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

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (FIELD MEDIA RELATIONS SPECIALIST)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has a distinguished history dating back to the founding of our nation. As the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, Treasury is a major and influential leader in today's global economy. We have over 100,000 employees across the country and around the world. Come Join the Department of the Treasury and Invest in Tomorrow.

See “Other Information” for Locations.

Overview

Help
Job canceled
Open & closing dates
02/10/2020 to 03/23/2020
Salary
$76,721 to - $133,465 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
3 vacancies in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Miami, FL
Atlanta, GA
Cincinnati, OH
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 1 To 5 Nights per Month
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
20MEM-CLX0030-1035-12T13
Control number
559269500

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

U.S. CITIZENS OR NATIONALS

Duties

Help

WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST DO? IRS Public Affairs/Media Relations Specialists are the designated spokespersons for the agency. Oral and written communication skills are essential for responding to reporters and other members of the media who make official inquiries, consulting with IRS leadership and informing the public (individuals, business and tax-exempt organizations) of key IRS messages regarding federal tax law, filing requirements and procedures. You will develop professional working relationships with reporters in your assigned area of responsibility, research nuances of the tax law, consult with IRS subject matter experts, respond to reporters, consult with internal customers; prepare communication plans to meet specific objectives; develop communication vehicles such as news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, web & social media content, initiate contacts with print, broadcast & social media outlets using those vehicles to publicly place IRS messages. Field Media Relations Specialists have responsibility for local stories and events as well as crisis and disaster communications within their assigned territory. National Media Relations Specialists play a critical role in consulting, advising and supporting senior IRS executives in representing the agency on a national level with major national media outlets. 

WHAT IS THE COMMUNICATIONS & LIASION (C&L) DIVISION? 
The Communications & Liaison Division (C&L) works to support the IRS mission through information-sharing activities ranging from internal communications with IRS employees to external outreach and education with taxpayers, the tax professional community, partner groups, social and traditional media as well as Congress and state and local agencies.



The following are the duties of this position at the (GS-12T13) level. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

  • perform work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between news media outlets, IRS leadership and the general public.
  • You will be involved in identifying communication needs, developing informational materials and delivering key organizational messages that inform appropriate external audiences of the agency's policies, programs, services and activities.
  • You will be called upon to write news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, FAQs, web and social media content and scripts for both audio and video products. You will have daily contact with reporters responding to their inquiries and initiating contacts with them to execute media campaigns.
  • You will use internal resource materials and will have unique access to IRS subject matter experts to research technical aspects of federal tax law. You will then explain the law in plain-English to reporters and the general public.
  • You will represent the IRS as the designated official spokesperson in print and broadcast interviews, both live and recorded, on radio and television.
  • You will participate in meetings with operational components of the IRS as a communications subject matter expert advising on appropriate communication strategies and tactics.


As a Public Affairs Specialist in Media Relations, you will:

  • perform work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between news media outlets, IRS leadership and the general public.
  • You will be involved in identifying communication needs, developing informational materials and delivering key organizational messages that inform appropriate external audiences of the agency's policies, programs, services and activities.
  • You will be called upon to write news releases, fact sheets, tax tips, FAQs, web and social media content and scripts for both audio and video products. You will have daily contact with reporters responding to their inquiries and initiating contacts with them to execute media campaigns.
  • You will use internal resource materials and will have unique access to IRS subject matter experts to research technical aspects of federal tax law. You will then explain the law in plain-English to reporters and the general public.
  • You will represent the IRS as the designated official spokesperson in print and broadcast interviews, both live and recorded, on radio and television.
  • You will participate in meetings with operational components of the IRS as a communications subject matter expert advising on appropriate communication strategies and tactics.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? If you want to find out more about IRS careers, visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Refer to Other Information
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.


GS 12 LEVEL: To qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and provides you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of specialized experience include experience implementing a public affairs program that involved media relations and community relations communication strategies for audiences that required a wide range of knowledge of communication requirements.

GS 13 LEVEL: To qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and provides you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of specialized experience include experience developing and implementing a aspects of a public affairs program that involved media relations communication strategies for audiences that required a wide range of knowledge of communication requirements; and experience analyzing a number of alternative approaches in the process of advising management concerning major aspects of the public affairs program including exploring the target audience and creating messages to reach them using the appropriate media vehicles.

- The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis.

- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions in more than one Business Division throughout the Service.

3 Positions are located in COMMUNICATIONS & LIASION (C&L) DIVISION.  The positions may be filled in any of the following locations:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Cincinnati, OH
  3.  Miami, FL
  4. Atlanta, GA
  5. Austin, TX
  6. Ogden, UT
  7.  Philadelphia, PA

The anticipated start date is To Be Determined.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.  Additional jobs may be filled.
  • Relocation expenses –“no”.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  •  A 1-year probationary period is required.
  •  Must successfully complete a background investigation including an FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
  •  Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
  •  If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  •  Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  •  Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
    Undergo an income tax verification and review of prior performance/conduct.
  • Tour of Duty:  Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  •  Must meet IRS telework eligibility requirements
  • If you are an IRS/Treasury employee eligible for consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must submit proof of eligibility by 11:59 PM ET on the closing date of this announcement. If you have any questions concerning your eligibility please refer back to the CTAP Documentation link in the vacancy under How You Will Be Evaluated.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating
: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Communications and Media, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communications/Speaking, Problem Solving, and Writing. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, (i.e., A = Superior, B = Highly Qualified, etc.) depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral
If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a score of category B or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.


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.