Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens and Status Candidates (this includes Merit Promotion, Status Candidates, Former Overseas Employees, CTAP, ICTAP, VRA, VEOA, 30% or More Disabled, EVHO, Schedule A, Military Spouses, Americorps, Peace Corps, Vista, Interchange Agreement Eligibles, Land Management, and National Guard).

Joining the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) means being part of the team focused on securing the Nation's physical and cyber infrastructure against threats to public health and safety, economy, and national security. Within CISA, the Office of External Affairs provides communications strategy, message coordination, analyses and guidance, relationship-building and decision-making support on Agency policies, plans, programs, key initiatives and actions across all external stakeholders, including the media, Congress and industry.

Visit www.cisa.gov to learn more about CISA and how you can be part of the team to Defend Today; Secure Tomorrow.

In this position, you will serve as a communications advisor and strategist for External Affairs operations. Typical work assignments include:

• Directing a portfolio of CISA external affairs activities and personnel located within the CISA 10 field offices that provide information about CISA's mission, message, and achievements to targeted stakeholders, partners and general audiences.
• Designing, implementing and evaluating proactive strategies to communicate the agency's mission and programs to external partners and advise agency leadership on policy formulation based on External Affairs insights.
• Creating and implementing strategic messaging plans across multiple CISA lines of business, sub-components and functional offices, to include coordinating with DHS and within CISA programs to identify public needs and concerns regarding non critical sensitive information that could have impact on the public and external stakeholders.
• Identifying, developing and applying a range of analytical tools to evaluate CISA's communication efforts across the spectrum of outreach and communication mediums and provide options for increasing program effectiveness.
• Providing supervisory and managerial direction to division personnel, to include providing administrative and technical oversight and direction.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• Selective Service registration required.
• You must be able to obtain and hold a secret security clearance.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required
• Employees who are initially appointed to supervisory positions must serve a supervisory probationary period for one year.
• You must submit to a drug test and receive a negative test result prior to appointment to this position. After appointment, you may be subject to periodic random drug testing.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized. Other recruitment incentives may be authorized.
• This position has been designated excluded from bargaining unit representation under the national security provision of 5 U.S.C. § 7112(B)(6).
• All employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/ Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
• This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. § 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
• You are required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I USOGE, 6/08). Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position, as well as annually.
• Interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration. The interview process may consist of in-person or phone panel interview.

Qualifications

You qualify for the GS-15 grade level (starting salary $142,701.00) if you possess one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level performing the following duties:

1. Advising on the development and execution of national communications strategies to foster external stakeholders' awareness of national security, cybersecurity, and/or infrastructure security programs;
2. Coordinating information from multiple organizational units to address stakeholder and customer needs;
3. Communicating and presenting information on national security, cybersecurity, infrastructure security and/or resilience programs, priorities, and issues to external stakeholders;
4. Directing the work of subordinate staff (i.e. assigning work, developing performance standards, making authoritative decisions regarding personnel actions, etc.).

National Service Experience (i.e., 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.

Qualifications Must Be Met
The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

NOTE: Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire, the qualification and time-in-grade requirements. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).

NOTE: Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include appointment, reassignment, with-in grade/range increase and promotion actions). Please note: Pay adjustments and awards do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable. If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification AND time-in-grade claims will be subject to verification.


Note about the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation: Your experience (paid and unpaid), education, awards, training and self-development will be evaluated as it relates to the position based upon the information provided in your resume/application and any other supporting documents.

Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, persons with disabilities, and those covered under the Interchange Agreement possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the documentation that is required, click on the links in Who May Be Considered section or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are best 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.

Candidate who apply under Noncompetitive and Special Hiring Authorities procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume, supporting documentation submitted and their responses to the assessment questionnaire.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under I/CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Advising
• Internal and External Organizational Awareness
• Partnering
• Strategic Thinking
• Supervision and Management

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on www.fedshirevets.gov

If you are determined qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. Preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10808798