Public Affairs Specialist

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (Communications Consultant)

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

Overview

Open & closing dates

 05/14/2019 to 05/28/2019

Service

Competitive

Pay scale & grade

GS 13

Salary

$88,704 to $139,916 per year

Summary

WHAT IS THE Communications & Liaison (C&L)Division: The Communications & Liaison (C&L) touches every aspect of the IRS mission through its information-sharing activities, including communicating with IRS employees, taxpayers, Congress and state and local agencies. C&L handles thousands of media contacts and information requests to help taxpayers understand and meet their tax responsibilities.

See “Other Information” for Locations

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

WHAT DOES A PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST DO?

As a Public Affairs Specialist in the Executive Secretariat Office, you will perform work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between agency leadership and taxpayers and Members of Congress. You will be involved in reviewing and editing informational materials intended for appropriate audiences that explain the agency’s policies, programs, services and activities; planning, executing, and evaluating the effectiveness of information and communications programs.

As a Public Affairs Specialist you will:

Evaluates informational problems encountered in communicating program goals. Recommends specific information strategies designed to address these problems. Reviews information needs in terms of internal and external customers and provides advice on program information problems.

Under the guidance of the manager or higher-graded specialist, evaluates and/or rewrites communications materials to improve written presentation in terms of logical development of ideas and concepts, the reading and knowledge level of the intended audience, the method of expression, and the overall quality of writing.

The incumbent tailors the material to meet the requirements of the specialized audience. Deletes words or phrases which may antagonize or offend the reader or group of readers.

Analyzes data, draws conclusions, and develops recommendations for improving effectiveness of key agency communication initiatives.

In consultation with the manager or higher-graded specialist, identifies the needs, wants, business conduct,and key issues and concerns of customers, and provides appropriate communications solutions.

Works directly with National Headquarters Communication & Liaison (C&L) Legislative Affairs, senior IRS management, and business operating divisions on highly-sensitive issues prior to any public communication or release of information.

Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with business operating divisions, Congressional staff, Treasury Executive Secretary, and other internal and external stakeholders.

Coordinates, tracks, and manages time-sensitive materials and information for IRS senior management and Congressional staff members.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? If you want to find out more about IRS careers, visit us on the web at http://www.jobs.irs.gov/.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

13

Job family (Series)

1035 Public Affairs

Requirements

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Refer to "Other Information"

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Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

IRS Employees with Career or Career Conditional Appointments

-

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

GS-13 LEVEL: You must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: developing and implementing a comprehensive public affairs program that involves public information, internal information, media relations and community relations that required a wide range of knowledge of communication requirements and techniques pertinent to the position to be filled. This knowledge is generally demonstrated by assignments where you analyze a number of alternative approaches in the process of advising management concerning major aspects of the public affairs program. Examples of experience includes developing and disseminating information materials to the general public or specialized target groups; writing annual reports to congress; speech writing; develop and write for the web.

-The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or VolunteerService. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

-To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following, if applicable:

You must have been at the GS-12 level for 52 weeks (time-in-grade requirement).

Education

Additional information

2 Positions are being filled in Communications & Liaison (C&L), selectee will remain in current POD. (2 vacancies).

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS 97794

A PM/C SharePoint site is available for IRS Employees at: https://organization.ds.irsnet.gov/sites/HCOETS/PMC/SPDLibrary/SitePages/Home.aspx

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Must meet IRS telework eligibility requirements

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.

Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30p.m.

File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of selection and annually from then on.

If you are an IRS/Treasury employee eligible for consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must submit proof of eligibility by 11:59 PM ET on the closing date of this announcement. If you have any questions concerning your eligibility please refer back to the CTAP Documentation link in the vacancy under How You Will Be Evaluated.

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How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated on the competencies of the position to be filled per the IRS Merit Promotion Plan in the following areas: Communications and Media, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communications/Speaking, Problem Solving, and Writing. Your application will also be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. IRS employees may obtain most recent awards listing at https://persinfo.web.irs.gov/ Your rating may be lowered, if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: You will be assigned to one of three quality groups. Each group represents a quality level (i.e., Superior/Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, Qualified). Candidates will be considered in quality group order.

If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring polices). We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Treasury employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), you must receive a score of HIGHLY QUALIFIED or better to be rated as well qualified to receive special selection priority.

To preview questions please click here.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test required

No

Required Documents

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Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional). To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view Resume Tips

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) DOCUMENTATION

If you are a displaced or surplus Treasury employee, click CTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents. IRS CTAP eligibles can apply for jobs within and outside the commuting area.

IRS Reassignment Preference Program (RPP)

You must meet the requirements in your RPP notice. Submit a copy of your RPP Notice along with a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal. Your performance appraisal must have a fully successful or higher overall rating.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/AWARDS: Submit a copy of your most recent completed performance appraisal.

IRS employees: If a revalidated appraisal is used for merit promotion, the supervisor must prepare a narrative for each critical job element that does not have a narrative describing the performance in the appraisal period covered by the rating. Note: If you are a manager or management official, your most recent annual performance appraisal must be used for the overall rating identified.

Non-IRS employees are to submit documentation to support any performance related awards received within the past 3 years (i.e., a copy of award SF-50 or documentation that includes company/institution name, date, monetary amount (if any) and reason for award.

EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTATION

For non-IRS employees submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The “position occupied” block on the SF-50 should show a “1” and your “tenure” block should show a “1” or “2”.)

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. If the position has specific education requirements and you are currently (or have previously been) in the Federal job series to be filled, there is no need to submit a transcript or equivalent at this time. Non-IRS employees may substitute an SF-50 showing you held the series. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

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

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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.

As a current employee, you know the great benefits we offer. Should you have any questions about benefits, please contact the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at 1-866-743-5748 option #1 for ERC.

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.

How to Apply

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How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

Treasury believes in a working environment that supports inclusion; please view our reasonable accommodation policies and procedures at http://jobs.irs.gov/seasonal/reasonable-accommodation.html We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us hco.mphs.apply@irs.gov if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.

You will be re-directed to Treasury’s CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents. To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.

To complete, you must click the “Submit Application” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.

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Agency contact information

 IRS Jobs Online Helpdesk

Phone

1-866-743-5748 Opt# 1

Email

hco.mphs.apply@irs.gov

Address

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

5333 Getwell Road Stop 9417

Memphis, Tennessee 38118

United States