Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Public Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
National Invasive Species Council (NISC)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Department of the Interior is devoted to protecting and preserving the natural resources of this great nation, including National Parks, Landmarks, and the well-being of communities, including those of Native American, Alaska Natives and affiliated Islanders.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/17/2024 to 12/26/2024
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
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Location Negotiable After Selection
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
OS-6015-25-ETA- 050(DEU)
Control number
824281800

Duties

Help

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, National Invasive Species Council (NISC).

At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Develops the design of a NISC communications strategy in collaboration with the Executive Director and program staff. This includes NISC's website and online presence, NISC and ISAC outputs, newsletters and reports, press releases, presentations, and other materials/audiences. Defines objectives, target audiences, key messages, communication methods, and feedback monitoring.
  2. Designs, manages, and updates website structure and content to meet DOI Digital services requirements. Works with NISC program staff and member agency representatives, particularly other agency and interagency websites addressing invasive species. Identifies and develops content for other online platforms.
  3. Develops, updates, fact checks, and edits products for print, online, and broadcast, including: biweekly updates to NISC agencies, newsletters for non-Federal partners, NISC annual report, and content for other NISC outputs and invasive species publications. Coordinates with the NISC member agency communications personnel on relevant press materials and publicity as required.
  4. Engages with NISC member agencies including their official NISC representatives and other program staff. Identifies opportunities to advance mutual communication and engagement priorities.
  5. Creates proactive and creative approaches to establish effective relationships with new, non-traditional, and sometimes critical audiences.
This position is being advertised as both location negotiable after selection and with a duty station of Washington, DC., with the option of telework. If applying to "negotiable after selection", this means that your duty station will be based off your home address and you will be a full-time remote worker. If selectee lives in the local commute area (LCA) of Washington, DC., the selectee may not be remote, but eligible for telework only.

*Salary Range Information:
Washington, DC:
GS-12: ($99,200 - $128,956) per annum
GS-13: ($117,962 - $153,354) per annum
**Remote:
GS-12: ($86,962 - $113,047) per annum.
GS-13: ($103,409 - $134,435) per annum.

*First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
**This is the RUS salary rate. If the applicant is selected for a remote location, pay will be set according to selectee's geographic area.

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

This vacancy is also announced as OS-6015-25-ETA-051(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

Help

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 to which you are applying.

GS-12
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 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 a program's policies and programs.
MUST MEET ALL.

GS-13
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 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 a program's policies and programs. AND
  4. Implementing internal long-range and interim communications policies, strategies, and decisions regarding program activities.
MUST MEET ALL.

NOTE: Experience with invasive species projects or programs is preferred but not required.

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

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.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Communications and Media: Knowledge of the production, communication and dissemination of information and ideas to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Multimedia Technologies: Knowledge of the principles, methods, tools, and techniques of developing or applying technology using text, audio, graphics, or other media.
  • Project Management: Applies principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and managing projects and resources, including technical performance.
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/12644067

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.