primary spokesperson for the office. Coordinates media coverage of BLM issues, programs and activities and arranges interviews with managers and subject matter experts. Prepares news releases, opinion editorials, and feature stories. Works with media representatives to promote timely, accurate and when possible, positive, news coverage. Handles media inquiries on sensitive or controversial issues.

Physical Demands: The work is generally sedentary and does not require unusual physical effort. Most of the work is performed in an office setting. Driving a car or pickup truck is periodically required. The work often requires walking outdoors and travel in light aircraft, helicopters, and off-road vehicles. Long work days are occasionally required to meet deadlines and resolve specific problems.

Work Environment: Most of the work is performed in an office setting although travel to field sites or other BLM/government offices is often required. Attendance at meetings at night or on weekends is sometimes required. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Be sure to read the "How to Apply" & "Required Documents" Sections
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you
  • have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal land.
  • Direct deposit is required.
  • Background Investigation Required

If selected for this position you will need to complete the Federal Information Systems Security Awareness (FISSA) training prior to start date (if applicable).

Qualifications

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 all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

For the GS-12: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the federal service showing demonstrated experience in the application of principles, practices and techniques of communication to include writing a broad array of written materials, such as news releases, feature stories, briefing papers, correspondence and  Web Master duties for the internal and external web pages.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 and above grade levels.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.64.

If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Education

This position falls under the group coverage qualification standards for Administrative and Management positions. There is no Individual Occupational Requirement for this position.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position. 

May require completion of a one year probationary period.

The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants. 

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

How you will be evaluated

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

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans.   In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.

KSA 1: In-depth knowledge of laws, policies, and regulations pertaining to public land and resource management, and the objectives, techniques, practices, problems, issues, and implications of diverse public land and resource management programs in order to analyze emerging and controversial public land issues and implement communication policies and strategies for a wide variety of diverse and often conflicting resource management programs.

KSA 2: Skill in developing written, digital and multimedia information products in order to clearly and effectively convey information to others with varying knowledge levels, priorities, and interests. This includes a thorough knowledge of a wide variety of mass communication media, including print, broadcast, digital and social media in order to analyze the potential benefits and limitations of each media as well as the rules, regulations, and practices which apply to each medium.

KSA 3: Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse individuals and organizations including news media representatives; elected officials and their staffs; special interest groups; federal, state, and local government agency employees; private businesses; public land users; and other individuals and organizations in order to promote greater understanding, support and cooperation regarding BLM’s mission and activities.


To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.