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Public Affairs Specialist

National Science Foundation
Office of the Director (OD), Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position serves as a Public Affairs Specialist (Internal Communications Manager) in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA). This position is responsible for formulating strategies around internal communication activities, establishing goals, strategies and tactics related to the agency's internal affairs program and ensuring evaluation and conducting analysis of communication activities for impact and to enable data-driven decision-making.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/29/2024 to 02/12/2024
Salary
$139,395 to - $181,216 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Alexandria, VA
Remote job
No
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
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
OLPA-24-12288673
Control number
773197800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Any U.S. citizen and ICTAP/CTAP eligible employees. This opportunity is also open to current/former competitive service employees or those with status only under announcement OLPA-24-12288671.

Duties

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As the Internal Communications Manager, you will perform the following duties:

  • Oversees the development and implementation of an annual internal strategic communications plan in consultation with the other NSF offices to define communication goals, objectives, primary messages, strategies and tactics, as well as campaigns and communications plans for the agency.
  • In collaboration with the Office of Information and Resource Management, Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management, and Office of the Director, develops plans to achieve the internal goals for NSF by strategically determining internally facing topics to be addressed, people or organizations to approach and establishes deadlines and ensures timely completion of work assignments.
  • Develops innovative methods and opportunities to share information about internal NSF programs, initiatives, processes, activities, and successes.
  • Provides editorial reviews and guidance/approvals of information to be released to the internal and external audiences as appropriate.
  • Performs project management responsibilities including strategic planning; advising and making recommendations to senior NSF officials; coordinating with internal NSF and external partner organizations; selecting activities and themes; identifying and inviting expert speakers and presenters; and identifying opportunities for NSF senior leadership to speak about the NSF internal initiatives, programs, and activities.
  • Prepares internal and external talking points, briefing materials, presentations, processes, and other communication products for use by management.
  • Performs limited supervisory work for 20% or less of the time.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a US citizen.
  2. Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding.
  3. Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year supervisory probationary period.
Additional Requirements

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire & any external assessment that is included.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the federal service developing, managing, and overseeing internal communications strategies for an organization. Examples of specialized experience include: formulating strategies for internal communication activities; establishing communication plans and goals; leading a team responsible for developing both oral and written communication products for a variety of audiences; reviewing and approving information for release; serving as a liaison to other communication teams; analyzing and evaluating communication activities; and managing internal communication projects, processes, and procedures.

In addition to meeting the specialized experience above, you must also possess the selective factor.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: I have demonstrated experience working with internal stakeholders and senior leadership of an organization to design and execute successful internal communications strategies on a wide range of issues from proactive engagement with personnel to crisis management activities.

Experience refers to paid/unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills & can provide valuable training/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Additional information

Relocation Expenses will not be paid.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or IPAs detailed to NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to & including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment & referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)
ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least "Very Good" on the questionnaire. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the VA letter or other required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligibles. Based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, you will be assigned a score. Your score will determine in which of three categories you will be placed: Excellent, Very Good, or Good. Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire which will rate the following competencies:

  • Communications and Media
  • Oral Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Partnering
  • Writing


In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Under this process, veterans will be assigned to the appropriate category (without additional preference points) and then placed at the top of their category.

Veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the highest quality category.

The information contained in your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you meet the competencies required of this position. Please ensure you answer all questions accurately. Your responses are subject to verification. In support of your responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, your resume should include verbiage that describes your experience relative to the position for which you are applying and provide examples that show the depth of knowledge, level of skill, or degree of ability you possess. If your application does not support your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire or your application is not complete, this may result in adjustments to your score, or result in your name being removed from further consideration.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or CTAP must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." In NSF categories, this means at least "Very Good" with a score of 90.

To Preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12288673

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