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Public Affairs Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health And Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services in multiple locations through this vacancy announcement.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/09/2019 to 12/13/2019
Salary
$57,510 to - $74,759 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
Rockville, MD
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Domestic
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-OASH-DE-20-10657874
Control number
553667000

Duties

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Develops and disseminates materials for the purpose of informing media and those who have an active interest in the agency mission, programs, and initiatives.

Supports communications initiatives that promote agency work to target audiences.

Analyzes communication materials and offers recommendations for improving the delivery of information to target audiences.

Utilizes a variety of digital outreach platforms to convey information about agency programs.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
  • Suitable for federal employment
  • Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
  • Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
  • All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date.
  • Financial disclosure statement may be required.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

A. Must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level obtained in either the private or public sector coordinating media interviews, implementing communication plans, planning media announcements, writing blogs, press releases, and other media relations materials, and managing digital content on websites and social media.

OR

B. Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in any field of study or LL.B. or J.D., if related. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will satisfy the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

OR

C. Have a combination of specialized experience as described in "A" above and graduate level education as described in "B" above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Additional information

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses may be paid: No

Bargaining Unit Position: Yes

Drug Screening Required: No

Recruitment incentives may be authorized: No

Student loan repayment incentive may be authorized: No

Annual leave for non-federal service may be authorized: No

Veterans' Preference - https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

If you are unable to apply online, please go to https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information for more information on our alternate application method.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of the 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, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - Applicants who have experience that is almost identical to those required by the position.
  • Well Qualified - Applicants who have experience that is very similar to those required by the position.
  • Qualified - Applicants who meet minimum qualification requirements, but do not identify any additional qualifying experience or skill.

Candidates in the highest category will be referred to the hiring agency.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
    • Communications and Media
    • Decision Making
    • Oral Communication
    • Writing
To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10657874

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