Public Affairs Specialist

Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduate Program you must meet the following requirements: You must be a recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution such as an accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; or a qualifying career or technical education program (e.g., Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, Climate Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps). Note: Qualifying volunteer service must be from a federally administered program indicating completion of either: at least 52 weeks of volunteer service (through one or multiple periods of service), or at least 1,700 work hours when the volunteer service period is less than one year. Note: Certificate program is defined as post-secondary education in a qualifying educational institution equal to at least one academic year of full-time study that’s part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty; however, eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which the degree, certificate or qualifying career or technical education program was obtained. The date of release or discharge from active duty should be later than the date the degree or certificate was obtained. Qualification Requirements Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field of study which provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. **OR One year of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service that is in or related to public affairs and that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience could include writing news releases on routine matters; providing information to the public on agency programs; assisting higher level specialists with the preparation of news releases, fact sheets, and brochures; assisting with the organization and support of special events. These work experiences would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying analytical techniques, and would have required a good general working knowledge of communication and public relations principles and methods. **OR A combination of successfully completed progressive graduate level education as described above that is beyond the first year of graduate study and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
General Information Salary: $66,300 (Step 01) to $86,190 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in the advertised office or other U.S. Geological Survey offices in the local commuting area.