Public Affairs Specialist

About the Position: Serve as a senior Public Affairs specialist responsible for researching, assembling, writing, and disseminating sensitive, critical or complex information for both internal and external publics on a wide variety of subjects in support of the District's mission.

Major duties

• Assist in researching and analyzing public opinion and news media trends to support the development of communication strategies.
• Write public involvement and community relations plans to inform and involve the public on controversial issues.
• Draft public affairs plans for specific projects or issues, outlining target audiences and recommended communication techniques .
• Develop and edit informational materials, such as articles, web content, and presentations, ensuring they are suitable for the intended audience and meet established deadlines.
• Prepare initial drafts of news releases, feature articles, and other materials for dissemination to the news media.
• Respond to routine media inquiries and requests for information.
• Assist in planning and coordinating public events, such as news conferences, public meetings, and community relations activities.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Civilian Employees of the Command Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Assisting in researching and analyzing public opinion and news media trends to support the development of communication strategies. AND 2) Developing and editing informational materials, such as articles, web content, and presentations, ensuring they are suitable for the intended audience and meet established deadlines. AND 3) Preparing initial drafts of news releases, feature articles, and other materials for dissemination to the news media. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.