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Writer-Editor

Department of Homeland Security
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Emergency Communications Division (ECD)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Who May Be Considered:

  • U.S. Citizens
View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/01/2023 to 11/10/2023
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$78,592 to - $122,459 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Arlington, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
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
ECD-DE-12167273-24-VM
Control number
757933000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

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Duties

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Typical work assignments include:

  • The purpose of this position is to serve as a technical Writer-Editor providing expertise in creating and publishing communications, and outreach to the public and various other organizations as well as international audiences.
  • Exercise independent judgment to perform writing, editing, review, and pre-press publishing tasks required for preparation of reports.
  • Coordinates with authors, subject experts, management, and reviewers to ensure that revisions are correctly incorporated into the final documents.
  • Conducts systematic searches for pertinent sources, coordinate searches with appropriate CISA divisions or ECD division associate directors, colleagues, officials, of federal repositories, and personnel of other organizations within and outside the government.
  • Makes decisions pertaining to publication design, typography, organizational formats, mechanical style, and literacy, style where no clear precedent exists.
  • Provides advice and guidance on all matters related to writing, document preparation, and publishing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USA Hire Assessment, if required.
  • Selective Service - Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service see http://www.sss.gov/
  • All Federal employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
  • DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
  • This position has been identified as a drug testing designated position (TDP) for purposes of the CISA's Drug-Free Workplace Program. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illicit/illegal drug use prior to receiving a final offer of employment. A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result. After appointment, you may be subject to periodic random drug testing.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
  • Travel required (less than 25%).
  • This position is telework eligible consistent with the Agency's telework work program policy. Applicants who live within the local commuting area (i.e., a 50-mile or less radius from Glebe Road, Arlington VA (not driving distance)) are ineligible for local remote work and are expected to perform work onsite and may be eligible for telework in accordance with agency policy.

Qualifications

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required education and/or experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying.

GS-11
You qualify for the GS-11 grade level, if you have:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level (or equivalent) performing the following duties:

  1. Creates and publishes communications and outreach to the public, key internal/external stakeholders, and various other organizations as well as international audiences using established precedents.
  2. Performs research, background searches as necessary, and builds a database of personal contacts consisting of subject matter experts (SME's) or other pertinent groups of individuals that can provide information used to resolve discrepancies, completes unfinished material and to produce material for inclusion in publications.
  3. Coordinates with authors, subject matter experts, management, and reviewers to ensure that revisions are correctly incorporated into the final document and comments are all addressed satisfactorily.
  4. Provides advice and guidance on all matters related to writing, document preparation, and publishing using established procedures.
OR
EDUCATION:
A.
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited institution.
OR
B. Three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited institution.
OR
C. LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree, if related
OR
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: To combine education and experience, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage by dividing your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then determine your education as a percentage by dividing the total number of completed graduate education beyond the second year (total graduate education minus 36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) by 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours. Finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify at this grade level.

GS-12
You qualify for the GS-12 grade level, if you have:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level (or equivalent) performing the following duties:
  1. Exercises independent judgment to perform writing, editing, review, and pre-press publishing tasks required for the preparation of reports. newsletter articles, social media posts, program documentation, and management support documents pertaining to studies and program related to the organization.
  2. Editing tasks encompass all levels of review and revision, to include copy editing for grammar, usage, syntax, and professional style.
  3. Applies knowledge of journalistic research methods and other modes of information gathering to the writing of original editorial content as required by the supervisor.
  4. Works with a high degree of independence to clarify, restructure, summarize, extend, or cut portions of the document furnished by multiple co-authors to impose coherence, economically convey intended meaning, and eliminate redundancy, establishes continuity of writing voice, tone, and style.
National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for a position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the qualification requirements. You must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Additional information

  • Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid.
  • Other incentives may be authorized.
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • This position has been designated excluded bargaining unit representation under the national security provision of 5 U.S.C. 7112(B)(6).
  • The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum base pay up to maximum base pay. The salary will be adjusted to include the locality pay for the selected duty location. General Schedule (GS) locality pay tables for all areas may be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website at: Salaries & Wages.
  • When entering a federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses. NOTE: Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Shared Certificate: When CISA completes their selections, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with other DHS Component agencies who are hiring for similar positions. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application materials, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with other DHS Component agencies. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Communication
  • Creative Thinking
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Research
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Writing


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
  1. Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF), and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
  2. Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
  3. Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under I/CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. (This position is not considered scientific/professional.) Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on https://www.fedshirevets.gov

To preview the application questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12167273

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