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Public Affairs Specialist

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

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs (PGA), Public Affairs Division, in Washington, D.C.
 
   

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/18/2019 to 10/01/2019
Salary
$57,510 to - $74,759 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel could be up to 5 days per month
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
No
Announcement number
19-DEU-064-JLL
Control number
546053500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. citizens.

Duties

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PGA has the responsibility of enhancing the public trust and confidence of the bureau by promoting the awareness of its mission, resources and accomplishments.  The Public Affairs Division provides timely, accurate, informative and focused communications (internal and external) on bureau initiatives and programs impacting public safety.

Serves as a Public Affairs Specialist in the division and is responsible for assisting with the general operations of social media programs and internal messaging.

  • Responsible for assisting with the general operations of social media programs and the internal messaging.
  • Reviews and recommends the industry best practices to leverage social and interactive media; ensuring all content is promoting bureau's mission and expertise.
  • Assists in the content development for various Social Media platforms within the Bureau; e.g. daily creation and management of content on twitter account and other social media platforms and the internal messaging used Bureau-wide.
  • Assists in the development of new practices and initiatives in social and interactive media; identifies and collects data to support decisions about the value of proposed and implemented social media; and maintains strategic relationships with other division directorates.
  • Provides creative and technical input with respect to social media messaging; provides creative and or technical input with respect to mobile applications and other social media projects; reaches out to other bureau directorates to insure timely online content is refreshed and published efficiently.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be U.S. Citizen
  • May be required to serve a one year probationary period.
  • Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test
  • Must successfully complete a background security investigation

The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.  The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

MOBILITY PLAN:  New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement.  The purpose of ATF’s mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness.  To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-9: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 grade level. Specialized experience for the position is defined as providing timely, accurate, informative and focused communications (internal and external) on initiatives, programs, and results in protecting the public;

OR master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related; or equivalent degree that demonstrates the competencies needed to do the work of the position may be substituted for the experience required;

OR a combination of education and experience as listed above.

If using education to qualify for this position, must provide unofficial or official transcripts.
 

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. 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 or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. 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 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.
http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp - 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 a 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. If the SF-15 is not submitted, the documentation required by the form verifying the service connected disability (e.g. letter from the VA confirming the disability) must be submitted in order to receive 10-point preference consideration.

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)

Education


All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.

Additional information

Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations from ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division.  Please click on the following link to read important information.  DOJ Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations

Selective Service:  If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Periodic Reinvestigation:
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, (including pregnancy, gender identify and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability (physical and mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, retaliation, or other non-merit factor.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement:
ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 648-8760.  The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled 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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