Public Affairs Specialist

Summary The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Inspector General is currently looking for a Public Affairs Specialist in the Immediate Office of Inspector General. Join our professional team of auditors, criminal investigators, and inspectors who help support DOE's mission through performance and financial audits, inspections of management issues and administrative allegations, and investigations into alleged violations of law. Responsibilities As a Public Affairs Specialist, you will be responsible for a wide range of complex duties. Major duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Develop comprehensive communication strategies that support organizational priorities, strengthen employee engagement, and enhance awareness of DOE OIG programs and accomplishments. Lead the Office of Inspector General's internal communications program. Develops and implements a comprehensive internal communications strategy that promotes transparency, employee engagement, and alignment with organizational priorities. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the news media, specialized groups, and others interested in the OIG's programs and regional offices. Functions as the primary OIG media spokesperson. Provides media coaching to Senior positions within the OIG, such as the IG and Deputy IG, and they rely on the incumbent's judgement and recommendations when issuing press releases, discussing issues with the public, and answering questions before Congress. Develops and maintains a communication plan for timely posting of articles, executive profiles, and other items of interest on OIG's external website. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (08/21/2026) of this announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected EXPERIENCE: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Developing, executing, and evaluating comprehensive internal and external strategic communication plans that align workforce engagement, shape public understanding, and advance organizational priorities. Serving as an official spokesperson or primary media contact to deliver public statements, manage media outreach, conduct press briefings, and execute communication strategies with journalists, industry groups, and key external stakeholders. Researching, drafting, and editing high-level messaging materials (e.g., press releases, talking points, speeches, backgrounders, op-eds, FAQs) and providing strategic communication counsel within the agency and leadership. Overseeing digital communication channels and website content strategy, while adhering to federal web publishing standards, digital media policies, and Section 508 accessibility compliance. In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined above by the closing date of the announcement. Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: General Schedule Qualification Standards Volunteer Experience: "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. Time-in-Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appt. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. Additional Information This announcement may be used to fill additional similar positions across OIG-DOE if identical vacancies occur within 120 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. More than one selection may be made from this announcement. For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: You will be assigned to an OIG office. Limited, situational telework flexibilities may be offered as defined by agency policy. Telework flexibilities are not guaranteed. Recruitment incentives: May be authorized to newly appointed federal employees. If a recruitment incentive is authorized, the employee must sign an agreement to fulfill a period of service with the agency of not less than 12 months and not more than 4 years, as determined by the gaining office in accordance with agency policy. Authorization of incentives is not guaranteed. Relocation Incentives: May be authorized, subject to available funding and management approval, to current Federal employees who must relocate to accept a position in a different geographical area. If a relocation incentive is authorized, the employee must sign an agreement to fulfill a period of service with the agency of not less than 12 months and not more than 4 years, as determined by the gaining office in accordance with agency policy. Authorization of incentives is not guaranteed. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodations for USA Hire For Reasonable Accommodation information or assistance: Email: View email address on click.appcast.io Phone: View phone number on click.appcast.io 711 for TTY-Based Telecommunications Relay Service | Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov)