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Public Affairs Specialist

Smithsonian Institution
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Office of External Affairs, Office of Communication and Public Affairs.  The Office is responsible for media relations, branding, marketing, social media, web content and stakeholder communications.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/22/2020 to 01/08/2021
Salary
$59,534 to - $77,396 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09
Location
District of Columbia, DC
FEW vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
09 - Position is at full performance level.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
21R-FW-306127-DEU-NMAAHC
Control number
587753400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #21R-FW-306127-MPA-NMAAHC More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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The incumbent supports the Office's many communications projects under the direction of the Assistant Director for Communications.  Responsibilities include:

  • project support, including serving as the department head's point person for administrative and clerical projects, ensuring the projects are completed on time within scope and budget;
  • public affairs support, assisting the department head with background and reference material for reports;
  • editorial support ensuring documents comply with local procedures and established guidelines;
  • vendor coordination preparing and managing service agreements with external vendors and consultants; and
  • administrative services  serving as a central point of contact to provide guidance and explanations of regulations and procedures related to administrative operations. 

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • May need to complete a Probationary Period
  • Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on the web at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as coordinating administrative or clerical tasks; assisting with public affairs projects; tracking and reporting on project statuses; working in a public affairs role or in a marketing or media office; assisting with media inquiries or marketing initiatives; assisting with editorial assignments and research; and responding verbally and in writing to inquiries and requests from the public. 

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education:  Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications.

For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Additional information

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 first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  1. Ability to provide project support.

  2. Ability to provide public affairs support.

  3. Skill in software applications.

  4. Skill in written communication.
  5. Ability to provide administrative services.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.

Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.

Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet 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 when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


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