Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Executive Affairs Division (EAD), with 2 vacancies in Lakeland, FL; Newport, OR; Newport, RI; or Charleston, SC. This position is also announced under vacancy number OMAO-26-13049903-DE, which is open to all US Citizens or Nationals. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Duties

• As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will perform the following duties: Serve as a senior Public Affairs Specialist providing media relations support and leading communications for the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). Interact with local, national and international electronic and print media to establish relationships and coordinate interviews between personnel and journalists. Coordinate with the OMAO Communications Director, Social Media Manager, and senior OMAO managers to support OMAO's strategic priorities. Conduct public affairs functions to disseminate translated scientific and technical information, utilizing various media platforms. Communicate the OMAO's mission to include ships, aircraft, diving operations and unscrewed systems to the media, public and industry partners. Assist with the coordination of ships, aircraft, diving operations and facility tours for media, the public, and government officials. Enhance public knowledge of agency programs, activities and missions with education and outreach efforts, utilizing photographic content and social media. Create content for OMAO's website and social media channels including web stories, scripts, news releases and speeches. Monitor web and social media analytics to evaluate effectiveness and to adjust strategies as necessary. Serve as the policy and planning authority for the Executive Affairs Division (EAD) as an advisor to upper management. Develop, recommend, and implement strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of communications efforts. NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZA-4; the ZA-3 is developmental leading to such performance. POSITION REQUIREMENTS: This position will require escorting of media and other visitors aboard NOAA ships, which are not handicap accessible. Must be able to climb several flights of steep and narrow stairs and step through doorways with thresholds up to 24 inches high. Some travel is required. This position may require after-hours (evenings, weekends) work. This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZA-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12. The ZA-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14. The Full Performance level is the ZA-4.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify at the ZA-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Supporting communications and public relations to increase awareness of programs, policies or activities; and Participating in editing and evaluating outreach and communication materials such as web stories, scripts, news releases, facts sheet or speeches. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements. Note: Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. To qualify at the ZA-4 or GS-13 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in planning and developing policies or strategies to support communications efforts and media relations; Disseminating information through public relations and media platforms such as social media channels, websites, news releases or outreach events; and Developing and recommending improvements to increase effectiveness of communications and the dissemination of information.

Requirements

Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Additional Considerations: One year probationary period may be required. Payment of relocation expenses (PCS) is not authorized. Payment of relocation incentives OR recruitment incentives may be authorized. Note: Relocation incentives are for current federal employees only. This position requires Moderate Risk Security Clearance. Background investigation will be required. Continued employment is subject to applicant's successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period, 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; 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 then 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. Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), name of accredited institution, course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty. Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the blue "Apply Online" button. If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.