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External Affairs Specialist

Department of Homeland Security
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Office of The Chief External Affairs Officer

Summary

Office of the Chief External Affairs Officer (OCEAO) responsible for all aspects of communications and messaging, media relations, branding, and marketing, as well as congressional engagement. The Office of External Affairs works across the agency to share CISA's story with the U.S. Congress, stakeholders, media, and, most importantly, the American people.


Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 07/06/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 6, 2026
Location
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$143,913 - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
OCEAO-ST-12993542-26-KR
Control number
874342000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• Current or former competitive service federal employees with career or career-conditional tenure • Surplus or Displaced (CTAP or ICTAP) • Land Management • Individuals with Disabilities • Military Spouses • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) • Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) • 30% or More Disabled Veterans • Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA • Interchange Agreements with Other Merit Systems • Foreign Service Employees • Certain Former Overseas Employees

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Duties

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Typical work assignments include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing and executing communication strategies to ensure the effective implementation of organizational program and activities.
  • Writing and editing speeches, press releases, and other materials to support internal and external stakeholder's initiatives.
  • Implementing communication activities and messaging consistently across an organization.
  • Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of important issues including but not limited to, CISA agency priorities, emerging requirements, leadership directives, Administration, Department, and Federal partner guidance and needs.
  • Ensures plans, programs and communications activities to complex issues are consistently implemented and meet customers' expectations and agency requirements.
  • Keeps abreast of new policies, procedures, regulations, directives, and recommends the framework for Division-wide policies, programs, and systems to improve the efficiency and economy of functions and operations.
  • Conducting research on particular issues, and briefs senior executives on findings of significance related to stakeholder perspectives and concerns, outreach strategies and communication initiatives and proposals.
  • Conceptualizing, developing and implementing cross-cutting external affairs initiatives intended to strengthen operations and partnerships.
  • Serving as a point-of-contact and as an authoritative representative for the development, explanation and/or resolution of strategic external affairs issues of the highest interest to CISA leadership, CISA division leadership, CISA lines of business leadership and other senior executives.
  • Ensuring plans, programs and communications activities are consistently implemented and that timely and appropriate corrective actions are taken to meet and exceed customer and partner expectations.

Military Spouses & U.S. Foreign Service Spouses Only: This position is remote work and telework eligible consistent with the Agency's telework and remote work program policy. Applicants who live within the local commuting area (i.e., a 50-mile or less radius from Glebe Road, Arlington VA (not driving distance)) are eligible for 100% telework in accordance with agency policy.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Selective Service - Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service see http://www.sss.gov/
  • All Federal employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
  • DHS 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.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
  • Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, and acts of terrorism or lack of funding. Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
  • This position has been identified as a drug testing designated position (TDP) for purposes of the CISA's Drug-Free Workplace Program. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illicit/illegal drug use prior to receiving a final offer of employment. A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result. After appointment, you may be subject to periodic random drug testing.

Qualifications

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. Your resume must describe your work and experience, in your own words.

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying.

You qualify at the GS-14 grade level, if you have:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level (or equivalent) performing all the following duties:

  1. Interpreting, developing, or analyzing policy, programs, and concepts of operations of standard procedures directly impacting stakeholder critical infrastructure security mission;
  2. Communicating, both written and orally, with Division Directors, Managers, and Senior Level headquarters staff regarding areas of strategic external affairs;
  3. Managing and developing outreach strategies, workgroups, task forces, committees, and subcommittees at the headquarters and regional levels; AND
  4. Providing analysis on strategic long and short-range plans of stakeholder initiatives of engagement programs.

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). 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.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule (GS) position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). NOTE: Current or former GS federal civilian employees, within the previous 52 weeks, applying for a position under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) must meet time-in-grade requirements.

Time After Competitive Appointment: By the closing date specified in this job announcement, current Federal civilian employees must wait at least 90 days after their latest non-temporary appointment from a competitive service referral certificate before promotion, transfer, reinstatement, reassignment, or detail.

All qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification AND Time-in-Grade claims will be subject to verification.

Education

No Educational Substitution: There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level. You must meet the qualifications listed in the "Requirements" section of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Other incentives may be authorized.
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
  • Additional vacancies may be filled with this announcement.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued 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.
  • Military Spouses & U.S. Foreign Service Spouses Only: The actual salary will be adjusted based on the grade, step, and locality for the selectee's geographic location. The remote worker's locality pay is based on the location of the employee's residence. General Schedule (GS) locality pay tables may be found at Salaries & Wages.
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified applicants and employees with a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, unless to do so would create an undue hardship to the agency (29 CFR 1614.203 (2017)). If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, contact the CISA Office of Privacy, Access, Civil Liberties, and Transparency (PACT) by sending an email to CISA_ReasonableAccommodation@cisa.dhs.gov with the subject line, "Reasonable Accommodation Request @ CISA." In the email itself, you must include your name, vacancy announcement number(s), and state your intent to seek a reasonable accommodation. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. For more information or inquiries, please contact the CISA Reasonable Accommodation Program at CISA_ReasonableAccommodation@cisa.dhs.gov.

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.

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.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

For Competitive Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

For Non-competitive Appointment Eligibles: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well-qualified under I/CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures.)

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter). Applicants passing the structured resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.

To preview the application questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12993542

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the national effort to defend critical infrastructure against the threats of today, while working with partners across all levels of government and in the private sector to secure against the evolving risks of tomorrow. CISA's mission includes protecting the Federal Government's networks and physical infrastructure, to helping entities in the public and private sectors manage potential risk, to enhancing public safety communications at all levels of government. CISA's multi-faceted mission is home to a wide range of career fields including cybersecurity, program management, business administration, communications, and data science.

Joining CISA means being part of the team focused on securing the Nation's physical and cyber infrastructure against threats to public health and safety, economy, and national security; we Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow.

Agency contact information

Kazi Rahman
Email
kazi.rahman@associates.cisa.dhs.gov
Address
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
1110 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22201
US

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.cisa.gov/careers

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