Public Affairs Specialist

Lexington, KY, USA
Posted on  

Job Description

Public Affairs Specialist

US Department of Justice


Lexington, KY 40507

$62,236 - $94,491 a year

Part-time

Duties

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/ .

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 19-KYE-10468915-MS .

Responsibilities

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky with responsibility for administering the District's public affairs program that provides timely and reliable information to media organizations, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and the general public. Typical work assignments will include:

Establish and maintain existing professional working relationships with members of the local and regional print and broadcast media representatives and specialized groups interested in the United States Attorney's Office programs.

Establish and maintain contacts with Federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations and agencies, civil rights groups, and other community interest groups.

Organize and coordinate news media interviews and press conferences for the United States Attorney's Office, including media events involving multi-agency case announcements.

Develop and write written material to provide to the news media and law enforcement community, such as news releases, feature stories, background information, data compilations, biographical material, and articles on office program commitments and priorities.

Respond to information requests, in written and oral form, from news media, and specialized and general public inquiries on significant United States Attorney's Office program initiatives.

Responsible for maintaining an updated Internet site, and District's Social Media Accounts, including Face Book and Twitter.

Arrange and conduct special events, workshops, seminars, and other meetings with various organizations.

Provide advice and guidance to the United States Attorney and other management officials on potential media and public reaction to information disseminated.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel is required for training and trial assignments.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

12

Job family (Series)

1035 Public Affairs

Requirements

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Background investigation, credit check, and drug test required

You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable

If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Must complete initial online questionnaire and additional assessment(s).

Qualifications

The preferred candidate will have established working relationships with local and regional news media representatives, law enforcement, and special interest groups operating throughout the Eastern District of Kentucky.

GS-11: To be qualified at the GS-11 level, you must have ONE (1) year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service, OR Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized experience is defined as developing and managing social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to create appropriate messaging about an organization's priorities and initiatives; experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with members of the local and regional news media, law enforcement and special interest groups; experience responding to information requests and inquiries from the general public and news media organizations; experience arranging and conducting special events, workshops, seminars, and other meetings with various organizations in stimulating participation in organizational program activities; experience writing, editing and preparing press releases, reports, news stories, decision/information papers and briefings.

OR

Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Communications, Public Affairs): Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience : A combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of two (2) full years.

GS-12: To be qualified at the GS-12 level, you must have ONE (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.

Specialized Experience is defined as planning, organizing, and executing complex, controversial and diverse communication strategies to carry out public affairs activities and to promote programs and/or services of an organization; experience independently writing, editing, and preparing communications materials (i.e., news releases, fact sheets, brochures, blogs, web pages, etc.) related to crime, law enforcement actions, legislation, trials, and court decisions; experience managing, editing and recommending approval of daily content and interactions on social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.); experience interacting with the public and the news media on behalf of an organization; and advising senior level management on communication needs.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ .

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ .

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html . All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Veterans' Preference- If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming in your application and submit the appropriate documentation, as specified below.

In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" dated October 2013 and all the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.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 or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be evaluated and rated using DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified . Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Appendix F for definitions):

Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

At the GS-11 Level:

Attention to Detail

Customer Service

Flexibility

Integrity/Honesty

Interpersonal Skills

Learning

Reading

Reasoning

Self-Management

Stress Tolerance

Teamwork

At the GS- 12 Level:

All of the above plus Influencing/Negotiating

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Other

Drug test required

No

Required Documents

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, which includes:

-Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

Required: Your responses to the online USA Hire Competency Based Assessment (applicants who indicate they meet minimum qualifications will receive an email invitation to complete the online assessment).

-Required: Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). 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. (cover letter optional).

-Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the "Qualifications" section of this vacancy announcement.

Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. (See Benefits and Other Information section for details.)

-Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.

If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you must submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Benefits

Benefits

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits .

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.