Clarification from the agency

Open to All US citizens. If you are a current or former federal employee or are eligible under a special hiring authority (VEOA, Schedule A, etc.), you may be eligible to apply under the concurrently advertised merit promotion vacancy Announcement: OCO-HQ-2024-0005.

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 50th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.  

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist (Press), GS-1035-15, you will be responsible for:

• Leads ED communications activities including press and customer relations to advance ED communication goals. Supervises and directs day-to-day activities of division.
• Develops communications strategies and oversees the resolution of media needs and issues including timely and accurate dissemination of information.    
• Develops communications policies, implements strategies to improve customer service, and oversees procurement of news monitoring and communications delivery solutions.
• Plans, coordinates, and oversees the Department system for ensuring appropriate publications are
  translated into foreign languages. 

Conditions of employment

• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Background Investigation is required.
• Relocation will not be paid.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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).

Conditions of Employment

TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY:

• You may be eligible for occasional telework in which you are required to report to the office on a regular basis. Participation must be requested and approved by the supervisor and there must be a signed telework agreement. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor. You must have access to high speed internet and cell phone service meeting current Agency policy from the approved work location.  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements
You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15, if you possess the specialize experience. 

Specialized Experience for the GS-15

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. 1. Experience in leading and conducting continuous assessments of team functions and processes to support operations of a communications program.  
   2. Experience in developing communications plans and managing media relationships as part of a communications program. 
   3. Experience with communications technologies and the implementation of policies, approaches and procedures to ensure communications are responsive to public needs. 

   
   Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

   The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).
   
   

   1. Ability to lead and manage communications professionals to achieve goals. 
   2. Ability to communicate to a variety of audiences and serve as an expert in the communications field. 
   3. Ability to develop and implement communications policies and lead efforts to adapt to new modes of communication. 
   4. Ability to manage multi-lingual programs and projects to achieve goals.

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.

2. Rating and Ranking

If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. Your application may be referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration. Veterans’ Preference: Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles will be ranked ahead of qualified non-preference eligibles within each category for which they are qualified. Qualified veterans’ preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS and CP) will be placed at the top of the Best Qualified category, except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 grade level or higher.

Based on the outcome of this evaluation candidates will be assigned a numerical score out of a possible 100 and be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified.  The three categories are defined below:

Best-Qualified Category – Applicants who have a score between 95 and 100.  Demonstrates better overall or key knowledge, skills, or abilities for a specific position.

Well-Qualified Category – Applicants who have a score between 85 and 94.99.  Possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position but does not necessarily meet the definition of best qualified.

Qualified Category – Applicants who have a score between 70 and 84.99. Meets the minimum qualification standards for a specific position.

3. Referral and Selection

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process or written assessment or exercise, please inform the selecting official at the time of scheduling.