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

Public Affairs Specialist

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Public Affairs and Strategic Communication Office, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Department of State. The incumbent plays a leading role in the development, coordination, and implementation of comprehensive, effective, accurate, and timely digital media communication plans and strategies to support ECA’s programs. 

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/14/2022 to 01/24/2022
Salary
$106,823 to - $138,868 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
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
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
ECA-2022-0026
Control number
631200500

Duties

Help
  • Plays leading role in the development of digital strategy to coordinate disseminating information about ECA’s exchange programs and activities; advises managers on possible public and media reactions to proposed policy statements or plans of action.
  • Consults with ECA management and program staff in identifying and assessing communications and audience needs and to develop and implement digital media strategies in support of ECA's core international exchange programs.
  • Participates in the development and coordination of the design, development, and production of digital products (to include: video, graphic design, websites, and social media). Drafts, produces, and markets informational products.
  • Evaluates ECA digital communications for effectiveness in furthering ECA and departmental goals and objectives, as well as alignment with U.S. foreign policy; provides advice and recommendations to improve them. Analyzes programs and resources.
  • Participates in meetings with senior officials throughout the Department, U.S. Government and private sector stakeholders in meetings, conferences and other settings to advocate ECA views and policy positions.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

Experience developing and implementing digital media strategies and coordinating dissemination of information about an organization’s programs and activities.

Experience developing and coordinating the design, development, and production of digital products (to include video, graphic design, websites, and social media).

Experience drafting, producing, and marketing informational products.

Experience evaluating digital communications to assess its effectiveness in furthering an organization’s goals and objectives.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov.

 If eligible, telework and remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.

 If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department that may require a higher security clearance.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) – U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

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 and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures. Based on your responses to the job-specific self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Highly-qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.

Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Knowledge and skill in strategic planning processes.
  • Knowledge of Digital Diplomacy.
  • Ability to work effectively with staff, senior officials, congress, foreign and domestic news media and publics..
  • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.

Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method 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 pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement.

Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.


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.