Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

This position is located in any field division, Office of Field Operations (FO), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is responsible for planning, organizing, and developing communications strategies and media plans for mass media in support of the field division and the ATF mission.

Duties

• The major duties of the Public Affairs Specialist position include, but are not limited to, the following: Evaluating and determining effective methods of disseminating information that highlight programs and enforcement activities. Ensuring policies and views are consistent with public presentations and recognizing instances in which it is necessary to institute steps to resolve divergent public expression. Staying up to date and current with criminal enforcement and industry operations developments, with particular emphasis on matters that affect the public, legislative relationships and major program matters of immediate concern. Working with senior management to develop guidelines to ensure appropriate public information techniques are utilized. Communicating both orally and in writing to represent the organization with the media at conferences and meetings. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume. To qualify for the Public Affairs Specialist position at the GS-13 grade level, candidates must meet the following specialized experience by the closing date of this announcement. Candidates must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all of the following. Planning, organizing and developing programs for and determining effective dissemination of information through appropriate mass communications media; AND Responding to unscheduled media inquiries concerning ongoing investigations, conducting press conferences, arranging interviews, resolving complaints in general; AND Providing specialized training for specific division needs. Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (09/21/2026) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

Requirements

The requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Must be U.S. Citizen or National Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file. May be required to serve a one-year probationary period. Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation. You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements by the closing of this announcement. Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines. MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/21/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 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 resume 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 update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit My Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement is closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. Your applications will appear on the Welcome page. Navigate to the job application and click Track this application to view your application status. The link will take you to the hiring agency application system, which has the most up-to-date status of your application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means click here. NEED HELP? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.