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Public Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
Office of Communication and Publishing
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

There are multiple vacancies that may be filled at any of the following locations: Falmouth, MA; Lakewood, CO; Laurel, MD; Reston, VA; Troy, NY or remote work. The location will be determined when a selection is made.

This position is being advertised concurrently with the following announcement:

Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-DEN-22-11559023-ST-EKG.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/05/2022 to 08/12/2022
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$66,214 to - $126,742 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Lakewood, CO
Laurel, MD
Falmouth, MA
Troy, NY
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Overnight travel of 2-3 nights per month may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-DEN-22-11559022-DE-EKG
Control number
668751400

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Duties

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As a Public Affairs Specialist within the Office of Communication and Publishing, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Helping develop and maintaining relationships with key government officials at the federal, state and local level, ensuring their offices are informed of USGS science.
  • Communicating information that involves high pressure, high visibility issues that may require fast-paced responses to tight deadlines.
  • Planning and coordinating news conferences, congressional field meetings, national conferences or events, partner and stakeholder events, photo and video opportunities and other functions.
  • Establishing and maintaining relationships with media, elected officials and their staff, other governmental agencies and stakeholders.
  • Developing strategies for reaching audiences by writing and executing communication plans and talking points.
  • Researching, writing and preparing news releases, feature stories, talking points, speeches, briefing materials, videos, photographs and social media posts that highlight USGS science and activities.

There are multiple vacancies that may be filled at any of the following locations: Falmouth, MA; Lakewood, CO; Laurel, MD; Reston, VA; Troy, NY or remote work. The location will be determined when a selection is made.

Falmouth, MA
GS-11 $74,129 (Step 01) to $96,363 (Step 10)
GS-12 $88,850 (Step 01) to $115,510 (Step 10)

Lakewood, CO
GS-11 $72,995 (Step 01) to $94,889 (Step 10)
GS-12 $87,491 (Step 01) to $113,743 (Step 10)

Laurel, MD
GS-11 $74,950 (Step 01) to $97,430 (Step 10)
GS-12 $89,834 (Step 01) to $116,788 (Step 10)

Reston, VA
GS-11 $74,950 (Step 01) to $97,430 (Step 10)
GS-12 $89,834 (Step 01) to $116,788 (Step 10)

Troy, NY
GS-11 $67,627 (Step 01) to $87,911 (Step 10)
GS-12 $81,057 (Step 01) to $105,378 (Step 10)

Remote salary is based on the general schedule pay table. For locality pay information, click here.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2022/general-schedule/

NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • This vacancy is limited to the first 150 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
  • If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualifications

For GS-11:

Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., in a field of study which provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

**OR One year of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service that is in or related to public affairs and that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience could include independent responsibility to analyze, select and prepare information materials; responding to media questions on standard organizational policies. These work experiences would have required the individual to select and make minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, Public Affairs Specialists have a sound working knowledge of communication, media relations, and public relations principles and methods and the ability to independently perform moderately difficult and responsible public affairs work.

**OR A combination of successfully completed graduate level education as described above that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

For GS-12:

Applicants must have one year of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service that is in or related to public affairs and that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Examples of such experience could include planning or evaluating public affairs programs and projects; initiating public awareness activities; developing proactive outreach/marketing and media relations strategies; developing & presenting informational material to achieve understanding of various points of view or concepts from publics with varying levels of understanding and different interests. These work experiences typically involved conventional methods & techniques though they required going beyond clear precedents, and required adapting methods to the problems at hand and interpreting findings in terms of their significance. At this level, Public Affairs Specialists have a very good knowledge of the principles and methods used in conducting a public affairs program and their application, and the ability to independently perform public affairs work of considerable difficulty.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

How you will be evaluated

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

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:

  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Pressure/Deadlines
  • Public Information and Outreach
  • Multimedia Communication
  • Written Communication
--Basis of Rating:

Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified and Qualified. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment required for this position. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Additional Assessments Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position and score above the cut-score based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

If you are found rated in the Best Qualified category, you will be contacted via email and requested to submit a scientific writing sample within the established deadline following the instructions in the email. Failure to return the completed assignment within the established deadline will result in your disqualification from further consideration.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11559022

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