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

Public Affairs Officer (P)

Department of Transportation
Maritime Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/20/2021 to 06/03/2021
Salary
$144,128 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MARAD.HQ-2021-0037
Control number
602036100

Duties

Help

The Public Affairs Officer:

  • Is responsible for planning, prioritizing, and assigning work; collaborating with peers and subordinates to assure effective advisory services; and otherwise ensuring continuous progress toward stated goals.
  • Develops public information projects, programs or campaigns to convey the desired message of the agency.
  • Utilizes a variety of communications media to disseminate the agency’s message.
  • Maintains effective and proactive working relationships with end users, such as press offices, as well as with agency personnel who may provide input on projects relevant to their own functions.
  • Manages the agency's publications program with responsibility for insuring that all materials released to the public, for which the office is responsible, conform to existing standards.  ­
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of the media relations and public affairs programs, collecting and analyzing feedback from a variety of sources and developing means to improve the internal operation of the office and its programs.
  • Oversees and coordinates the agency's Annual Report to Congress.  Manages the preparation, editing, clearance and distribution.
  • Assists with Congressional relations activities, including review of draft testimony and preparation of materials explaining to Congressional staffs the importance of the agency's programs.

The ideal candidate must possess leadership skills and have experience performing informational and/or public affairs duties, to include providing guidance and serving as the coordinator with the news media for interviews, statements, and other releases of public information for an agency.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
  • You must meet specialized experience to qualify.
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection.
  • SUPERVISORY PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed).
  • TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
  • DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience requirements.

To qualify for the Grade 15, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include:

  • Experience providing oversight and coordination of a public affairs program.
  • Experience planning, prioritizing and assigning work, developing public information projects, executing special events, ceremonies, exhibits and other public relations activities in support of an agency's mission.
  • Experience reviewing draft testimony, preparing materials for Congressional purposes, attending hearings, providing the media with pertinent information and monitoring press coverage.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  • Communications and Media: Knowledge of the production, communication and dissemination of information and ideas to inform and entertain via written, oral and visual media.
  • Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others. Adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
  • Public Service Motivation: Shows a commitment to serve the public. Ensures that actions meet public needs; aligns organizational objectives and practices with public interests.
  • Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively,; clarifies information as needed.
  • Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.


For all types of consideration, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional information

This vacancy may be used by any DOT agency to fill similar positions within 90 days.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 


To compete with U.S. Citizens:  If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze, which is based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference that have provided supporting documents will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The top rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position.


To compete with other competitive status government employees: If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be scored based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. The top rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. In eligibility question 14: select Yes/Other/Former Incumbency of a Position brought into the Competitive Service. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

All applicants:  Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package.  If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be updated on your behalf or you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. The Automated Staffing Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating.


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.