Job Description
Public Affairs Specialist
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Summary
This position is being announced under FEMA's Cadre of On-call Response/Recovery Employee (CORE) Program. This is a temporary appointment in the Excepted Service, not to exceed 2 years, with the option to extend based on workload and funding availability. Veterans Preference does not apply to the CORE selection process.
Duties
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a diverse workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.
When disaster strikes, America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled, knowledgeable, high-performance workforce. Please visit www.fema.gov for additional information.
EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.
In this position, you will serve as a Public Affairs Specialist for Region Two in New York, NY.
Typical assignments include:
Serving as a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson for print, television, radio, and/or social media.
Supporting events expected to attract traditional and social media partners.
Developing professional relationships with traditional and social media partners.
Responding to media inquiries from a variety of local, national, and international sources.
Identifying media event locations, developing event schedules, obtaining talking points, establishing contingency plans, rehearsing, supporting, and providing follow-up for special media/VIP events.
Coordinating multi-lingual media activities with other components of External Affairs.
Developing key issues for messaging based on data collection.
Analyzing media coverage for potential issues, inaccuracies, and trends; flag hot issues for supervisor attention and provide rapid response.
Documenting and analyzing media efforts and outcomes.
Promotion Potential: Positions filled under Stafford Act regulations generally do not have documented promotion potential; however, dependent on an employee’s ability to perform higher level duties, the continuing need for an employee to perform work associated with a higher-level position, and administrative recommendation and approval, promotions may be earned by CORE employees.