Clarification from the agency

Recent Graduates (US Citizens/Nationals) completing a qualifying degree/certificate within the last 2 yrs. of this application date (or will graduate 9 mo’s from this application date) may apply. Veterans (5 USC 2108) unable to apply due to military service during this 2-yr. period may have their eligibility extended to receive the full 2 yrs. of eligibility. The remaining 2-yr. eligibility period begins upon release from active duty and may not extend beyond 6 yrs. from completion of study.

WHAT IS THE TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICE (TAS) DIVISION? If you're ready for a challenging career opportunity, consider a career with the Internal Revenue Service Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS.  The TAS mission is to assist taxpayers in resolving their problems with the IRS (Case Advocacy), and to identify and propose administrative and legislative solutions to mitigate those problems (Systemic Advocacy).

WHAT IS THE TAX EXEMPT & GOVERNMENT ENTITIES (TE/GE) DIVISION? Tax Exempt & Government Entities Division serves Employee Plans which examines the returns of qualified pension benefit plans compliance. Exempt Organizations ensures not-for-profit organizations meet tax-exempt status requirements.  And, Government Entities ensures organizations meet their tax withholding and employment tax payment requirements. 

WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST DO? As a Public Affairs Specialist you will be responsible for managing and developing all aspects of broad-based communication. In this position you will serve as an advisor and technical authority by providing guidance and expertise to employees and successfully leverage strategic communications expertise and leadership skills in helping employees understand and accept the business goals and objectives.

If selected, you will be placed in a position as a Public Affairs Specialist, GS-1035, Career Ladder 7/9/11/12 in the Taxpayer Advocate Service Division OR the Tax Exempt & Government Entities Division.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-12. You will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position. 

 As a Public Affairs Specialist you will:

• Recommend policies, programs, services, and procedures governing the dissemination of information to internal stakeholders (executives, managers, employees).

• Advises on and recommends specific communications events and activities designed to meet challenges of diverse internal and external audiences with varying levels of information requirements and interests.

• Works on all phases of communications plan execution – including delivery, measurement, reporting, and results for internal clients.

• Develops content designed to achieve organization-wide and department-level business goals.

• Writes and edits high-quality, high-impact business communications for multiple mediums (print, web, e-mail).

IRS Recent Graduate Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. 

Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to: Successful completion of at least 2 years of continuous service; Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training; Mentorship; Demonstration of successful job performance; and Meet the qualification position standards. Conversion is not guaranteed or implied. 

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

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

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Qualifications

YOU MUST FIRST MEET RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION. YOU MAY THEN QUALIFY FOR THE POSITION BASED ON EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH AS DETAILED BELOW. THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT/ENTER ON DUTY DATE:

Federal Experience is not required.

GS-07 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: experience that demonstrated basic knowledge of communications and program analysis technical rules, regulations, and precedents to apply to assigned portions of programs, projects and studies; Oral and written techniques in order to share factual information with public affairs’ staff and to document findings; Knowledge of the basic objectives and policies governing various functional programs, operations and processes to assist in providing analysis and guidance; OR

You may substitute education for specialized as follows: 1 full academic year of graduate education in any field of study. OR Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a Bachelors degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

GS-09 LEVEL: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: experience that demonstrated knowledge of written and oral communication techniques and methods to assist in providing guidance and oversight on assigned communication programs; Knowledge and skill to plan, gather and verify and edit digital photography and create and develop computer graphics/desktop publishing; Analytical methods to evaluate data and make appropriate recommendations and interpersonal relation skills sufficient for establishing and maintain effective working relationships. OR

You may substitute education for specialized as follows: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree in any field of study. OR 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education in any field of study. OR LL.B. or J.D, if related.

ALL GRADES: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. Options for qualifying based on a combination will be identified in the online questions. In addition to the above to be eligible for the IRS Pathways Recent Graduates Program, you must have, within the previous 2 years, completed all educational requirements for a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying institution; if you are a veteran, who due to a military service obligation was precluded from applying to the recent graduates program during a portion of the 2-year eligibility period; or intended graduation is no more than 9 months from date of application. Education must be completed prior to appointment/enter on duty date. For more information on education requirements go to Treasury’s Pathways Program.

*Veterans who, due to a military service obligation, were precluded from applying to a Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2 year eligibility period may have their eligibility period extended so that they receive the full 2 years of eligibility. The remaining 2-year eligibility period will begin upon his or her release or discharge from active duty. The veteran's eligibility period may not extend beyond 6 years from the date of completion of all requirements of an academic course of study.

- 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-time work is considered on a prorated basis.
- To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

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 Communication/Speaking, Organizational Awareness, Reasoning, Writing. Category-like rating (Quality Group) will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, and Qualified depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
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.