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Public Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/




Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/23/2024 to 11/06/2024
Salary
$86,962 to - $153,354 per year

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level

Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Jefferson, LA
Sterling, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
BSEE-EEAA-24-JB-332(DEU)
Control number
815507600

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Office of Strategic Engagement, Office of Public Affairs (OPA) in various duty locations.

At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Plan, initiate, and implement comprehensive public affairs campaigns to enhance the understanding of the agency's programs among the general public, stakeholders and specialized groups and organizations.
2. Develops, coordinates, and executes public affairs communication plans and strategies to secure public understanding and support in reaching bureau objectives and strategic initiatives.
3. Writes, reviews, edits, and makes recommendations in Associated Press (AP) Style concerning speeches, publications, and presentations to ensure they conform to BSEE policies and procedures and are consistent with widely accepted communications practices.
4. Develops, through research and interviews, written materials designed to reach regional and national audiences through the news media utilizing wire services, radio, television announcements, fact sheets, feature stories, speeches, audio visual presentations, reports, biographical sketches, correspondence and background statements.
5. Proactively researches, analyzes, and provides public affairs solutions to issues as assigned by the Deputy Assistant Director for Public Affairs. Prepares written and oral briefings for presentation to Deputy Assistant Director for Public Affairs and senior leaders when necessary.
6. Contributes to the bureau's internal communication plan through preparation of communication materials and provides input on effective methods and techniques.
7. Writes, edits and creates multimedia products for materials covering a wide variety of complex and technical program issues. These materials include press releases, social media posts, pod casts, fact sheets, Q & As, backgrounders, talking points, video production, still imagery, video and audio capture. Uses a variety of research material for projects and interviews subject matter experts.
8. Uses widely available software such as the Adobe Creative Suite to develop, edit and produce written and visual communications products.

BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Note: This is NOT a remote position. You will be required to report to the duty location to which you are applying.

Salary Range Information: GS-12

Jefferson, LA: ($86,962 - $113,047) per annum.
Sterling, VA: ($99,200 - $128,956) per annum.
Washington, DC: ($99,200 - $128,956) per annum.

Salary Range Information: GS-13

Jefferson, LA: ($103,409 - $134,435) per annum.
Sterling, VA: ($117,962 - $153,354) per annum.
Washington, DC: ($117,962 - $153,354) per annum.

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as BSEE-EEAA-24-JB-333(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying.

GS-12

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1) Developing informational materials such as press releases, fact sheets, brochures, booklets, web material, and video scripts to increase communication with varying regional and national audiences.

2) Writing, editing, and recommending material for professional presentations at meetings and conferences to include speeches and slide presentations; AND

3) Establishing and maintaining working relationships with outside groups in achieving understanding with individuals indifferent to or having opposing points of view of an organization's policies and programs.

MUST MEET ALL.

GS-13

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1) Developing informational materials such as press releases, fact sheets, brochures, booklets, web material, and video scripts to increase communication with varying regional and national audiences.

2) Writing, editing, and recommending material for professional presentations at meetings and conferences to include speeches and slide presentations.

3) Establishing and maintaining working relationships with outside groups in achieving understanding with individuals indifferent to or having opposing points of view of an organization's policies and programs.

4) Capturing video and imagery and producing final written, video and infographic products; AND

5) Implementing internal long-range and interim communications policies, strategies, and decisions regarding program activities.

MUST MEET ALL.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

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

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, 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

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

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), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12587363

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