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Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist - Chief of Communications

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Atlanta VA Healthcare System - Office of the Director
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist serves as the Chief of Communications and Public Affairs for the Atlanta VA Healthcare System. He/she has significant interaction with community partners at the local, state, and federal levels. He/she directs the planning and operations of the Stakeholder Relations Office to complement the attainment of goals and objectives. This position reports to the Deputy Director of the Atlanta VA Healthcare System (AVAHCS).

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/09/2022 to 08/16/2022
Salary
$99,595 to - $129,472 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTB-11599845-22-EDM
Control number
670421200

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Duties

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**This position has been approved for a recruitment/relocation bonus. A highly qualified selection may be eligible for a recruitment or relocation incentive, depending on their qualifications and circumstances.

Major duties for this position may include (but are not limited to):

  • Applies expertise in public relations, medical media, and healthcare administration skills to ensure resources are used effectively to market and promote the VA's high-quality care system.
  • Serves as the agency spokesperson for the facility, including responding in writing and orally to questions about or criticisms of the agency's activities or policies and explaining the VA point of view.
  • Facilitates communication with external and internal stakeholders, and patient education communication, and monitors the critical elements of the office's performance.
  • Manages, supervises and evaluates the Public Affairs program and staff.
  • Responsible for planning and executing programs to inform and educate the general public as well as targeted groups about the organizations programs, activities and services.
  • Develops and disseminates management reports.
  • Provides public and media relations oversight on behalf of the healthcare system.
  • Advises leadership on all issues relating to community awareness, media relations, and public information regarding the facility.
  • Develops, coordinates, and provides oversight for healthcare system/consumer and congressional briefings and training for all employees before any media interviews and is directly responsible for dealing with all media representatives throughout the healthcare system.
  • Responsible for preparing or directing the preparation of all news releases, media advisories, public service announcements, social media posts, and feature articles about the healthcare system.
  • Evaluates the effectiveness of the facility's public affairs program and makes changes as necessary to improve the public image to the facility and to improve media exposure of its programs and activities.
  • Maintains regular contact and develops relationships with local media across the geographical area.
  • Responsible for oversight of the healthcare system's various print publications, social media sites, internet site, brochures, outreach advertising, and multimedia/audio-visual productions.
  • Oversees the healthcare system's digital bulletin boards, electronic marquee, telephone system auto message and on-hold message, and other special communications projects.
  • Responsible for developing/directing the development of positive new stories about the facility, its programs, announcements, and patient care activities for local and national media exposure.
  • Coordinates, supervises and directs the planning of various special events to promote the mission of the healthcare system and to increase patient and staff morale.
  • Serves as the primary healthcare system liaison with VHA Office of Communication and VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.
  • Manages the graphic design, photography, videography, exhibit management, medical illustration, audio and video production in support of patient education and healthcare system initiatives.
  • Directs all phases of the medical media service program, including planning and performing evaluations of the entire program and making necessary changes.
  • Responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of an influential congressional and community stakeholder relations program.
  • Routinely engages congressional elected officials and congressional staff regarding a variety of Veteran issues.
  • Provides oversight and evaluation of regular congressional/stakeholder meetings.
  • Reviews high-level inquiries, to include those from Congressional members, OIG, Joint Commission, Veterans Service Organizations, etc., and advises facility leadership on response/action.
  • Manages control points and budgets of over $275,000 annually.
  • Develops plans, milestones and policies to accomplish assigned functions on an immediate and long-range basis.
  • Reviews work completed by subordinates for accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Executes administration and personnel management responsibilities related to the accomplishment of the Communications and Stakeholder Relations programs.
  • Assures subordinates are trained and fully compliant with the provisions of such programs as Equal Opportunity, internal controls, persons with disabilities, labor management relations, and other similar special emphasis programs.
  • Uses subordinate supervisors and leaders to direct, coordinate, and oversee the work of the organization.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist - Chief of Communications/PD509330
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/16/2022.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience applying mastery of communication principles, methods, practices, and techniques to develop and apply new approaches to difficult and complex public affairs problems of the healthcare system; Experience developing and evaluating information programs and enhancing understanding among publics opposed or indifferent to the healthcare system or agency programs; Experience analyzing public reaction to programs and policies and developing recommendations to modify those programs and policies based on those recommendations; Experience and advanced knowledge utilizing graphic design, photography, videography, advertising, and budgeting and procurement for communication products; Experience utilizing advanced knowledge of theories, principles, practices and techniques of VHA, VISN, and healthcare system policies and program activities to resolve complex public affairs issues and concerns.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Administration and Management
  • Communications and Media
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Political Savvy
  • Stakeholder Management


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.

Note: 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.

Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary with walking, standing and bending required during presentations, visits and tours of the Medical Center. Flexibility is required to accommodate events and activities occurring during other than normal business hours. Mobility is required in terms of staging and assisting staff with equipment and other materials.

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

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/.

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

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a VA job announcement includes language requiring applicants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply to this Job Announcement. VA may request information regarding your vaccination status, if selected, for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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