Job Description
Communications Specialist
US Department of Justice
Washington, DC
Job details
Salary
$102,663 - $133,465 a year
This position is located in the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs, Digital Media Division in Washington, DC
Responsibilities
The Communications Specialist serves as the communication and marketing content expert and advisor. The Communications Specialist plans, applies, and evaluates various communication sciences and marketing techniques to achieve optimal program results and positive outcomes.
Duties:
Serves as technical resource to access, plan, develop, coordinate, implement, and evaluate translation and dissemination of information.
Develops, implements, and manages national communication and marketing programs, projects or initiatives for various audiences.
Contributes to the management and oversight of state, regional, and national public communication and marketing projects and campaigns.
Provides guidance and expertise for developing testing, and disseminating technical and audience based products, tools, and messages.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel will rarely be required
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
13
Job family (Series)
1001 General Arts And Information
Requirements
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation.
Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov
May be required to serve a one year probationary period.
The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
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.
Qualifications
To qualify for GS-13 candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12.
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. Examples of specialized experience include coordinating and conducting activities related to long-and-short range planning; analyzing the current context or situation; identifying gaps in knowledge about audience, collecting feedback from consumers, monitoring channel use, use of communications materials; and provides consultation and technical assistance to internal and external groups about communication and marketing program, project, and strategy development and implementation.
Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
The GS-13 salary range starts at $102,663.00. If you are a new federal (civil service) employee, your starting salary will be set at the Step 1 for this position and the grade level for which you are selected.
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 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 score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application 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: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
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The Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 score 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/ctap/index.asp.
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): (for Merit Promotion announcements) VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a Veteran Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under the VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations from ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division. Please click on the following link to read important information. DOJ Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations
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.
EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability (physical and mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, retaliation, or other non-merit based factors.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 648-8760. The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled on a case-by-case basis.
“Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized.”
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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 assessment 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 you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
The assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your ability in the following competencies:
Skill in writing to report on research and evaluation results.
Knowledge of communication and marketing goals and objectives.
Mastery of oral communication techniques to lead teams and work groups, make presentations, serve as a spokesperson, conduct meetings designed to solicit input on program issues, and develop consensus among divergent viewpoints.
Skill in oral communication, report writing on research and evaluation.
To preview questions please click here.
Background checks and security clearance
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test required
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness
Required Documents
Required Documents
Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional).
Most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your grade, step, career or career-conditional tenure dated within the last year, if applicable. No award SF-50 as it does not show grade and step.
Veterans' preference documentation (Member Copy 4 of DD-214, Revised October 2013 SF-15 https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf and VA letter, if applicable. NOTE: The revised October 2013 SF-15 is the latest copy and all others are not usable.
CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable.
Schedule A documentation, if applicable. Note: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities. Qualified applicants with disabilities may be eligible for special hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A eligibility. Please visit http://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/individuals-with-disabilities or contact the Selective Placement Program Coordinator at 202-648-7454.
It is your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are legible. If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants MUST CONTACT US PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, update your profile information in MYUSAJOBS as well as contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process.
Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/ validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility. All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement.
Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.
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.
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.
If you are a 30% or more disabled veteran, you may be eligible to use leave under the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015. This act grants leave for purposes of undergoing medical treatment for a disability instead of using regular sick. For additional information see: Wounded Warrior Federal Leave Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-75) (Act).
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.
Help
This job is open to
Individuals with disabilities
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Veterans
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from current or former federal employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service, ICTAP/CTAP, persons eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and Schedule A (Persons with Disabilities).