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Public Affairs Specialist

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, COMMUNICATIONS. As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will serve as a National Spokesperson and reports to the Staff Director, Media Relations. In coordination with communications staff, the National Spokesperson is responsible for working directly with both national, regional, and trade media outlets to provide responses to specific inquiry as well as provide proactive outreach on issues of CFPB concern.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/09/2024 to 05/22/2024
Salary
$140,566 to - $238,674 per year
Pay scale & grade
CN 60
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - 2 year term, not to exceed a total of 4 years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
60
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
24-CFPB-144-P
Control number
790454800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior federal experience is required.

Duties

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As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will:

  • This position is term. As such, the incumbent will be responsible for projects that have a defined end date. These projects may include but are not limited to: Designing and executing proactive communications plans for announcing policy decisions, rulemakings and enforcement actions on behalf of the Bureau. The incumbent conceives, develops, and implements outreach strategies designed to reach and engage the appropriate audience effectively communicating the CFPB's position or actions, such as policy decisions, rulemakings and enforcement actions. Provides advice and assistance on developing communication policies and procedures and coordinates with relevant staff within the Office of Communications or program offices.
  • Provides background and on-the-record comments, in consultation with supervisors, on behalf of the CFPB which may involve sensitive, proprietary, and non-public information. Independently determines the potential of public information related to highly visible subjects.
  • Responds to specific inquiries from media outlets, including national, regional, and trade publications. Reviews inquiries and identifies relevant CFPB talking points, internal information, and previously disclosed information to develop responses that are consistent with internal CFPB positions and previously stated views on issues that may often be contentious, sensitive, or of otherwise high priority.
  • Supports the production of press releases, talking points, speeches, and other information materials for public presentations by senior CFPB officials. Supports coordination of speeches and talking points covering various topics to ensure a coordinated approach supportive of agency policies.
  • Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with the news media and information networks with state, local entities and industries affected by the organizational programs to gain a better understanding of their interests and to enlist their cooperation in providing the public with information about CFPB activities. Advises and recommends proactive approaches for avoiding and/or resolving problems and reducing conflicts.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience:
For the CN-60, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the CN-53 grade level in the Federal service. (For qualification purposes, the CN-53 is broadly equivalent to the GS-13). Specialized experience for this position includes:
-Interfacing directly with members of the news media to provide on-the-record comments related to agency or organizational policies and programs
AND
-Writing press statements, guidance and other informational materials for dissemination through financial, business, personal finance, and other media
AND
-Developing talking points, questions and answers, and messaging using complex policy, regulatory, or technical documents for dissemination to the general public.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • This is a non bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  • Bureau employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions, which applicants may review at www.oge.gov. In addition, employees must comply with the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (5 CFR 9401), which, among other things, prohibit an employee or the employee's spouse or minor child from owning or controlling a debt or equity interest in an entity supervised by the Bureau. Regulations also impose restrictions on the outside activities of certain Bureau employees, including examiners and attorneys. Applicants may review the Bureau ethics regulations and a summary of the regulations at www.consumerfinance.gov. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Bureau Ethics Office at EthicsHelp@cfpb.gov.

CFPB uses an experience-based process to set pay for employees. Experience is evaluated and credited using the employee's résumé. To ensure that all of your prior work experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, details, part-time, self-employment, secondary jobs, etc.) is considered and accounted for, please ensure that your résumé covers the following:
  • your entire work history with specific start and end dates (MM-DD-YYYY) provided for each listed position
  • hours worked per week for each position
  • degrees and the dates conferred (MM-YYYY)
Part-time experience will be credited pro-rata based on a 40-hour work week, while work of 32 hours or more will be rounded up to full-time experience. If you have multiple positions that have overlapping start and/or end dates, only 40 hours of experience will be credited for a given work week. Refer to Resume Tips for more information on how to submit a comprehensive résumé. See information on our base pay ranges and salary structure.

Our comprehensive benefits are among the most generous in the federal government. They include:- Challenging and rewarding work benefiting American consumers - Opportunities for development and advancement- Comprehensive Federal health, vision, dental, life, and long-term care insurance programs- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201706_cfpb_benefits.pdf

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Qualifications and Rating: If you meet the eligibility and specialized experience requirements, you will be required to participate in an assessment exercise to determine qualifications and category rating for this position. An Assessment Specialist from the Bureau's Office of Human Capital will email you at the email address associated with your USAJobs account and you will have at least 48 hours to submit your assessment response back to the CFPB_Assessments@cfpb.gov inbox. It is advised to routinely check your "junk mail"/SPAM folders within your email to ensure you do not miss an email from the Assessment Specialist. You may request reasonable accommodation to complete the exercise through your Assessment Specialist. Your submitted assessment response will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of trained Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to determine your level of proficiency in the following competencies:

  • Written Communication: Prepares written materials that are accurate, clear, concise, organized, and responsive to requests; adheres to appropriate style, format, and guidelines/requirements.
  • Analytical Thinking: Gathers and analyzes information, identifies and addresses problems or issues, and makes informed decisions or recommendations.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A (highest quality category), B (middle quality category), or C (minimally qualified category), depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score in the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

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