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Public Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position located in Independence National Historical Park, in the Office of the Superintendent.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/12/2019 to 09/01/2019
Salary
$96,089 to - $124,913 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Philadelphia, PA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NE-1612-INDE-19-10573501-MP
Control number
542120400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Only the following may apply: Current career or career conditional competitive service employees with the Department of the Interior, current or former time-limited employees eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, and CTAP eligibles.

Duties

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PLEASE NOTE: TO BE FOUND ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION YOU MUST PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING:

ALL APPLICANTS (INCLUDING CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL AND NON FEDERAL APPLICANTS) MUST PROVIDE THEIR MOST RECENT PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SHOWING THE OFFICIAL RATING AND SIGNED BY A SUPERVISOR OR, IF ONE IS UNAVAILABLE, A STATEMENT AS TO WHY IT IS NOT AVAILABLE (INCLUDING IF ANY PRIOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/EVALUATIONS WERE AT AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL).

A RESUME THAT INCLUDES MONTHS, YEARS, AND HOURS WORKED PER WEEK FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY CREDIT FOR EXPERIENCE THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE HOURS WORKED PER WEEK OR IS LISTED AS "VARIES".

PLEASE ALSO SEE THE "QUAIFICATIONS" AND "REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION" SECTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

This Public Affairs Specialist is a permanent, supervisory position located at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, PA. The employee reports directly to the Superintendent of the Park. The incumbent functions as the Park's Public Affairs Specialist and Partnerships expert, performing a unique role in the park, operating as a staff assistant and confidential advisor to the Superintendent on complex and or highly sensitive/confidential matters, which fall outside of the functions of the Park's operating divisions. In this capacity, he/she will coordinate unique and/or critical management activities, making recommendations to the Superintendent and assessing the impact of these changes upon the Park's partners, the general public and operations. The incumbent conducts the Park's public affairs, including assisting/directing community and inter/intra agency relations, managing social media and press relations; managing public information contact points and relations; coordinating logistical support for special groups and dignitaries; overseeing the Park's special use permit and commercial use authorization program and certain cooperative agreements; as well as serving as the Park's point of contact for all congressional and outside inquiries. As the partnership program expert for the Park, the incumbent is designated as the Park's representative on some boards and committees dealing with local community and area.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: overseeing multiple partnership agreements simultaneously; organizing, planning, conducting, and evaluating the public information, media relations, public awareness for outreach, community relations, FOIA, and employee information requirements; serving as principal advisor and consultant to a park Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent (or equivalent level positions), Division Chiefs, and key members of the management staff.

You must include hours per week worked.

Volunteer Experience: 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 include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: Physical demands range from sedentary work in an office environment to frequent trips to park areas and will involve travel over snow in winter and outside in high heat and humid
conditions.

Working Conditions: Work is generally performed in an office setting, but also may be in any part of the park where required to accomplish assignments. Incumbent must be able to travel on short notice to where required to represent the National Park Service and the Superintendent at meetings and for other purposes necessary to accomplish agency missions.

Much of the work is performed in an office setting, however, program reviews and on site coordination may require exposure to hazardous terrain, inclement weather, and extremes in temperature for extended hours.

Incumbent is required to work occasional nights, holidays and weekends for special events or meetings. Class A" NPS uniform is required.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable
accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). }}

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Communications and Media
  • Manages Human Resources
  • Oral Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Technical Competence


Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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