NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We’re looking for a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist to join our team!
Summary
NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We’re looking for a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist to join our team!
* All qualified U.S. citizens
* Current Federal employees serving under a career or career- conditional appointment in the competitive service;
* Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility;
* CTAP/ICTAP eligible;
* National Service (Peace Corps & VISTA);
* Applicants eligible under special hiring authorities (i.e., Appointment of certain military spouses, Schedule A); OR
* Veterans who are eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA).
At the ZA-III level, the Director of the Conference Program office develops a team of conference specialists and serves as the primary NIST contact for internal and external stakeholder relations for in-person and virtual conferences and special events. The candidate plans and coordinates NIST’s scientific and technical conferences and special events and contributes to the improvement and efficiency of the Program’s operations across NIST. The candidate represents NIST and interacts on the agency’s behalf with external and internal VIPs and other meaningful stakeholders. The Director writes conferences directives, manages all internal and external conference program webpages and written materials, manages all written promotional announcements on social media and e-newsletters, executes and communicates conference policies and process across NIST, and manages logistical, budgetary, and outreach plans for conferences, both in-person and virtual, including large events with 1,000 or more attendees. The candidate prepares procurement packages for and manages contracted services to secure venues, catering, and other conference services. Applicant must complete training and receive COR-I certification within one year.
At the ZA-IV level, The Director of the Conference Program Office directs a team of conference specialists and serves as the primary NIST contact for internal and external stakeholder relations for conferences, symposia, and other NIST-wide meeting services. The candidate leads the agency’s Conference Program Office in supporting NIST’s scientific and technical collaborations and dissemination activities, special events, and participates in strategic planning for these activities.
The Director of Conference Programs represents NIST and interacts on the agency’s behalf with external and internal VIPs and other meaningful stakeholders. The candidate independently develops and writes conference directives, leads all aspects of all internal and external conference program webpages and written materials, coordinates written promotional announcements on social media and e-newsletters, provides ongoing policy, budgetary, and outreach advice on all aspects of meetings services for conferences both in-person and virtual, including large events with 1,000 or more attendees. The candidate develops procurement packages for and coordinates contracted services to select venues, catering, and other services for off-site conferences and events. Applicant must complete training and receive COR-I certification within one year.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
You must be suitable for Federal Employment
Merit applicants must meet time-in-grade/band requirements, as applicable
Completion of Confidential Financial Disclosure, Form OGE-450
Must complete training and receive COR-I certification within 1 year
Applicants must providetwo originally written business documents on conference support services or policy that demonstrate the ability to write clearly, concisely, and grammatically correct.
The individual selected will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450) at the onset of appointment and annually there after.
The individual selected must complete training and receive COR-I certification within one year
Qualifications
TO QUALIFY AT THE ZA-III LEVEL, applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the ZA-II level (GS-11 equivalent) in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience planning and organizing conferences, communicating conference directives and policy, preparing conference budgets and outreach plans for in-person and virtual conferences of up to 1,000 in attendance, and preparing procurement packages for conference services. Applicant must provide two writing samples
IN ADDITION to the specialized experience, at the time of application, applicants must providetwo originally written business documents on conference support services or policy that demonstrate the ability to write clearly, concisely, and grammatically correct.
TO QUALIFY AT THE ZA-IV LEVEL, applicants must possess one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level (ZA-III for NIST) in the Federal Government. Specialized experience is defined as experience planning and organizing conferences, serving as a specialist in and providing direction on conference directives, policy, budget, and outreach for in-person and virtual conferences of up to 1,000 in attendance, and preparing procurement packages for and coordinating and supervising these services. Applicant must provide two writing samples.
IN ADDITION to the specialized experience, at the time of application, applicants must providetwo originally written business documents on conference support services or policy that demonstrate the ability to write clearly, concisely, and grammatically correct.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done. We will credit all qualifying volunteer experience in your application.
The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.
Education completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course by course listing) is required with your application.)
Additional information
The physical worksite for this position is located in Gaithersburg, MD. However, the Office of the Director is currently under a maximum telework posture due to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, this position is currently under a 100 percent telework schedule. The position’s telework schedule will likely change in the future when Office of the Director moves away from its maximum telework posture. At that time, the incumbent will be expected to report to the physical work site in accordance with the updated status requirements of their supervisor. The nature and scope of future telework opportunities will be subject to the unit’s telework policy, any applicable bargaining unit agreements, and supervisory approval. Payment of relocation expenses, as applicable, will be paid in accordance with this Job Opportunity Announcement. Non-compliance with the supervisor's telework-schedule requirement could result in adverse action, including separation.
This position is covered under NIST’s Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). The APMS is a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Find out more about the APMS here!
A probationary period may be required.
A supervisory probationary period may be required.
We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. If the minimum qualifications are met, we will compare this information to the responses on the occupational questionnaire (i.e. True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). The application must support the responses to the questionnaire, or we may lower the score.
Applications will be assessed on the following competencies:
·
At the ZA-III Level
Skill in communicating conference policy and guidance effectively in writing and verbally to Conference Chairs and planning staff.
Ability to execute agency conference policies and processes.
Ability to lead a conference planning team.
Knowledge of contracting requirements for conferences.
Ability to monitor compliance for these contracts and to review and provide feedback on SOWs and GFEs, and conduct market research.
Ability to manage financial resources to include approving conferences budgets and managing conference project income and expenses.
Knowledge and experience executing in-person and virtual scientific conferences.
At the ZA-IV Level:
Skill in communicating complex conference policy and guidance effectively in writing and verbally with staff, VIPs, stakeholders, and all levels of agency/organization leadership.
Ability to analyze and respond to changing agency policies and practices and formulate recommendations to NIST leadership.
Ability to supervise conference planning teams.
Knowledge of contracting requirements for conferences.
Ability to monitor compliance for these contracts and to write SOWs, conduct market research and prepare estimates.
Ability to manage financial resources to include supervising administrative staff who manage and monitor roughly $1 M annually in income and expenses.
Skill in executing in-person and virtual scientific conferences, managing planning, budgets, and timelines.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click ‘Apply’ and we'll walk you through a 4-Step Application Process on how to attach a resume and any required documents. While working an application, you may review, edit, delete and update information. We’ll automatically save progress made as you go, so any changes won't be lost.
If experiencing any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Apply Online' button): please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement between normal business hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET). If receiving any kind of error message, please be ready to provide a screenshot or at a minimum, the error message text and number. If necessary, we will provide you with a technical support number for further assistance.
If having trouble with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder): please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center. We regret that we are unable to support any issues with USAJOBS, as this service is not maintained by the NIST.
If experiencing a significant hardship which hinders your ability to apply on-line, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement prior to the vacancy closing date and during normal business hours to discuss your situation.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
100 Bureau Drive
Stop 1720
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
United States
Next steps
To check the status of this vacancy, log into USAJOBS account and select the ‘Application Status’ link. We will update applicant statuses when:
· A qualification determination is made. If found not qualified/eligible, no additional updates will be provided.
· Applications are referred to the selecting official.
· A selection decision has been made.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click ‘Apply’ and we'll walk you through a 4-Step Application Process on how to attach a resume and any required documents. While working an application, you may review, edit, delete and update information. We’ll automatically save progress made as you go, so any changes won't be lost.
If experiencing any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Apply Online' button): please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement between normal business hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET). If receiving any kind of error message, please be ready to provide a screenshot or at a minimum, the error message text and number. If necessary, we will provide you with a technical support number for further assistance.
If having trouble with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder): please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center. We regret that we are unable to support any issues with USAJOBS, as this service is not maintained by the NIST.
If experiencing a significant hardship which hinders your ability to apply on-line, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement prior to the vacancy closing date and during normal business hours to discuss your situation.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
100 Bureau Drive
Stop 1720
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
United States
Next steps
To check the status of this vacancy, log into USAJOBS account and select the ‘Application Status’ link. We will update applicant statuses when:
· A qualification determination is made. If found not qualified/eligible, no additional updates will be provided.
· Applications are referred to the selecting official.
· A selection decision has been made.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
