You will serve as a SUPERVISORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST for US Small Business Administration, Field Operations Center East - FOCE in Atlanta, Georgia OR Field Operations Center West - FOCW in Citrus Heights, California. This position provides first level supervision to the Public Affairs staff and act as an advisor to the Public Affairs Manager.
Summary
You will serve as a SUPERVISORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST for US Small Business Administration, Field Operations Center East - FOCE in Atlanta, Georgia OR Field Operations Center West - FOCW in Citrus Heights, California. This position provides first level supervision to the Public Affairs staff and act as an advisor to the Public Affairs Manager.
This vacancy is open to current permanent Federal employees (status candidates), and individuals eligible for any of the following special hiring authorities: Military Spouses, Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, VRA, 30% or more disabled veterans, Schedule A, current/permanent employees who are CTAP eligible, ICTAP eligible current/former federal employees, Land Management, Reinstatement eligibles, Transfer employees in Competitive service, and Interchange eligibles.
As a SUPERVISORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST at the GS-1035-13, some of your typical work assignments may include:
Provide leadership support to the Public Affairs Manager to ensure effective planning, operation, and evaluation of an active well-balanced public affairs program for DR&R's internal and external customers (media, the public, business, and civic organizations, etc.) and Federal, state, and local government offices concerning the SBA Disaster Assistance Program.
Ensure that the Center's plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, and work plans.
Plan and produce digital and social media web content projects for publication and dissemination through multiple channels. Creates scripts, digital tiles, and videos, utilizing SBA disaster loan program material for social media promotion.
Acts as a spokesperson for DR&R and supports the Center Director and Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist with making public appearances, preparing presentations, talking points or speeches as necessary.
Answer media questions and respond to requests for interviews and written information. Proactively seeks opportunities to tell newspapers, radio, and television reporters about the SBA Disaster Program.
This position is also being announced under Delegated Examining Procedures, open to the general public, DE-26-FOCE/W-12885930 to apply in order to receive consideration.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.
You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
Favorable background investigation required.
A one-year supervisory/Managerial probationary period may be required.
You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period for non-supervisors if you fail to complete the one-year supervisory probationary period.
This is not a bargaining unit position.
Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required while on assignment (up to seven days a week and ten to fourteen hours a day).
If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
Qualifications
Generally, time in Non-Pay status is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed below.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify based on experience, education or a combination of both.
Experience: To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer. Average work hours must be stated on resume to quantify each period of work experience or that experience will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.
GS-13: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
Implement organizational mission, team strategies, goals, and work plans; AND
Assess and lead a diverse team, establish work assignments, and manage workload balance; AND
Explain an organization's programs, policies, and procedures (1) either to the public as a member of the media (print, radio and/or television), or (2) to the media (print, radio and/or television) as a representative of an organization. (e.g., Media experience must have communicated directly to the public by written or broadcast reporting; AND
Oversee and monitor a social media engagement program to include the management and/or use of social media platforms, the posting of content, AND
Create engaging content using video editing software.
Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications web site: Public Affairs Series 1035
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 03/04/2026.
Education
Education may not be substituted for experience for this position.
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.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) is a program that applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment; 3) the position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced; and 4) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. Further information can be found here.
You MUST submit a copy of your separation notice or other proof of eligibility.
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. For additional information visit www.sss.gov.Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
Consistent with work requirements and current SBA Policy, and all applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE, the SBA offers employees opportunities to perform work at an alternative location (e.g. home). More information may be found at http://www.telework.gov.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
If selected for this position, you will be eligible for benefits. The above link is provided for your reference to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your resume should not exceed two pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outline in the specialized experience.
Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet all the Specialized Experience required at each grade level. If you do not, you will be rated "Ineligible". If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience your score can and may be adjusted downward to reflect the submitted application material. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:
Strategic Communication and Media Relations
Planning and Organizing
Policy Messaging and Stakeholder Engagement
Written Communication
Oral Communication
Leadership
Accountability
Customer Service
Decisiveness
Flexibility
Interpersonal Skills
Problem Solving
Resilience
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
If selected for this position, you will be eligible for benefits. The above link is provided for your reference to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume showing hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. Your resume should not exceed two pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience.
2. Other supporting documents, such as:
Veterans' documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 or other Member Copy showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
If you are a current or former Federal employee, submit a copy of your official SF-50 or other official "Notification of Personnel Action" document that shows the following information to verify your eligibility for consideration as a status applicant:
your appointment in the competitive or excepted service
tenure
grade, step and salary
highest grade held or full performance level of current or prior position (as applicable).
DO NOT SEND YOUR RESUME OR ANY APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO THE AGENCY CONTACT.
Your latest resume submitted for this position will be used for qualification determinations and supersedes previous submissions.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: 1. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (which must show at least a "fully successful" rating or equivalent), and proof of eligibility, i.e., a RIF separation notice or Certification of Expected Separation, and SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. In addition to meeting all qualification requirements and selective placement factors (if applicable), CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the Well-Qualified criteria with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above for the position in order to be given priority consideration. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is also on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at: CTAP/ICTAP http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. 2. If you are a veteran applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) Appointing Authority or for any other Appointment based on your military service, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 copy showing type of discharge/character of service or other proof of creditable service. 3. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered, or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/04/2026 to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Field Operations Center East - FOCE
101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30303
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments.
SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation may be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
SBA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume showing hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. Your resume should not exceed two pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience.
2. Other supporting documents, such as:
Veterans' documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 or other Member Copy showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
If you are a current or former Federal employee, submit a copy of your official SF-50 or other official "Notification of Personnel Action" document that shows the following information to verify your eligibility for consideration as a status applicant:
your appointment in the competitive or excepted service
tenure
grade, step and salary
highest grade held or full performance level of current or prior position (as applicable).
DO NOT SEND YOUR RESUME OR ANY APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO THE AGENCY CONTACT.
Your latest resume submitted for this position will be used for qualification determinations and supersedes previous submissions.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: 1. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (which must show at least a "fully successful" rating or equivalent), and proof of eligibility, i.e., a RIF separation notice or Certification of Expected Separation, and SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. In addition to meeting all qualification requirements and selective placement factors (if applicable), CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the Well-Qualified criteria with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above for the position in order to be given priority consideration. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is also on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at: CTAP/ICTAP http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. 2. If you are a veteran applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) Appointing Authority or for any other Appointment based on your military service, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 copy showing type of discharge/character of service or other proof of creditable service. 3. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered, or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/04/2026 to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Field Operations Center East - FOCE
101 Marietta Street NW, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30303
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments.
SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation may be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
SBA uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
