Public Affairs Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Outreach and Events, Office of Events and Travel (GPA/SOE/ET). The incumbent serves as a Public Affairs Specialist responsible for designing, planning, and directing the public affairs program, disseminating information through media to domestic and foreign audiences, advising agency employees, and maintaining effective media relationships.

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Duties

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• Monitors complex foreign affairs issues and policy developments relating to the Department's public affairs initiatives.
• Develops message strategies, gathers audience feedback, analyzes impact, and recommends improvements to support State Department and U.S. foreign policy goals.
• Serves as a spokesperson, engaging members of the national and international media to disseminate, clarify, and defend important U.S. foreign policy messages with far reaching implications.
• Provides expert advice to the Spokesperson and senior officials on media engagement rules, including briefing guidelines, press coverage decisions, allocation of media space on the Secretary of State plane and general media access issues.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience monitoring foreign affairs issues related to public affairs initiatives.

• Experience assessing audience impact and recommending actions to advance State Department and U.S. foreign policy goals.

• Experience as a spokesperson or public affairs officer engaging media on foreign policy issues.

• Experience advising senior officials on media engagement protocols (e.g. developing briefing guidelines, managing media access and space allocation for high-level travel and events, resolving access issues).

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.

Additional information

• To request a reasonable accommodation for additional time on the timed sections of the assessment, please submit your request using the "Request a Reasonable Accommodation" button within the Assessment Application.
  For all other reasonable accommodations at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at View email address on click.appcast.io.
  OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement. The following applies to all RA requests:
  • RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only.
  • Applicants submitting a RA request MUST attach supporting medical documentation signed by a licensed, treating medical provider. The documentation should describe the nature, severity, and expected duration of the condition, identify the relevant medical condition or diagnosis, and explain the basis for the requested extension. RA requests that do not contain supporting medical documentation attachments at the time of initial request may be subject to further review.
  • Note: the following documents do not, on their own, qualify for automatic approval of the RA request: Schedule A letters, VA benefits letters, or SSA letters.
  • Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an accommodation decision.
  • Applicants are encouraged to carefully follow instructions related to medical documentation provided in the vacancy announcement prior to beginning the RA process.
  • Applicants will have 48 hours after their RA request is adjudicated to complete the assessment battery. Scores generated after the allotted timeframe will not be admissible and the applicant will not be considered further for the vacancy.
  • If a different type of RA is needed, please contact OAA directly at View email address on click.appcast.io.
• If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
• Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM's CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.