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Health Communications Officer

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position serves as the Health Communications Officer (HCO) and principal advisor to the Director on communication and marketing science, research and practice and is appropriate for establishment at the Center level, or equivalent.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/25/2022 to 07/29/2022
Salary
$138,437 - $176,300 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 10% domestic for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-CDC-D3-22-11555154
Control number
666227800

Duties

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As a Health Communications Officer, you will:

  • Serve as the lead strategic advisor for communication and marketing in the programmatic area; coordinate and/or manage all communication and marketing activities within the organization.
  • Serve as the primary advisor for communication and marketing research, evaluation and practice, and ensure the use of sound research as the foundation for communication and marketing program and projects, using the most current behavioral, communication, and marketing science-based applications.
  • Provide critical expertise, management, and oversight to a wide range of complex and inter-related activities.
  • Serve as the lead for integrating the communication of public health protection, promotion and disease prevention messages on topics for promotion to internal and external audiences, including setting policies and procedures to maximize the delivery and impact of health information to community, state, national and international partners.
  • Supervise a small contingent of positions.

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.
  • Remote work eligible: May be authorized
  • Travel, transportation, and moving expenses may be paid: May be authorized
  • Drug Screening Required: No
  • Annual Leave for non-federal service may be authorized. No
  • Promotion potential: No
  • Supervisory position: Yes: This position has 20% supervisory duties, candidates must also have demonstrated or shown the potential to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities. Applicants should describe any previous experience or responsibilities which could be used in relation to the supervisory requirements of this position.
  • CDC Financial Disclosure -OGE form 450 Holding ourselves to a higher standard; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inspires public confidence in its trust responsibilities and mission by maintaining high ethical principles. This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency. This Information will be required annually.
  • Public Trust/Moderate Background Investigation (5) is required.

Qualifications

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. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative applicant drug test result.

Minimum Qualifications:
Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 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 experience in leading a health communication program for an organization; establishing internal and external relationships; and experience translating scientific data into communication products and messages.

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.

Additional information

Positions may be available in multiple locations across the United States, along with telework and remote opportunities, based on the hiring agency and the agency's remote/telework/virtual work policy.

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.

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).

  • Ability To Communicate In Writing
  • Ability To Communicate Orally
  • Ability To Implement Outreach And/Or Communications Activities
  • Ability To Supervise A Team
  • Knowledge of Health Communication Principles, Methods, Practices, and Techniques.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the agency Americans trust with their lives. As a global leader in public health, CDC is the nation's premier health promotion, prevention, and preparedness agency. Whether we are protecting the American people from public health threats, researching emerging diseases, or mobilizing public health programs with our domestic and international partners, we rely on our employees to make a real difference in the health and well-being of people here and around the world.

This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with vacancy announcement HHS-CDC-MP3-22-11555156 under merit promotion procedures. Please review that announcement to see if you are eligible for consideration under merit promotion procedures.

NOTE: Applicants must apply separately for each announcement in order to be considered.

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases (DDID), National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Immunization Services Division (ISD), in Atlanta, Georgia.

Current, active duty PHS 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).

CDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Agency contact information

CDC HELPDESK
Phone
(770) 488-1725
Email
HRCS@CDC.GOV
Address
OID, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
US

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