Public Affairs Specialist

About the role

This position serves as a Public Affairs (PA) Specialist at Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The PA Specialist reports to the VISN PA Officer and, is the official responsible for promoting and coaching outreach in the VA Medical Centers (VAMC), sharing best practices, planning, and conducting comprehensive outreach programs, developing outreach plans, generating events, etc. in partnership with internal and external stakeholders. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement Permanent Employee Status: If you are unsure if you have permanent employee status to be considered for this position, you can verify your status by referring to Box 24 on your most recent SF-50. The box must have a 1 or 2 in order to be considered for this position. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Applicants must submit documentation verifying that they meet time-in-grade requirements in accordance with federal regulations. Human Resources will not review or access official personnel records to determine eligibility if supporting documentation is not provided. Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating. 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. In addition to meeting the time-in-grade requirement, applicants must meet the following specialized experience: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a public affairs specialist. Qualifying specialized experience includes experience where you were responsible for applying advanced communication and analytical practices, methods and techniques to the solution of complex public affairs problems; Planning, developing, and producing a variety of materials and publications (including print, visual, Web-based, multimedia, and video materials) to achieve understanding of various points of view or concepts; Advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with local media representatives and community groups; Coordinating and implementing special events, ceremonies, outreach campaigns, tours, and other activities to generate public awareness of organization's mission. Preferred Experience: Strong background in community engagement, event planning, relationship building, excellent communication skills, experience with social media platforms. Experience where you were responsible for applying advanced communication and analytical practices, methods, and techniques to the solution of complex public affairs problems; planning, developing, and producing a variety of materials and publications (including print, visual, Web-based, multimedia, and video materials) to achieve understanding of various points of view or concepts; advising leadership on the development of communication plans and strategies; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with local media representatives and community groups; and coordinating and implementing special events, ceremonies, outreach campaigns, tours, and other activities to generate public awareness of organization's mission. Basis for Selection: Selections for positions will be based on the objective evaluation of the candidates' total qualifications for the position. "Qualifications" means the combination of experience, training, education, skills, knowledges, abilities, personal characteristics, and merit factors deemed to be pertinent to successful performance. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Communications and Media Multimedia Technologies Organizational Performance Analysis Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done

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