Public Affairs Specialist

This job is open to

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Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Internal to GAO employees on permanent appointments.

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Duties

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As a Public Affairs Specialist, PT, 1035, 2, your typical work assignments may include the following:

Provide writing, editing, and operations support to Fast Facts Division to help GAO communicate in plain language and broaden the reach and relevance of GAO reports to Congress and the public. Write and edit short summaries of GAO's reports and testimonies, called "Fast Facts," to communicate their main points in plain language for Congress and the public.
Assist with the production of GAO's social media efforts, visual communications, website content, and other digital communication methods.
Evaluate information focused on new media efforts and assist with implementing initiatives designed to utilize new and existing technologies to better communicate with various audiences and thereby enhance the service GAO.
Help manage the GAO's agency internet website for the GAO.gov, Daybook and Visuals Divisions in coordination with GAO Management and support staff to ensure that GAO external web pages provide an up-to-date and comprehensive body of information to support PA's policies, procedures, schedules and other information.
Assist with the production of GAO's digital communication, visual communication, website content and publication efforts and advise management on efforts to enhance GAO's new media/social networking capabilities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must meet all qualification requirements before the announcement closes.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the BAND PT-II level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band level, equivalent to the AC-III, PT-I, PE-I, CS-I or GS-11 level in the federal service, which has equipped the applicant with the skills and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience is defined as providing communications support to a public affairs team to convey information on an agency operation, programs and activities; developing communication products for various topics to be used in responding to media inquiries and briefing materials; evaluating and implementing new and existing technologies and processes for public affairs efforts including web analytics, social media and other products tied to reports, correspondence and testimonies.

Education

No education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Update your resume so it meets new resume requirements
Starting on September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying to a job.
What is required in the resume?
Resumes submitted for federal jobs are required to have:

Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you.
Relevant work experience-Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how your previous work experience relates to and helps you meet the required qualifications in the GAO job announcement to which you are applying.
Education, certifications or licensures-If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume.

For more information on the how to check the resume for the new 2-page requirement, please go to the Help Center or click the link : USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements

This is a bargaining unit position.

OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Minimum and maximum Salary Range for each Duty Location.

Dallas, TX------$99,028 - $157,393
Dayton, OH----$93,492 - $149,326
Washington, DC--$100,290 - $159,398

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.

If you meet the qualification requirements stated above, you will be further rated based on your responses to the vacancy questions. Please make sure that your responses to the vacancy questions are supported in your resume. Please follow all instructions carefully. If you provide incomplete answers, fail to provide a narrative response to any vacancy question(s) that requires further explanation, or if your response to a vacancy question is "see resume", your rating may be affected or you may be determined ineligible.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Communications and Media, Information Management, Technical Competence, and Writing

To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12929439

Help

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact Sherianne Moore at MooreSI@gao.gov by 4 p.m. on the closing date of the announcement.

For technical issue with USAJOBS: Please refer to the USAJOBS help page.

Agency contact information

Sherianne Moore

Email: MooreSI@gao.gov

Address: Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US

Next steps

After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated "best-qualified," your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.

If you do not meet the key requirements and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.

Required Documents

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You must provide a complete application package which includes:

- Resume: must be created using the USAJOBS resume builder and show relevant work experience. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient and you will not receive consideration for this position.

- Current GAO employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing tenure, type of service (competitive/excepted), as well as the highest grade/band held. The SF-50 must show that you are currently a GAO employee.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

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To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact Sherianne Moore at MooreSI@gao.gov by 4 p.m. on the closing date of the announcement.

For technical issue with USAJOBS: Please refer to the USAJOBS help page.

Agency contact information

Sherianne Moore

Email: MooreSI@gao.gov

Address: Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US

Next steps

After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated "best-qualified," your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.

If you do not meet the key requirements and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.