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Communications Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

You will serve as a Communications Specialist with the Associate Chief of Staff Primary Care services located in Walla Walla, Washington.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
03/17/2026 to 03/17/2026
Salary
$74,678 to - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Walla Walla, WA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Ad-hoc telework is defined as situational telework approved on a case-by-case basis.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBSV-12905082-26-CMS
Control number
861447700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Special authorities include: Former overseas employees and foreign service employees. Clarification for these authorities is provided in the questionnaire. Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred to hiring managers in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center. 2. All other VA employees.

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Duties

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Oversee the My HealtheVet (MHV) presence and web content and lead innovations to keep facilities MVH on the cutting-edge.

Develop multimedia campaign materials (e.g., printed articles, brochures, videos) to inform MHV's target population.

Create and deliver presentations to inform the public about MHV's Health Programs, products, capabilities, and health care issues.

Act as technical expert and lead the facility's efforts to integrate MHV and Secure Messaging (SM) among healthcare providers and patients and trouble shoot and resolve user issues.

Possess interpersonal communication skills to deal with Veterans who are difficult, hostile, or distressed, to be able to negotiate, and to interact with co-workers, supervisors, and high-level management.

Establish and manage communications plans throughout all levels of the organization that identify target audiences, appropriate messages, activities, and resources needed for effective communication, plan change management that incorporate multiple channels to manage expectations and disseminate project progress.

Work with senior functional subject matter experts, committees, workgroups, improvement projects, and process development teams to identify and manage significant changes in the way employees will integrate MHV in the fabric of care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Maintain liaisons with management and MHV national coordinators in conference calls and discussion groups to ensure correct, current, and accurate portrayal of information is provided to meet objectives.

Generate and evaluate a variety of reports on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis, including but not limited to the areas such as panel sizes, team assignments, enrollment capacity, and current capacity.

Establish, design, and manage the training plans and perform needs assessments within the project relative to functional and training needs and project effectiveness.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.


Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Ad-hoc telework is defined as situational telework approved on a case-by-case basis. Examples of situational or ad-hoc telework include telework because of inclement weather, doctor appointment, or special work assignments. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Communications Specialist/PD801960
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.


Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • 5 CFR ยง 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 03/27/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-09 grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: oversee an online patient Healthcare portal's presence and web content and lead innovations to keep facilities portal on the cutting-edge; develop multimedia campaign materials (e.g., printed articles, brochures, videos) to inform a targeted population; create and deliver presentations to inform the public about Health Programs, products, capabilities, and health care issues; act as technical expert and lead the facility's efforts to integrate their online patient portal and Secure Messaging (SM) among healthcare providers and patients and trouble shoot and resolve user issues; possess interpersonal communication skills to deal with patients who are difficult, hostile, or distressed, to be able to negotiate, and to interact with co-workers, supervisors, and high-level management; establish and manage communications plans throughout all levels of the organization that identify target audiences, appropriate messages, activities, and resources needed for effective communication, plan change management that incorporate multiple channels to manage expectations and disseminate project progress; work with senior functional subject matter experts, committees, workgroups, improvement projects, and process development teams to identify and manage significant changes in the way employees will integrate the online patient portal in the fabric of care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home; maintain liaisons with management and national online health portal coordinators in conference calls and discussion groups to ensure correct, current, and accurate portrayal of information is provided to meet objectives; generate and evaluate a variety of reports on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis, including but not limited to the areas such as panel sizes, team assignments, enrollment capacity, and current capacity; and establish, design, and manage the training plans and perform needs assessments within the project relative to functional and training needs and project effectiveness.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

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


Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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.

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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