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Public Affairs Specialist

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, Office of Strategy, Outreach, and Events, Office of Global Communication Strategy (GPA/SOE/GCS).  GPA carries out the Secretary’s mandate to articulate the foreign policy of the United States and to communicate with and engage U.S. and global audiences.  

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/24/2026 to 03/02/2026
Salary
$143,913 to - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—As determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
R/GPA-MPI-2026-0001
Control number
858659500

Duties

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  • Utilizes a mastery of communication methods, practices, and techniques to independently plan, design, drafts, and finalize complex strategy and communications plans.
  • Ensures communication planning reflects and aligns with the strategic policy priorities of the White House and Secretary of State and the long-range goals of the Department.
  • Provides the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretaries with summaries of outside opinion leaders and of the on-going policy dialogue with the government pertaining to strategic communications.
  • Advises on and updates standard operating procedures to aid the team in accomplishing its coordination.
  • Safeguards and protects classified material, preventing any unauthorized disclosure. Safeguards and protects Privacy Act Information (PII) from unauthorized release.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.   

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience independently designing and implementing complex strategic communications plans for the White House and Secretary of State foreign policy priorities. 
  • Experience serving in an advisory role within public affairs and strategic communications team, providing guidance on communication methods and problem-solving techniques. 
  • Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with public affairs offices within the Bureau of Global Public Affairs (GPA), and other government agencies.
  • Experience coordinating messaging and developing innovative, data-driven outreach strategies designed to effectively engage and inform public audiences on Department's foreign policy priorities.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in this Bureau for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

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.

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, a review of your resume limited to two pages will be conducted and evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications for this position. The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert review of your resume. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Ability to work effectively with staff, senior official, congress, foreign and domestic.
  • Knowledge of diverse media  technologies.
  • Ability to plan and organize.
  • Knowledge of program management techniques.
  • Skill in working on a variety of projects tasks while meeting deadlines.
  • Ability to communicate in writing.

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.). If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. 

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be considered well-qualified for the position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. To be considered well-qualified, in addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.


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