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Health Communication Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The purpose of the position is to plan, implement, and evaluate a variety of health communication and marketing activities designed to impact positive health outcomes.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some CDC employees have been authorized to work virtually. However, when CDC is cleared to return back to work, you will be required to report to the location identified in the vacancy announcement for which you applied.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/07/2022 to 04/14/2022
Salary
$83,755 to - $108,886 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Atlanta, GA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-CDC-DE-22-11392360
Control number
647531400

Duties

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As a Health Communication Specialist, you will:

  • Develop and implement communication and marketing programs, projects, and strategies for the general public and other audiences, including innovative demonstration projects.
  • Develop, test, and disseminate science and audience-based products, tools, and messages to different audiences in a variety of formats.
  • Develop and present printed, electronic, and audiovisual materials for technical and lay audiences, scientific journals, and Internet and other mass-media outlets.
  • Conduct audience research, collect feedback from consumers, monitors communication channel use, monitor audience demand for materials and publications, conduct environmental scans and other evaluation tactics to analyze the effectiveness of health communication strategies and messages.
  • Prepare budgets for health communication initiatives and manages communication clearance processes.
  • Coordinate with others on health media production (e.g., graphics, broadcast production), risk communication activities, marketing campaigns and activities, publications for professional and public audiences, electronic health communication and marketing activities (e.g., web, podcasts), and partnerships and strategic alliances.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Background Investigation is required.
  • E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. Federal law requires DHS to use the E-Verify System to verify employment eligibility of all new hires, and as a condition of continued employment obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an E-Verify Participant.
  • Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • Travel, transportation, and moving expenses may be paid: No
  • Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
  • Drug Screening Required: No
  • Annual Leave for non-federal service may be authorized.
  • Promotion potential: No
  • Supervisory position: No
  • Public Trust/Moderate Background Investigation (5) is required.

Qualifications

Continuation of Requirements:

In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 14, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The Federal government, as the largest employer in the Nation, can and should show the way towards achieving drug-free workplaces through programs designed to offer drug users a helping hand, and at the same time demonstrating to drug users and potential drug users that drugs will not be tolerated in the Federal workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public. Applicants tentatively selected for this position may be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. If required to submit to urinalysis, the appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative applicant drug test result. In order to demonstrate commitment to the HHS goal of a drug-free workplace and to set an example for other Federal employees, employees not in a testing designated position may volunteer for unannounced random testing by notifying their Drug-free Federal Workplace Program Point of Contact upon hiring.

Minimum Qualifications for GS-12:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level of in the Federal service as defined in the next paragraph.

Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include:

1. Planning, implementing, and evaluating health communication and marketing activities; and
2. Preparing communication materials to inform the public and other audiences of public health programs.

Documenting Experience: In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Current, active duty PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps (not as a career/career-conditional employee) are encouraged to apply under the merit promotion announcement (if applicable).

Additional selections may be made within the same geographical location CDC-wide.

The utilization of shared certificates within multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention may be used from this vacancy announcement for specialties to include but not limited to: Applied Epidemiology, Behavioral Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, Immunization, Infectious Diseases (e.g. Viral, Parasitic, etc.), Influenza, Malaria, Non-communicable Diseases, Outbreak Investigations, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Surveillance, Tropical Medicine, Tuberculosis (TB), Viral Hepatitis, and/or Zoonotic Diseases.

Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov).

For information on "People with Disabilities" please see http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
and https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/getting-a-job/sampleschedaletters.pdf.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Former and present Peace Corps personnel may be considered to fill vacancies. Peace Corps personnel are eligible for consideration if you have completed at least 36 months of continuous service, without a break in service of 3 days or more. This requirement is consistent with section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506), which pertains to the appointment of Peace Corps staff (not volunteers) and is applicable within 3 years after separation from qualifying service with the Peace Corps. A copy of your SF-50 is required to support your request.

Peace Corps Volunteers may be considered to fill vacancies. Executive Order 11103 provides eligibility for appointment in the competitive service for any person who is certified by the Director of the Peace Corps as having served satisfactorily as a Volunteer or Volunteer Leader under the Peace Corps Act and who passes such examination as the Office of Personnel Management may prescribe.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates.

The category assignment is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified or Qualified. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the 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 in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher).

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics).

  • Audience Analysis and Segmentation
  • Collaboration / Partnering
  • Continuous Development
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Foundations in Health Communication and Marketing
  • Message Development and Testing
  • Oral Communication
  • Partner Engagement
  • Problem Solving
  • Research (3)
  • Results Driven
  • Written Communication

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