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Public Affairs Specialist

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

Summary

Position is in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Strategy, Office of Press Operations, USAID Spokesperson Unit (GPA/MD/PRS/A), is indefinitely detailed to the U.S. Agency for International Development to serve as a press officer for USAID, and is responsible for a broad range of public affairs initiative, engaging the international media, and advising the Spokesperson and other officials on effective delivery of critical U.S. foreign policy messages.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/03/2023 to 03/16/2023
Salary
$112,015 to - $145,617 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Washington
few vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Overseas and/or domestic travel may be required around 10% of the time.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HRSC/GPA-2023-0005
Control number
710040200

Duties

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  • Displays a mastery of communication principles, methods, practices, and techniques.
  • Develops and applies new approaches, strategies, and communication plans to the most difficult and complex public affairs issues and advises the spokesperson on the effective delivery of critical U.S. foreign policy messages.
  • Responds to press inquiries, with required Department clearances, and takes steps to achieve and enhance understanding, often serving to advocate the Department's position to parties with an opposing position on controversial issues.
  • Evaluates media interactions; develops new ways for gathering information; develops and/or reviews strategies for message delivery; assesses potential impact and public reaction; and provides recommendations consistent with U.S. foreign policy goals.
  • Anticipate and provide a rapid response to global activity.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
  • This position requires on-call and weekend duty.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. 

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 evaluating effectiveness of communications efforts by analyzing public reactions and/or understanding of programs and policies. 
  • Experience developing communication strategies/dissemination of information relating to U.S. foreign policy priorities.

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

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

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 OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

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 your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

  1. Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
  2. Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
  3. Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.  The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of U.S. society, foreign relations, and world events.
  • Skill in implementing complex public affairs projects.
  • Ability to establish and maintain liaison with officials throughout the foreign affairs community.  
  • Ability to respond to media inquiries.
  • Ability to compile information for reports/briefings.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category.  Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify.  View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. 


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